Evening star., 1951-12-09
Fireworks Due FRIDAY
When I Schools Ask
BowI-Game Sanction
By MerreH WhittIesey

fNh~ssSt w
There is a general feeling
among newspapermen close te
Southern Conference schools thai
Maryland and Clemson will be
expelled when the conference
meets this week end in Richmond
Those who do not subscribe
to the expulsion theory believe
the two schools which accepted
bids to bowl games in defiance
Of recommendation by the pres
idents OF conference schools will
be heavily fined or suspended
from conference activities for an
undetermined period.
These theories come as rather
surprising to those close to Mary
land, who can see no harm in
the Nations third-ranking foot
ball team accepting an invitation
to an NCAA-approved bowl. de-
spite the 14-1 anti-bowl vote of
the presidents in a September
meeting. Several of the schools
voting against bowl participation
still are spending profits from
very recent poStseason ventures.
Clemson Turned Down.
As has been the custom of
bowl-bound teams in the Southern
Conference, Maryland did not ask
for permission to compete in the
Sugar Bowl. In the past. approval
has been given at the conference
meeting in December merely as a
formality, weeks after the sign
ing of the contracts. Clemson did
ask permission, and was refused.
Both will ask for official bless
tng Friday. and that's when the
fireworks will begin.
Several of the conference schools
are reported to be irritated over
some of Maryland Coach Jim
Tatum's recent speech-making.
Tatum said in New York some
thing to the effect that Virginia
dropped out of the conference and
did not seem to be hurt in any
way.
However, Virginia resigned from
the conference as a member in
good standing. and was not black
listed by anybody. If Maryland
and Clemson are expelled. the ex-
pulsion will be meaningless unless
all conference schools are ordered
not to contract for athletic events
with the banned schools.
Might Hurt Other Sports.
In football, being expelled by
the conference probably would not
hurt the Terps too much. They
could drop some of the conference
weak-sisters they are obliged to
play in order to get in five games.
and could schedule more teams
with box-ofice appeal.
But in other sports. Maryland
would get hurt. Schedules would
not be as easy to fill in basketball,
baseball, golf, soccer, tennis, track,
cross country, wrestling, etc, with
Is prominent schools in the closest
Southern States not interested in
playing the Terps.
High school athletes might not
be too interested in attending a !
school that was not recognized
by the conference.
Clemson would suffer more than
Maryland because the Tigers have
to travel more than 100 miles to
play any team but one.
Many Angles to Consider.
But there are many angles to
consider before anybody will be
expelled.
South Carolina. for instance,
would not like to lose Clemson
as football opponent for State
Fair Day. The schools draw more
than $4,000 for this one. and
South Carolina gets a sizable |
seaSon-ticket sale, only because
that way the Gamecock rooters
are assured of tickets to the Glenn
son game.
There is a rumor that Clemson
Is so powerful in South Carolina
that the other Palmetto State
teams might withdraw in SYM
pathy if the Tigers are expelled.
There is another report that Duke
and North Carolina might lead /
a bloc out of the Southern Con-
ference if Maryland and Clemson
are not expelled.
Virginia, which withdrew from
the conference in 1886, repeatedly
will delay its long -talked-of appi-
cation for re-admission until the
bowl question is settled. Virgin
las president. Colgate Darden, jr.,
recently said bowl games were un-
desirable at a time when the
Cavaliers had a chance to land
the Orange Bowl bid.
Stormy Session Likely.
With Maryland Sugar Bowl
bound, the Terps have the edge
in saying they mean more to the
Southern Conference than the
conference means to them, and
thus the members would be afraid
to expel them.
But after the glamour of the
Sugar Bowl wears off. Maryland
might find expulsion extremely
costly to the remainder of the
athletic program.
Regardless of which way the
vote goes, the stormiest session in
the history of the conference is in
prospect.
Issues before the conference
heads, other than routine busi-
ness, include a new constitution;
reinstatement of the freshman
rule; anew name; added author
tty for Commissioner Wallace
Wade; a ban on summer basket
ball training and scrimmage
games with other teams in spring
football. and a ban on jobs for