Evening star., 1941-03-19
Koch's Shift Without
Telling Him Peeves
Reinhart Of 6. W.
Becomes Baylor Mentor;
CoIoniuIs to Stund
Pat for Present
BY LEWIS F. ATCHISON.

BY LEWIS F. ATCHISON.
Barton (Botchy) Koch can
coach the line at Baylor or Miss
TWiddle's School for Girls for all
Bill Reinhart of George Washing
ton cares, but the Colonial mentor
wishes he had made up his mind
and abided by his decision two
weeks ago when Botchy was offered
and-ostensibly in good faith
accepted a position on the down.
town schools staff.
AS Reinhart pointed out, G. w.
didn't seek Koch's services. No.
body broke out in heat rash to
get him back when they heard he
was out at Tulsa late last November.
Botchy is a fine line coach, to be
sure, but so is Gene Shields who
took his place and Reinhart and
Shields were functioning smoothly
and getting along famously. Koch
definitely wasn't needed.
Appeared Keen to Return.
Koch wanted to come back to
Washington but not until Shields
decided to remain in Oregon and
was the way opened for Botchy's
return. And then Reinhart gave
the matter some long, deep thought.
He remembered Koch left because
he preferred the Southwest to the
East and reasoned that he never
would be very happy here. But
In his letters Koch insisted he was
cured of the urge for the cactus
and the sagebrush and anxious to
return to the congenial surround
ings of G. w.
That was the situation when
Reinhart offered Koch the post
and Botchy snapped it up. both in
a long distance telephone CONVEX
sation with Bill and by telegraph.
That was March a. They talked
on the telephone several times after
and Reinhart said Botchy couldn't
wait to get started for Washington
but with spring practice not
scheduled until the 18th there was
on need to hurry.
Then last Thursday came the
bombshell-a wire from Botchy that
he had been offered the line coach
ing position at Baylor and had &C
cepted without even asking for his
release from G. W., and, very prob
ably. without telling Baylor officials
he had accepted the post up here
In the meantime the story of his re-
turn to Washington had been print
ed in all local papers, but by some
quirk did not go out over the new
services wires. Oddly enough. news
of his signing at Baylor was not
nationally publicized.
That gave Reinhart an oppor-
tunity to get him on the telephone
and try to straighten out matters
Botchy had coached at Baylor be-
fore-four years under Morley Jen-
nings, the grand old man of the
Southwest, who quit last season.
Reinhart didn't think Koch was
making smart move in going back
to Baylor as an assistant to Frank
Kimbrough, who takes over this
year after successful tenure at
Hardin Simmons.
IF Botchy was going as head
coach or as assistant to his old coach
wouldn't stand in his way min
ute" said the G. w. coach. But I
honestly didn't think it was a smart
move for him to go back as assistant
after he'd been there four years"
Seen as Buffer at Baylor.
Botchy's friends here thought like
wise. One person conversant with
the situation said Botchy was being
used as buffer in a sorry alumni
political mixup: that he was brought
in to pacify those alumni who
wanted Baylor man at the helm
if possible, but at least on the staff.
If the situation was not a bit
ruff1ed why would Jennings quit
after 16 years, they asked
The biggest bone of contention,
however, was Botchys gross negn.
gence in not requesting a release
from G. w. before accepting the
Baylor offer. Reinhart emphasized
that Kochs presence here was not
essential to his plans and that he
had an opportunity to sign at least
three other capable line coaches but
passed them up to lend a hand to
his former assistant. He thinks the
least Botchy could have done was
tell him he had the Baylor offer
and not keep it a secret until after
G. w. announced his signing.
Well, it's all water under the bridge
today and the book is closed with no
hard feelings. Reinhart has "Zuzu"
Stewart, "Tuffy" Leemans, Ray
Hanken-all experienced coaches
who know the set-up at G. w. inti-
mately, and he can call on Duce
Keahey, Sonny" Jones and Sam
Babich for more assistance during
spring training. When autumn
comes, G. w. may add another man,
a full-time line coach, but until then
it will worry along with the staff
named ohovo