New Pittsburgh Courier from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 14

piin liar i 'i Ha Stop EDS i 1 1 hp I1 51 it S4 If II! 1 mm mm mwti THE PITTSBURGH COURIER SATURDAY, DECI mm 1 (Giiuis 4ri 7 Dim irikJ i IB A y. KSWV 1Y 6 am i i nm him nT nsria i 7 fr it' it J. it i is ir" I I :fWvjM.i We Our Priming for SMU i 1 Plav All of Players Or None Higgins By LEM GRAVES Jr. STATE COLLEGE. Pa.

Around this quaint, quiet lit tle mountain village, nobody, seems unduly disturbed about the role of pioneer in race relations wmcn nas laiien to their own Penn State College. You will rimembtr Pnn3 State's undefeated and untied grid eleven proposes to hie Itself into Tex, come Jan. 1, for a Cotton Bowl booking against Southern Methodist, and that they further propose to play all of their team members including two pretty fair ball players of unmistakably dark hue. The Cotton Bowlr you ne' doubt know, is situated in the heartland of Dixie prohibitions against any participation of Ne rroes in activities on a basis of equality. With this in mind, It comes as a slight surprise to And.

out that around State College the tremen dous social import of this Cotton Bowl engagement is accepted with such calmness, with the calmest persons around being Wallace Triplett and Dennis Hoggard, the two megro gria stars. That is not to say that no soul searchine or moral self tion has been endured by this community! In setting the stage for its democratic stand. It means simply that the soul searching took place more than a year ago, at which time Penn State and the whole community which is part and parcel of the college, took stock of its morality, decided the issue and took its stand. The waa not remade VrnrrvnlfA with QJCDAVES, WASHINGTON' When the CXAA convenes here, this week end, the burning issue of the CIAA championship will be the main thing on the minds of every delegate In spite of the fact that tne committee on arrangements has scheduled a complete agenda of other Important matters. Sine last week's research by newspapers revealed that the Dickinson system, under CXAA application, meant championship for Shaw University, the debate has been hot and heavy on every corner in the East.

I Most of the arguments have ben valid. There is some reasonable excuse for complaining that Shaw's league schedule was so weak that Its championship, much like Joe Louis title after the waicott rhubarb, is slightly tainted. However, this writer wants to expose the most popular argument as so patently Impracticable as to be ridiculous. The first thing anybody will say to you in arguing that award' ing Shaw the championship will be this: That means that any team can pick out a schedule of second division teams and guarantee the championship." To this floolsh argument, you can say Huts. are a couple of million loopholes in this agrument.

Well llss few: the first place, you can't tell who win be a second division team. Shaw has been one pretty consistently for. the past ten years, but you see where Shaw is now. Ditto Delaware, which Kortn Carolina scheduled as an opening "breather three years age and has regretted it ever since. Same for L4ncoln which fluctuates from top to bottom.

Also Union, Bluefleld, Smith, North Carolina and A. and T. which cant be permanently classified as second division. In the second place, only St. Augustine, St.

Paul and Winston Salem seem to be sure second division teams. In sixteen team league with from seven to nine teams figuring In the first division, and presuming that the candidates for the flag would deliberately set out to schedule only second division team, that means that St. Augustine, St. Paul and Winston Salem would be scheduled for about twenty games each per season. Doesn't that sound slUyT Traditional Game Set In the third place, with the exception of one or two spots In their calendars, the CIAA teams have regular, traditional games they nlav each vear at about the same time of the season.

Even if the coaches were foolish enough to want to revolutionise their schedules, the students, alumni and fans would not stand xor it. In the fourth place, football Is a business no matter what the coHfer coaches tell you about It. How many people would pay to see Morgan vs. St. Pauir Or Virginia State vs.

St Augustine 80 disregard that argument all together. There is little danger that this situation will ever arise again. Virginia State plays Shaw next year and Shaw is gunning for another good game for next season, If the big boys are not afraid of Shaw, now is the time for them to eotne forward and offer the Bears a date. Irs sttll evident that the CIAA needs to reorganise a strong league of about ten teams capable of meeting each other on a basis of equality and committed to playing each other every season. Then we would have a champion worthy of the name.

But as long ae they keep this hopelessly unbalanced sixteen team leauge of powerhouses and weak sisters. I think the CIAA should quit crying because Shaw won the title. iM.ii.ar, soccts am namMiM can pf ia.iiiSit.ii Mrn 1 1 1 mi 1 rgumBhy iy r. sPSbssV wJse S3lnev4s( eAs93ews3eVC vv I this year. Penn State has decided where it stands on the business of segregation and the matter of playing Triplett and Hoggard in Dallas, was taken for granted from the the invitation was received.

If there was any soul searching turmoil connected with the Cotton Bowl invitation this year it took place in Dallas 1 among Cotton Bowl officials and Southern Methodist players and officials. Don't look for it here. At Penn State, they always play ALL of their team members or they play none of them. Penn State had never come face to face with this situation before last year when they had a regularly scheduled game with Miami University in Miami, Fla. The de cision to forego this game rather than compromise with the Deep Dixie traditions of discrimination, which they dislike was not easy and involved some serious sacri fices by white members of the Penn State eleven.

TEAM WANTED TRIP Am Jim Coog an, eollag sports publicity chl.f, polntad out. moat of tba Perm Stavto criddars coma from tha poor PoUah. Slav and Scandinavian mining famlllaa of Wastara Pennsylvania who may narsr hava a ebanca to so to Florida mad bask la tlia storlad glamour of tba wlnt.r play ground. They do doubt wanted ma trip vary Dadiy. But when tno debate war 'over and the gnashing of teeth subsidad, Penn Stata's grldders unanimously declined tha trio and reaffirmed their belief that Wallr Triplett and Dennis Hoggard, bona' Ada members or taair team, anoura nave tha right to play wherever tha rest of tha team played.

This stand, endorsed and encouraged by Coach Bob Biggins, Physical Education Dean Carl p. Schott, and other college officials, set a pattern at Penn State and tha statement that Psnn Stat would play In the Cotton Bowl only with ALL of Its players this year waa a routine extension of that pattern. There la a surprising unanimity' of view point here on the projected trip. At Penn State they feel that they have afnrmed the right principles, and that the trip will be without incident. Students who frequent the snack bar in the State College Hotel across the street unanimous ly favor, the stand taken by the college and thai other football players voted unanimously to take, the trip only on eondlUon that the Negro stars played.

That they will play Is a foregone con elusion. Explained Coach Higgins: "No matter whether we kick or receive, Trip lett is in our starting lineup, if we kick off. Triplett does the kicking and stays tn because be plays the defensive wingbaek. Ha always plays In our back field when we are on defense. 'If wo receive, he stars at fullback.

because he is on of our three best backs for returning kicks." Triplett laer explained that he alternates with Jeff Durkota, the other right halfback, oa offense, usually play ing about half of the offensive game and! all of the defensive game. RAISED BY COACH Coach Higgins told The Courier that: Both of these boys are fine fellows and wonderful athletes. Triplett Is small, but he has a splendid body. He Is fast and shifty and is an excellent pass re eel var. He runs our reverse and bis speed pays big dividends.

'When the Cotton Bowl invitation was extended us," declared the successful Penn Stat coach, "there was no question In our minds about the conditions under which would play. We take our whole team wherever go." Coach Higgins added that tn addition to the fact that be did not believe in compromising with Southern tradition in wmcn does not believe, would not risk bis reputation a game which was played by only part of the team which bad won for him the Lambert Trophy, as ths outstanding team in the East. He said: "We have received a few letters from extremes on both sides. On or two hostile and In fl amatory letters were reoeived from reactionaries, and there were some received from radical who want to exploit this situation and would. 11 tney could, take advantage of Triplett and Hoggard In order to make them pawns la their quasi Red program.

Coach Higgins doesn't think either of bis Negro players will fall for agitation of Communists, but ha seems a utue surer of the emotionally stable Hoggard than of. the slightly Impressionistic Triplett. Of the two men. Coach HlirJu rates Triplett th better all round player and usea mm as a regular, although ne thinks Hoggard. who is obviously on of the apples of Coach Biggins' eye, learns xasx ana is improving rapidly.

Hoggard jaoetiea as in most unproved ball player on the Penn State team and A expected to be on of th stalwarts of next Tears team. BOTH TJXCONCERNKD Aa for Triplett and Hogsard. they seem leas concerned about the forthcoming game tn Dixie than anybody 'else around thiar town, in the Tlrst place, both of them have had most of th experiences which they could reasonably anticipate in Texas. Said Triplett: "In almost vry game we have played sine I cam here, I bare been called names by opposing play. era.

You bear all through football games no matter where they are played. It doesn't bother me. but It sometimes Infuriate th other Penn Stat players. When are Insulted, tne other boys get mad and really play their hearts out te vindicate) us. The fellows oa this team are swell, and they don't take that stuff lying down." vt 4, J(r Introducing Triplett, Ace Of Penn State By LEM GRAVES JR.

5 PENN STATE'S ACES AND TUTOR Left to right: Dennis Hoggard, Wallace Triplett. and Coach Bob Higgins, of the unbeaten Nittany Lions. Higgins feaid they would play in the Cotton Bowl or there would be no game. SMU's coach also agreed, and so did Cotton Bowl STATS COLLEGE, Pa. Meet Wally Penn State's Nittany.

Lions answer the referee's starting whis tle in the Cotton Bowl at Dallas, Tex. on Jan. 1, the 1 Negro back field star you will see in the starting lineup will be Wallace Triplett a small, lightning fast junior right halfback. When the Lions go against South ern Methodist University in Texas, the lineup will be different from that which started all this season for Penn State. While he stands only 5 feet 9 and one half inches and weighs only 169 pounds, he will bear watching.

Youll find him sitting out on the wing of Coach Bob Higgins single wing power formation and from this position he can do a lot of ball carrying, pass, receiving, pass throwing or blocking. On defense, he will be playing Se defensive right half position in secondary where he protects a pass zone, returns kicks or makes deadly tackles with a technique he has developed for getting the most out of his 169 pounds when it is necessary to stop a charging 220 pound ball carrier. He wants to be a football coach and la majoring in physical education. He hopes to get his Mas ters' degree in physical education at Columbia University. He wears glasses both in and out of games.

For street wear, he uses a pair of ordinary rimless glasses, but on the playing field he wears contact lenses, especially fitted to his eye ball to help him correctly judge passes and punts. Triplett halls from LaMott, a suburb of Philadelphia. He played football and basketball at Cheltenham High School In LaMott, but doesn't try basketball at Penn 8tate. Th cage season starts almost as early as does football, and besides, they don't use 5 feet. 9 Inch midgets In the modern day basketball game.

Athletics Is a sort of a family tradi tion with Triplett. Hie five brothers ell participated In sports at Cheltenham Hlrfh. Four of them served In th Army during World War II. "Trip," as he is affectionately called by his teammates. was rejected because of bis eyea.

He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mabion Triplett or LAMott ana his father la a postal em ploy in Philadelphia. wauy la considered by Coach rtoDen uiggins, a on of tn best atta letaa on the Penn. Stat campus.

GAINED CONFIDENCE Wnn be first reported to Penn Stale. said on of bis Instructors. Trlnlett bad a personality defect. He seemed not very sure of himself. This was quickly corrected, and now Triplett is a confident football player who has learned bis position weu.

Th record shows Trlnlett Is tn third ranking member of th Penn Stat team in scoring. He has scored SO points, rank ins behind Jeff Durkota, with 60 points, and Francis Rogal with 36 points. "Trip" has played In all nine gamea. has carried th ball for S4 rashes, gaining 137 yards for an average of four yards per try. On pass reoelvlng.

Triplett ranks second to Durkota, i'h'nc five for 141 yarns ana two touenaowns. About his trip to the Cotton Bowl. Triplett says: "I have played against Southern boys before. They are usually nice govt. They like to play football slonally been "roughed no" but that "we know bow to take care eoraelve.

Th other guys' oa th squad don't stand for any oovtous routs aad tney take ear of guys who deliberately try to burl as. Much of tba rough staff Is good, hard football, and we don't expect say favors. We can dish It oul and we eaa take tt" At Penn Stat. Trlplatt ana Hoggard ar not considered any different from other pi ay era. That was vident wnu I watched a pracUo melon last Tbursday bfor i baa met boys, notn ar extremely popular and ar respected tor their atnleUa ability.

Thar Is nothing special about their treatment, aad tbay seemed slightly embarrassed by th special attention I waa giving them. Both are members of tn Alpha Pat Alpha Fraternity. They room together this year In th Football House, a special building which houses the entire football team. Last year they bad separate room mates in separata bull dins. Thar are only thirty Negro on th campus.

Four of these are girls who live tn th college dormitories. (Editor's Hot: In this Issue, will publish a personality sketch of Wally Triplett, en of the two Negro stars at Penn Stat. A personality sketch ec Dnnie Hoggaro. th ether eolord star. CINCINNATI A crack at the coveted Ught I heavy? weight crown has been as sured Ezzard unaries, accora ing to announcement made here Sunday by Sam Becker, local promoter, who said that Gus Lesnevich had signed to defend his title against the bronzed bombardier at Uros ley Field here next June 14.

The report indicated that con tracts were signed at Cliffside Park, N. Leanevich home, aft er the Louis Walcott fight, which was also witnessed by Charles and his handlers. WANTED WALCOTT Ezzard la supposed to sign the articles during the current week. Charles' handlers originally had planned to seek a match with Jer sey Joe, but after Y. Jcott's great battle, the Garden officials couldn't see such a fight at this time.

They were apparently alreadjl looking forward to a return fight between the champ and the Jersey jolter. Leanevich, i after watching the fight, declared he thought that he, too, could stop Joe. CNB JIM CHOW IN WASMINSTON Younger is Big Gun in Win For Grambling RUSTON, La. Paul (Tank) Younger, brilliant Grambling Col lege, halfback, made his! final bid for All American honors here Sat urday night in the second annual Lions Bowl game before a cheering crowd of 8,000 amazed and delighted fans, who left convinced that the 47 6 score hung on Bethune Cookman College by the Tigers was Indeed an equitable division of day's spoils. Vnr fJruTYihlln that Jrtna fiowl was the grand finale of a epochal campaign; a season in which youthful Eddie Robinson's charges paraded to.

ten victories In eleven attarts. Younger has sliced through opposition for 1,207 yards rushing, and eighteen touchdowns this sea sons. like do. don't worry about any Th team Is with us all th way. I hare told th coach that I would not want th team to miss th trip because we may not be allowed to attend a banquet for the team in Dallas.

However. I notice that the banquets have been called off. It doesn't matter to me anyway, aince I want to rush back to Philadelphia for a few daya with ray girl before she returns to her colleee. Virginia Union. I hope I can leave right after the game." Tennessee Still No.

Shaw Second By LUCIUS JONES NEW ORLEANS While Idle Tennessee State with Iher 1947 season closed held to No. 1 spot nationally, Shaw defeated hitherto unbeaten, but twice tied S. State in the Capital Classic, D. 8 0, to soar to second Florida, before the largest crowd (20,000) ever to witness, a Negro football game in the South (16,843 net paid), tripped Hampton, 7 0, in the fifteenth annual Orange Blossom classic in the white Orange Bowl Stadium, Miami, Fla, Saturday night, to remain in third place in the national ratings. Shaw's latest average by the Dickinson Rating System is 28.00.

Florida has ZtM. OKAMBUNa WIXS TENTH Th Grambling (La.) Tigers tripped Bethune Cookman In Daytona Beach. 7 6, to take th toad la team scoring with soe pouts in eleven games, ana Improve her average to 27.00, tying with Wilberf oro Stat, wmcn nas rouea up Ml points In ten games and also has a 27.00 average. Florida has been beaten only by Shaw, 19 0. Ranking fifth behind first place Tennessee, second place tnird piaoa Florida.

Wilberf oroe and OrambUng (tied for fourth spot) to Virginia State, which mauled Morris Brown. 48 0, in th annual Peach Blossom Classic. Atlanta. th new Herndon Bowl was dedicated. Tb Trojans average to 15.00.

Rounding out the first ten are: Southern, sixth, 34.00; Morgan, seventh. 23.60; Fort Valley Stat, which plays Southern in th second annual xam bowi Classic. Christmas Day, in Dallas, Texas, eighth, with 22.00: a. C. State, 23.

CO, ninth, and Hamnton. 22.60. tenth. Virginia Stat is stm the most rock ribbed elub in th Nation, defensively, having yielded only IS points la tan gamea. others nr nut Brvnioir The second tea.

nationally, consists of: Howard. 23.80. eleventh: Lane. 22.60. twelfth; Loulsvina, 21.60.

thirteenth; Lincoln 21.60, fourteenth; West Vir ginia Stat, xi. so. nrteontn; Texas Col lag. 20.00. sixteenth: Prairie View.

20.00. seventeenth; Tuskeges, 19.6s, eighteenth; Lincoln 19.00. nineteenth, and wnv. 1S.B7, swnntn. xn oniy outer nrst division team la major circle to Clark, 1S.1T.' ALCOKir HEADS WSIJ.EH CXHXXOES Final standings among tb smalled grid iron powers ar: Alcorn, first, with nine wins, one loss, no uee; Buuin cookman, seoond.

eight wins, two losses; Lemoyne, thud, four wins, on loss and on tto; siorMa normal, zourta, nve wins, two leasee, one tie; Allen, fifth, six wins, tares losses; DlUard, sixth, four wins. tw losses, one tie, and Alabama A. and wtth three wins, three losses and two ties. CHAHPS HAMXO The sectional champions are; CIAA. Shaw; BIAO, Florida; Southwest.

Southern; stwweet, Tennessee state, aad SCAC, 1 LEFT: "Wotta" Mann, 81, on an end Catching a pass against Pitt. around play against Minnesota. Kignt: Was 'Talked Into9 Position Michigan's Big HelDed Brina the Bob 1 r.xr straight victories which brought! a Rose Bowl bid against University of Southern forma Pasadena, on xsew Year's Day. Gene Derricotte and Lenny are the other two tan. members of the Wolverine combine that rang up fifty touchdowns against eight for all opponents for a total pf 315 points to 53.

Mann, the slender sinewy speed ster who gained an end position on the 1947 All Big Nine first team selected by the Associated Press, is the "fifth wheel" in Michigan's 1947 touchdown chariot. Ike Owens of Illinois, another tan wlngman, received the other end post. SCORED FOUH TOUCHDOWNS In addition to setting up many scores, the 167 pound terminal tal lied four touchdowns this year while playing a position that he iiterauy was huksq uu. a xuu. "you'll still have a chance to carry the ball.

Michigan always has had an end around play, and with a fast, agile end like you can re, we can work out some new varia SBBV Sw 11 uuttom Tewa's Utredsces rns trssesel Td.erMwd!?5 eft rims oil colors (5) same styu in srrnsoM mats, tmo as sT Sfrtta far FRU 1948 Neriees's leraest Steltee Dealer ToTm'o nato Ince flARIXM STYLE CKXATOKS 14? West llltfc Street. Mew Yerk the ALSO A TRACK STAR 9 End Mann passes good for more than 200 yards, and scored four touchdowns in competition with teams that year in and year out have rated as. the toughest in the sport. One of these TDs was a never to be forgoten 61 yard dash around end against Northwestern that was the ball carrying highlight of the game. Bob was a fine defensive end also, even at 167 pounds.

Offen sively, his record speaks for it self and from one to three men were assigned to prevent his breaking away. For instance, in the Ohio State game, two men ware covering his downfleld maneuvering to get open for a pass when he bumrjed one and wan thrown ff back at West Street High School balance. But that didn't prevent In his hometown "of New Bern, him from maJclncr n. eircun mtr N. C.

(the school's only sport) the pigskin to place the ball laxer an dock a xnuujr ton Institute, this was the position he sought when he went out fori Wolverine score. football' at Michigan in 1944, But Frits Crisler and Bennie Costerbaan, head coach and back field mentor, respectively, needed ends. "With your speed you'd make a fine end," Costerbaan told Mann. Bob figured that perhaps Costerbaan knew what he was talking about since Bennie was a three time All American wmgman within three yards of the Buck eye's goal line to set up the first His greatest thrill? Blocking. His proudest momeijt to date is the time he threw the key block that let teammate Chalmers (Bump) Elliott get away for a decisive touchdown run against Illi nois Mann is the youngest of three children (there re a brother and a sister).

He started playing football himself, but he still loved that weie hing 99 pounds and tipped the ball carrying role. scales at 150 in his senior vear "Besides," urged nIeh c00i where ha eantAlnad As a trackman he runs the sprints and 440. Starting is his forte, and last spring he was ahead That sold Mann, and he just was of both Bill Mathis. Big Nine 100 getting into stride in the 1944 diana game when a knee injury put him out for the season. It wasn't until last year, after a hitch in the Army, that the 23 year old pre medical student got back into' stride.

In fact, it wasn't until tne Wisconsin game won by Michi ga, 28 8 that Bob reiJly rounded into foVm. In that game he scored two touchdowns on ftasses two Herculean catches that started the Badgers on the road to ruin. Bob finished the sea son by setting a modern record; in the Western Conference fori ground gaining by ends. DEVELOPED CHANGE OF FACE The snake hipped fugitive from a halfback's fate developed a nice pivot and change of pace this year. He reeled off an average of nine yards per try around end, caught yard champ, and Herb McKenley, world's 440 yard tltlist, at 50 yards in the Nine furlong event.

He's a topnotch basketball player "ZCitof Exalte essw ear sss saw Rose Bowl Bid EDITOR'S NOTE This is the first of a aeries of three articles by Will Boblrwon on C. nJ PawI JI Urntmmm Um TLfl tnntttnll 1. versity of Southern California in the New Tear's Day Rose Bowl game. Robinson is sports ren By WELL BOBINSON DETROIT When mighty Michigan the precision football juggernaut that vied wi and has fought in the New tJ Golden Gloves carnival. v.

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