Evening star., 1952-07-01
Many Famous Names
Found 0n|yHeartbreak
In Olympic Trials
BY the Assoeiated Press

NEW YORK, July Twill.
members Of the American Olympic
track squad prepared to star
their final training period al
Princeton. N. j.. after having ar.
rived here early today from Los
Angeles. there are a score OF
heartbroken athletes on the side
lines.
The select stars who made the
team will take part in a jamboree
at Randall's Island next Sunday
and then will fly to Finland in
chartered planes July Z, 8, 9 and
10. They will leave behind many
equally as famous stars, any one
OF whom might have won medals
or championships at Helsinki had
they not failed to make the team
Tor one reason or another. In
some cases. injuries or accidents
were responsible. For others, the
competition in the weekend trials
at Los Angeles was just too good.
1S4S Champion Fails.
Foremost among those who
missed the trip to Helsinki are
Wilbur Thompson. the 1948 Olym-
pic champion and record holder
In the shot put; Don Gehrmann,
who made brilliant record in
doors in the middle distances:
Jim Golliday of Northwestern.
considered the best of American
sprinters; Dick Doyle. the hand
some Montana discus thrower,
and Dick Attlesey, holder Of the
world record for the 110-meter
high hurdles.
:. At that. the casualties are not
any higher than in past Olympic
years.
The Olympic Committee, from
long experience, selects the team
In a hard-and-fast rule-the first
three men in each event in the
final tryouts are automatically
named. Only three can be entered
in one event by any nation in the
games. Obviously, if any excep-
tions were to be made. and a noted
champion put on the team on the
basis OF past performances, it
would mean leaving some one off
who had qualified in the regular
manner.
Injuries took a high toll this
year. Golliday and Attlesey both
pulled leg muscles and couldn't
make the grade. Doyle broke his
neck in a freak swimming acci-
dent. Thompson and Gehrmann,
however. did not appear to be up
to their best performances.
Shotput Disappointments.
In the shotput there were sew
eral disappointments. Otis Chan
d1er, 57-foot performer, hurt his
hand and was far below form.
Bernie Mayer. on the other hand,
did 56 feet ia inches in the try
outS-better than the Olympic
record-but couldn't make the
team because there were three
men even better than he.
Cliff Blair of Boston University,
who had the years best hammer
throw in the United States, 1856
feet 812 inches, couldn't match
this in the tryouts and lost.
Bob Allison of the Navy, who
did 233 feet 11a inches in the
javelin earlier this spring. was
nowhere near this mark in Cali
fornia.
F. Morgan Taylor of Princeton,
son of an Olympic champion, who
had hit Is feet 61s inches in the
broad jump. was crowded out.
Bob Devinney of Kansas, con-
sidered second best in the 400
meter hurdles, hit the last barrier
and was nosed out at the tape.
Don Cooper, one of the four
men in the history of track who
has done Is feet in the pole vault.
injured a foot in training and
wound up off the team.
Falls in Final Race.
Craig Dixon. ranked as one of
the greatest Of high hurdlers, fell
in the final race. In a preliminary,
Val Joe Walker Of Southern Meth
odist. another great hurdler,
tripped and lost his chance.
Jim Ford Of Drake. the COL
legiate 200-meter champion.
couldn't stand the pace in the
finals.
Len Truck, Ohio States great
distance runner, was noSed out Of
q place on the team in the 1900
meters.
Pappy Hall of Florida. last years
champion high jumper, was unable
to qualify even for the final try
outs. Another whose injuries held
him out of the tryouts was Ollie
Sax, a sensation indoors at 400
meters and thereabouts.
Willie Williams, Illinois, and
Alex Burl, Colorado A8SM, were
two sprinters who found the going
too fast.
George Roseme, California, the
collegiate javelin champion, and
Dr.. Steve Seymour, who was Sec
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