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BETWEEN THE LINES

Happy New Year

By Edward J. Coughlin

Richard Tiger Kazmaler, dauntless Princeton tailback, has done it again, or at least his press agents have. Added to an impressive list of honors heaped upon the widely publicized Princetonlan is the title of Male Athlete of the Year," conferred annually by an Associated Press pull. Second and third in the balloting were--er--male athletes named Ben Hogan and Stan Musial.

* * * * *

We had an opportunity over the recent vacation to watch via television, Mr. Kazmaier's performance in the East West. All State game at San Francisco. Nassau's "Kaz" played the entire game of offense with about half of the East plays being run from a single wing. This was quite nature because the Tiger star was expected by all to carry the underdog East offensive. Kazmaier's swift shifty-hipped, deceptive running amassed a total of minus nine yards.

* * * * *

The optional running pass just didn't work out a running play against the big boys. Passing however. Kazmaier looked considerably better completing six out of twelve for 106 yards. But all six completions came on fine catches by the same man, Michigan State's amazing quarterback Al Dorow, who himself completed six of 14 passes.

* * *

Dorow a passing, receiving, running, ball-hauling, and control of the East offense led us to be a bit disappointed when he finished second to Vic Janowicz for "outstanding player of the day" honors. Last Sunday, however, Dorow was named top performer in a North-South "Senior Bowl" game, with competition from Hank Lauricella and Babe Parilli. The only thing Dorow didn't attempt to do in the East-West contest was punt. Kazmaier got off one hell of a boot that carried sixteen yards in the air.

* * *

In all fairness, of course, the big West defense was overshifted for Kazmaier, leaving some of the other East backs comparatively unmolested. Dick Rivrotto, the hard-running Tiger wingback who was the man most responsible for Princeton's defeat of Harvard, once again looked better, at least on the ground, than his teammate.

* * * * *

The Pacific Coast Conference's sixth consecutive Rose Bowl drubbing has led a few West Coast coaches to mutter against bowl games in general, joining the investigating group of college presidents who have already put bowls high on their "evil" list. The president's group, under the American Council of Education, the Dun and Bradstreet of the academic world, will try to force de-emphasis by lowering the academic rating of schools that engage in recruiting practices and in exhibition games.

* * * * *

In the next few days two other groups are meeting, the N.C.A.A. and the American Football Coaches Association (Lloyd Jordan, prop.). The former group will discuss spring football practice--probable result: allowing only 20 sessions per spring. The later group will discuss the free substitution rule--probable result: much talk, no change. But the N.C.A.A. will also confer, hotly and heavily, on bowls and recruiting.

* * * * *

It is unfortunate that some men high in athletic circles still support the principle of recruiting, which by any other name still smells. It is unfortunate because a young man named Alec Groza said recently, "Some day when I'm gray and this thing is done and, perhaps, I've lived it down, I'd like to tell the whole story about what it's all been like--about recruiting." It is unfortunate because another young man named Ralph Beard added, "Recruiting. That's the start of it. How they went out and got us to play. It got so big that we got big. Too big."

* * * * *

But whether or not the recruiting evil is ended, the commercial bowl games seem definitely to be on the way out. It will, of course, be a shame if charity all-star games go with them. It would be sort of too bad to lose the Rose Bowl, a comparatively honorable organization. But the Rose led to the Sugar and Orange, and now, it seems, there are a Steel Bowl and an Oleander Bowl and a half dose others. Recently the inmates of the Washington State Penitentiary competed in a Stone Bowl.

* * * * *

Bowl games bring big money to colleges that compete in them, and this money goes into recruiting and subsidization of athletes who can get the colleges back into bowl games so that they can get big money to be used...

So the college presidents are casting a vote against bowl games. And perhaps the athletic directors will cast a vote against bowl games. Now a few football coaches and, surprisingly enough, a lot of sports writers are voting against bowl games. Where-do we go to register?

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