The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1946-01-05


icaly closes the sports year Although we see much
bont basketball and hockey the present their sche
dulles really don't open until January of the next year.
Therefore sports lover looks at the empty bleachers on
the deserted and covered fields and permits his
mind 10 wander back There is really quite thrill to be
derived from this I'll let you in few of the things
hat come into the sdene coachs mind.
In passing Northwestern High school, will there be
another Julius Chapman? Chapman alsate, all
III, halfback during the when Mayor Jefries
stndent al Northwestern Will some youngser up
INA hceome another Eddie Swami and lead undefeat-
"a and united football eleven. Eddie Swami quar-
,ack and called signals for the last indicated and
nndpucd Championship team turned out by this school.
The tventics the Golden athletics for North
western high and must look the record during this
,,erod if to know why this school the boue
YARD is reNefed by rs rivals ana victory over II so
eagerly sought Ctf Robinson was the broad jumping
everything in the state in the half mile and cross country
races Leroy Dues shot putting champion Thad Den
his began teaching the sidelne coach the fundamentals
high jumping The late Doctor Marcus Greenlee was an
a-citv guard team which later the University
of Atngan stan faf captain Of the last indicated and
mdrpHcd national championship football team at that
university.
Northwestern has produced number of fairly good
3iua perforners since those DAYS Lester McFal ali
ety guard OF the exceptions the general Of
athletes we have been seeing McFal later attended
Morris Brown and became captain there However,
group at this school 10 compare with
the marvellous record compiled by the aforementioned
one muses. over the sad plight Of Cass Technical
high school one sees in retrospect sorry picture now
compared hacyon days this schools great attn
.c past This school produced the unforgettabe mid
ea the cider path Eddie Tolan. who held champion
ships SprintS the city. state. midwest and nation
al scholastic Later he held every championship
nosfr 81 mention college student attending the Uni
yc-fy al Michigan As last week he closed
nfiaN athletic by winning both sprints in the
1852 Oympic~ But Eddie not the only great perfor
NOR fned ont hy CaSS Tech during the Of the TWEEN
lis brother Hart Tolan beautiful athlete TO
vafsh the $50 yard race Bill Loving the best
VS. middlewes the hurdles. HI later added 70 his
fse by remaining champion at college level While
.pding Western state Normal college Eddie Gaines
equally entitled to he listed in this hall of fame This
ott was great individually and as team. How well
recall. the general feeling Of hostility aroused by the
manner in which Of the local papers reported how
small group went to the National track meet in Chi
Illinois. and took the first National track title
N hgh school in the State Of Michigan The headline
read: smoke Flies and Cas- Wins SO Infatuated were
The local eony this ausion to such steller perform
that the Sidclne coachS father banned his ath-
e endeaNors because If they reported sports results
20 sch scandaouS manner. the 'od man figured that
athletics another Of inequitv and sin. You
sam ~l assured that 1t took lot of strong pleading 10
et Henry Ward ST. TO change his ruling because he
good and confirmed Baptist. and he didn't admit mis-
takes judgment. Getting back to Tolan. Loving and
they still the greatest bunch of high school
track men eNerto be developed in Michigan as team.
Jumping over to Northeastern high. the sdene coach
wonder, if they viii bring back anybody near great as
iuhn Lewis or Eugene Beatty. John Lewis attended
ayno University when known Detroit City
pege Lewis put Wayne on the map as FAR as schooI
concerned Beatty known old badly Of the
ender paths Gene was great. When the sidcline
coach Was learning to hurdle he had marvellous close
up view of how good hurder looked from the be-
eaase he followed Beatty the tape enough. This re-
call, an episode that almost npped the sdene coach's
career ~ the bud. The sidelne coachs father didn
believe IN athletics too much anyway and in fact he /
having considerable difficulty determining why
ets were not waging in sin. Somebody at our church
mus have been fellow deacon Of Pops) told Pop that
ms son was very promising young athlete and that If
ne continued TO follow Gene Beatys footsteps. the
youn1Ster would wind up winning few local contests
This report sort of pleased the good churchman and
ne then decided TO do personal research to determine
>ports were really as bad he imagined them Toward
TINS end he personally decided to to the city final
meet at Central high school and his youngser per-
orm He there and through the entire meet When
me sideline coach got home that night expecting little
thery encouragement. he found his father very bitter
over the whole thing He getting ready to again ban
sports In the argument that followed II developed that
Deacon Ward didn't consider sports fair because they had
Young NdS competing against old men The old man IN
ms case Eugene Beatty He had Gene beat his
10Y that night and thought that there no equity IN
ne selection of competitors all because Gene was bald
headed Actually Deacon Ward not the only one
confused by Genes bald pate. Gene such good
Nnee and so far the rest of us Youngsters that
number of rival coaches tried to declare him ineligible be-
'uSe OF age not the basis of valid birth certfcae
put because of a bald head. AS matter of fact Gene
ldu Deen titles long figured that he must