Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-11-20
Vols Regain Lead P POLL Terp % First Place Votes
Colleges Quick to Hit Back
AT Judges Blast at Sports
By the Associated Press

NEW YORK, Nov. 20.-College
athletic leaders were quick today
to dispute a New York judges &C
cusation that football and basket
ball are sordid big business deals.
But a committee of seven COL
lege presidents. meeting in Wash
ington, agreed that something
must be done" to remove what
ever evils are in the intercollegiate
athletic program.
And in Chicago. Hugh Willett,
president of the National Collegi-
ate Athletic Association, said
substantial majority Of the Or
ganiza tons 800 members sup
ported 12-point program for
tighter controls on college ath-
letics.
Basketball and football came
under the fire of General Sessions
Judge Saul S. STREET in a 41-page
statement issued yesterday shortly
before the jurist sentenced a bas-
ketball fixer and five former
players from three New York uni
Iversities to prison terms and gave
mine other ex-players suspended
sentences.
Judge Blames Authorities.
"Commercialism and over-em-
Iphasis in intercollegiate football
and basketball are rampant
throughout the country" Judge
IStreit said. He added that the Ma
Ition's schools are counting an
atomic athletic scandal"
The jurist blamed college au-
! thorities. alumni and coaches
labelling as "despicable" the atti-
tude Of many big time coaches
He advised the schools to clean
house in hurry or have Congress
or the States do it for them.
Judge STREET singled out Okla
homa. Texas. Texas AIM, South
ern Methodist, Pennsylvania, Ten
nessee. Maryland and Kentucky
as examples of over emphasis in
football. Kentucky is the only one
of the group involved in the bas-
ketball point-fixing scandal that
has reached more than 80 players
from seven schools and a referee
The judge called college ath-
llete a paid commercial and said
academic standards for athletes
are a laugh.
| Oklahoma Head Replies.
| University of Oklahoma athletes
are required to maintain proper
scholastic standards, DR.. George
L. Cross. university president,
said in answering Judge STREET S
Statement that one Oklahoma
football player was taking intro
duction to geography and loaded
his program with theories of bas-
ketball, swimming games and VOL
ley ball in his senior year.
I'VE are interested in having all
our athletes make steady progress
toward graduation" DR.. Cross
said.
/ The reaction OF Bud Wilkinson,
Oklahoma football coach, was to
go into the records and announce
that football lettelmen have been
graduated at 80 per cent pace
since he became coach Of the
tSooners.
! IF Judge STREET will give us the
name of the Oklahoma football
player he was referring to, we will
be glad to make the player
scholastic record public" The
Judge did not name the player
in his lengthy statement.
! The judges statement that
Southern Methodist awards yearly
154 athletic scholarships brought
from Athletic Director Matty Bel
a question as to what was wrong
with his school granting such
scholarships.
We'll. it isn't any of the judge
business in the first place and il
the second place these scholar
ships cover all sports. Not just
football. These are given
TO boys, who. in the main. would
be unable to attend college with
out the assistance 7 WiSl,
this judge would meet some of the
fine boys we have in athletics
Our athletes are among the finest
young men in the country and it is
that way at most of the colleges.
Says Good Outweighs Bad.
Dana X Bible. University OF
Texas athletic director. conceded
the collegiate football program
may have gotten off-side a little