Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-25


Other sports lost standout perform
ers to the militia and college football
contributed coaches as we'll as play
ers. Because of the loss of veterans,
freshmen played on most varsity
teams.
Horse Racing Takes Lead.
Sports did its part to help. Horse
racing tracks raised around $780,
900 and baseball around million
dollars for war relief agencies at
special benefit games and the World
Series gate Major league attend
ance was off per cent and more
than a dozen small minor leagues
were forced to fold up. Large war
relief sums came from boxing and
other sports.
There was little international COM
petition-the Americans Cancelled
their entry for the scheduled Pan
American games-but three athletes
from abroad dominated their sports.
They were Gunder Haegg of Sweden,
in track; Bill Smith of Hawaii, in
swimming. and Francisco Segura OF
Ecuador, in tennis (even though he
didn't win the American champion
ship.
Haegg, little known athlete, be-
gan in July series Of record-shat-
tering performances such as track
has not known since the days OF
Paavo Nurmi in the mid '20s. In
the space of 83 days Haegg broke 10
world records in distances from the
mile to 5000 meters, and broke
them badly-his 1924 for 3 miles
shaved full II seconds off the old
time.
Mile Feat Interests America.
Chief interest in America was in
his mile races. On July 2, In his
first run, he cut two-tenths OF a
second off Englishman Sidney Wood
ersons record of 4:06.2. (Another
swift Swede, Arne Anderson, fin
ished lust step behind him to equal
Wooderson's time) On September
4 Haegg came far closer than any
other runner in history to the myth
ical 4-minute mile when he covered
the route in 4:04.6.
Top American performer probably
was slim Cornelius Warmerdam OF
California, who kept boosting the
world pole vault record until he got
it up to Is feet Ia inches indoors
and Is feet SIS inches outdoors. He
had an unofficial outdoor vault of
Is feet 7s4 inches.
Leslie MacMitchell, N. Y. u, was
Americas most consistent miller,
winning most of the indoor races,
but he lost to Robert CHM of Ne
braska in the NCAA meet and to
Gil Dodds in the AAU's 1,500-meter
event. Dodds. who also won the
AAU indoor mile, was Gregory Rice's
chief and close rival at 2 miles.
Rice continued unbeaten for the
year.
Ewell Scores Track Triple.
Barney Ewell of Penn State won
a triple-1O0 and 220 yards and
broad jump-for the third straight
year in the IC4A outdoor champion
ships which Penn State won, dupli-
eating its indoor triumph. Al Blozis
of Georgetown finished his college
career unbeaten in the shotput and
set a world indoor record of 81
feet "a inches.
Bill Smith, 13-year-old son of a
Hawaiian policeman of Irish an
cestry, won three AAU swimming
championships, the 440 in 1895
and the $50 in 9:546 both new
world records, and the 900 in 2:10.7,
a new American record. He smashed
the half-mile mark by Is seconds.
Keo Nakama, his fellow Hawaiian
and now Ohio State classmate, shat
tered the mile record by % seconds
with a 1929 performance. Alto
gether records were smashed in
6 of the 10 swimming events.
Yale had perhap, the best team,
Betty Bemis of the Riviera Club
Indianapolis won the 400 and 800
meter races as her club took the
Women's team championship. Pref
ty Gloria Callen of New York cap
tured the backstroke for the third
time.
Denver Quint Takes Title.
AAU basket ball championships
went to the Denver American Le-
gion and the Davenport Iowa
Womens A. L C. West Virginia won
the New York invitation tourney
Hamline University the Kansas City
80 l1o
Toronto took ice hockey's Stanley
Cup.
Football had one of its most I'M
practicable seasons with each week
contributing its quota of surprises
Auburn's triumph over Georgia and
Holy Cross victory over mighty Bos-
ton College were perhaps the big
gest college upsets. climaxed by the
Washington Redskins win over the
Chicago Bears, owners of 24-game
winning streak, in the professional
championship. Tulsa was the only
major unbeaten, united college
team, while the A. P. poll ranked
Ohio State as the country's No. !
team.
Here is day-to-day report OF Inc
big events Of the year:
JANUARY 1-Oregon State beat
Duke, 2O-16, in trans
planted Rose Bowl football game at
Durham, N. c.; Fordham 2, Mis-
siouri 0, In Sugar Bowl; Alabama
20. Texas A. and M. 81, in Cotton
Bowl; Georgia 40. T. c. U. 26, in
Orange Bowl; Tulsa 6, Texas Tech
0, in Sun Bowl. Santa Anita
race meeting Cancelled because of
war. 9-Joe Louis kayoed Buddy
Baer in 1855 of first round heavy
weight championship, and enlisted
in the Army. 10-National Open,
women's. amateur and public
links golf championships Cancelled.
l3-Rangers beat Americans and set
National League record of Is straight
scoring games in ice hockey. 10
Ray Robinson stopped Fritzie Civic
President Roosevelt urged continue
ance of baseball during war. 20
Rogers Hornsby voted into baseball's
Hall of Fame. 23-Willie Hoppe won