Evening star., 1942-06-06
Continuous Scramble
For Superbdck, II,
Has Him Dizzy
Futher More Disturbed
Than Boy, Who Takes
Some Free Jounts
BY RAY BLOSSER,
Associated Press Sports Writer

AND, June 6.-Yes,
there's war on-for the football
services of Touchdown Tommy"
Phillips. At the last court, AZ uni
versities or colleges were engaged in
an undignifled scramble for Ohio's
No. high school star.
The coaches, athletic directors
and influential alumni have been
locking for months around the IT.
year-old high school senior whose
career sounds like a chapter lifted
from Frank Merriwell's amazing
exploits.
Frank Leahy, athletic director
head coach of Notre Dame, has
been among the visitors to Phillips
home. The dizzy whirl has in
cluded almost numberless invita-
tions since last fall, and the sensa-
tional passing tailback has found
time to accept some.
He went to North Carolina to see
the Rose Bowl game. He went to
Tennessee to look over the Vols
campus He has been to Notre
Dame several times, and to Colum-
bus to view Ohio State. He was
asked to fly down to Vanderbilt to
enjoy Southern hospitality again,
but couldn't spare the time from
his after school work at gasoline
station.
Passed to Blazing Record.
No. he didn't pay for the trips.
Perhaps they just forgot. but only
one of the official or unof1lcial rep
resentatives from the A schools Of
higher learning land football play
ing) mentioned it might be neces-
sary to hold down college job to
help with expenses. His reputation
is 50 great that only four small
Ohio schools have tried to interest
him. They know he's big game.
The reasons:
Last fall he tossed 81 touchdown
passes in eight games, scored seven
more himself and booted IA extra
points for placement.
He threw five scoring passes
against one foe, four against two
others and has done the same thing
all through high school.
In one game he completed 18 Of
"a heaves, and II of % in another
as his club won seven games and
ties its own start.
He also calls signals, and plays
basket ball.
The tie game Is story in itself.
Lakewood High School held 300
lead late in the third period when
the 1S5-pound triple -threater went
into action. He hurled two touch
down passes. sprinted across with
the third marker and kicked two
extra points for the thrilling tie.
Dad to Let Him Make Choice.
Rated Ohio's best scholastic passer
In a decade, he was named captain
of the Associated Press All-Ohio-
selected by ballot of officials, coaches
and sports writers, and recognized
as official by the Ohio High School
Coaches Association.
Thinking of all the attention
modest Tom Is getting from the
schools who would love to have him
take their courses land perform on
their teams), his father, Art Phillips
mutters:
Il don't know how he stands it,
It's getting me off balance worse
than it Is him. I certainly wish he
would make up his mind where he's
going. We don't want to influence
him too much. 1t should be mainly
his own decision, then he'll be hap
pier, I guess"
Tom weighs 1876 pounds and is S
feet 10 inches tall. He is stocky
with tremendous power which saw
him occasionally operating from the
fullback spot, but usually as tail
back. And he's serene through the
entire trying routine.
He gets up at am, goes to the
dairy farm owned by his uncle and
works until breakfast. Juggling big
milk cans around and getting the
trucks loaded up. Often he is back
there after school, driving the trac-
tor, blowing and cultivating. He re-
ports at 5 pm. at a gasoline station
for more work.