Evening star., 1950-09-20
(Another in q Series.)
By MerreII WhittIesey

RICHMOND, Sept. 20.-A com
mittee Of this city's leading busi-
nessmen, organized to improve the
athletic setup at the University Of
Richmond, today will hear a report
that more than $4,000 of the
original $50. 200 goal has been sub
scribed.
The money viii be used for
scholarships, better schedules for
basketball and baseball. emphasis
on minor sports and expansion Of
the athletic plant. Football
scholarships, however, get prefer
ence.
Football Coach Dick Esleeck un-
doubtedly applauds the spirit which
launched the non-alumnuS effort
to better the univerSity's athletic
setup; but more important to the
coach at this moment is the
toughest football schedule in the
schools history, which he faces
with a new assistant coaching
staff and woefully inadequate man
power.
Duke, Wake Forest, West Vir-
ginia and william and Mary are
among the Southern grid powers
on the Spiders 10-game schedule
in Esleeck's third year as coach.
and what is very important to him,
the last year of a three-year con-
tract.
Does Moderately Well.
Esleeck's first year at Richmond
was a moderate success, with five
victories, three defeats and two
ties. Last year the Spiders won
only three out of 10 and were
routed. 67-o, by Duke. Now may
be Esleeck is wishing he had re-
manned in the high school setup.
where in Is years Of coaching he
won state titles at Hampton,
Portsmouth and John Marshall in
Richmond.
The businessmen got behind
the Spiders because they were
tired Of thousands of Richmond
residents travelling to Charlottes-
vile, Williamsburg, Washington
or Lexington on Saturday after
moons to see good college football.
Successful in their own fields,
they see no reason why Richmond
can't produce q representative
Southern Conference football
team. The Spiders are not going
big time, but just want to meet
the ether schools in the states
Big Six on an even basis, instead
of being looked upon as a.
breather. There is nothing scam
dalouS in their scholarship drive,
as last year the University of
Richmond told the NCAA it could
not live up to the sanity code.
That was a school that won three
games talking.
The Spiders haven't won an i'm
portant football game since 1946,
when they upset Maryland at Col
lege Park. The freshmen haven't
won a game, in two years, although
the current frosh crop includes
some good schoolboy players.
Less than six weeks ago, on
August % to be exact, Esleeck's
coaching staff consisted solely of
himself. In a series of job changes
probably unmatched in college
football, all of his assistants made
comparatively quick changes, and
to make 1t worse, two of them
switched to the opponents of the
Spiders-Red Irwin to William
and Mary and Russ Crane to
Washington and Lee.
With fall practice four days
away. and with intentions of ex-
changing the single wing forma-
ton for the split-T. Esleeck hur-
ridly formed a staff. Now he has
Francis (Scoop) Evans, one of
Maryland's fine ends who gradu-
ated in 1948, as line coach; Ches-
ter Fritz, a Information All-Big
Seven at the University of Mis-
souri,. as assistant line coach;
Vicente Miller, a Richmond grid
great, as backfield coach and Jack
Null, another ex-Spider, to coach
the frosh.
Evans, who played under Paul