Evening star., 1943-06-11
All Big Schools
Are Planning
Full Season
Coaches of 20 Loops
Almost Unanimous
In Their Optimism
vThis is the first OF series
dealing ,Utth the prospects OF
college football this fall
BY CHARLES DUNKLEY,
Associated Press Sports Writer.


Associated Press Sports Writer.
CHICAGO. June 1.-THE mighty
sprawling Midwest is determined to
live up to its tradition of turning out
great football teams this coming
season, despite the tremendous
handicap imposed by war
Every major school is resolved to
play full schedule, enlisting all
available talent for the task Fresh
men will be used for the first time
From Ohio to Nebraska and from
Minnesota to Oklahoma coaches OF
20 conferences are attempting to
solve their outstanding problem-a
terrific manpower shortage Almost
to a man they are agreed it can
be done
In the Big Ten" rated as the
Nations strongest intercollegiate
conference, schedules drawn two
years ago have been revamped to
provide Is additional games with
strong Midwest service teams like
Great Lakes, the Nations foremost
service eleven last year: the Iowa
Pre-Flight Seahawks and the Camp
Grant warriors.
The Big Ten dropped all intersec-
tional contests worthy of the name
to concentrate on opponents in its
own bailiwick. thus helping to ease
the transportation problem Michi-
gan has Cancelled its game with
Pennsylvania and Ohio State has
given up its long trip to play Min
nesota and will meet Great Lakes
instead
Maj. Griffith Commended.
A great share of the credit for the
way the Big Ten and affiliates have
banded to keep football going be-
longs to Maj. John L. Griffith. COM
missioner of athletics for the West
ern Conference. He was in charge
of all athletic activities for the Army
camps after the first World War
armistice and has been steadfast in
his fight to maintain college sports
on the highest possible plane during
this emergency.
Ohio State. 1912 Big Ten title
holder and voted national champion
in the Associated Press poll, had
only eight upper classmen and "a
freshmen left at the end of spring
training, and Coach Paul Brown
said only II of them would be around
by fall Only servicemen present at
Columbus are Army trainees, who
are prohibited from playing football.
Only one school in the Big Ten
-IoWa-is without a coach at the
moment. The Hawkeyes' head coach.
Dr.. Eddie Anderson, and later his
successors, James Harris and Frank
Carideo, went into the service. How
ever, Athletic Director E. G. DAD
Schroeder is confident a new mentor
will be lined up before the summer
practice periods open.
The only schools of fair import
ance which have quit football for
the duration. because of the man
power situation are Creighton U.
and Toledo U.-both regarded as es-
sentially basket ball strongholds,
and North Dakotas two largest
schools, the university at Grand
Forks and the Agricultural College
at Fargo.
Detroit Doubtful Starter.
The University of Detroit. whose
coach. Gus DoraiS, will direct the
Detroit Lions professional team this
fall, is a doubtful starter. Marquette
University of Milwaukee, having lost
30 of last years 48-man squad, fig
ures on drawing from the Navy Pre-
Medical School being established
there
Some coaches will be forced to
comb the civilian male enrolment
for suitable starting eleven Others,
like Illinois, Michigan. Northwest
ern, Purdue, Minnesota and Notre
Dame-which will have Navy Viz
trainees-obviously will have a de-
cided advantage over schools which
do not have this potential talent
available. At present Viz quotas
give Illinois 1000 men, Notre Dame,
1850; Northwestern. 1850; Purdue.
1850, Michigan, $50, and Mime
sota. 450
Wisconsin and Illinois will be the
busiest teams in the Big Ten. The
Badgers will play seven conference
opponents, Camp Grant and Notre
Dame. while Illinois will have six
conference engagements. Camp
Grant and the Iowa Seahawks.
Notre Dame. the principal inde-
pendent, has passed up its games
with Southern California and STAN
ford, but will retain such distant
foes as the Army. Navy and Georgia
Tech The Fighting Irish also will
play four Big Ten teams plus the
Great Lakes sailors and the Iowa
Seahawks.
Kansas Problem Most Pressing.
The Big Six, accused by one fac
ulty representative of "whiStling in
the dark" has voted without much
optimism to carry on. Kansas Uni
verSity has the most pressing prob
lens. for Coach Gwinn Henry has
resigned and other members of the
staff are gone-and there are no
veteran players returning.
Don Faurot says three freshmen
and a sixth-string Al will be main
stays of his Missouri team. which
has a 10-game schedule. Coach
Ward Haylett was the only person
present when Kansas State at
tempted to hold spring practice, and
Nebraska can count on only two
4-Fs, with Coach Glenn Presnell due
to go into the Navy July /. Iowa
State must depend on incoming IT,
year-olds and Oklahoma must build
around three slightly experienced
players.
Except for Creighton, the Missouri
Valley Conference will operate al
though travel will be curtailed
sharply.