Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 27

DETROIT FREE PRESS Wednesday. Dec. 25. '68 T) Move jnoppmg as Up streak and barely missing a bid to the Rose Bowl and a Big Ten title in the process-Elliott is a proud man. But he wanted to do what was best for Michigan, for his family and for himself.

The final super-season let him prove something to his critics. 'We are down to two men. We have not offered the job to either of them offered the job to either of them yet," he said. "Bump has not resigned as the football coach. We have talked about the job and he is interested in it," Canham emphasized.

"He can't resign. For one thing we haven't had a board meeting. His resignation will go to the board of athletic control not to me," Canham explained. Elliott's move came as no surprise to most Michigan observers. After nine years of coaching at his alma mater, Elliott had given serious consideration to yielding the post at the end of the 1967 football season.

At that time he was under consideration for the athletic directorship which eventually was given to Canham, formerly the track coach. BY CURT SYLVESTER As soon as Michigan can find itself a new football coach, Bump Elliott will give up that job and become the University's new associate athletic director. As of now, Elliott has not resigned. As of now, Michigan has not decided upon the man who will get the head coach's job. Both are imminent, however, Athletic Director Don Canham would like to have things wrapped up "by the first of January" to head into 1969 with both positions filled and to give the new coach as much time as possible to prepare for spring drills.

ELLIOTT apparently has decided to take the job created, but kept vacant, by Canham when he took over as atheltic director last spring. The only thing that would keep the 43-year-old Michigan alumnus on as the football coach would be the failure to find a "real class guy" to replace him. There is an outside chance that Elliott would hold both jobs. "That would be another option," Canham said Tuesday, "until we found our man." But Canham does expect to find a man for the job and he'll be working on it right through the holidays. "We started out with a list of 19 people," Canham said.

"We had several different people submit names that would fit into the Michigan picture. "WE ARE DOWN to two men. We have not WITH THE exception of Ron Johnson, the Mich-igan Wolverines were considered a pretty average Big Ten football team, picked to finish fifth or sixth in the league. But Elliott and the staff he assembled made them into a title contender. After that, Elliott is apparently ready to move into the front office and become Canham's right hand man.

"Frankly, I've got to fill this job, Canham said. "I've run out of gas, running coast to coast. Bump has gone with me on some of these trips and we have some ideas we want to project among our alumni. "I don't have time to do it. Bump is the guy who can do it," he said.

Elliott told his seven assistant coaches of the tentative change in offices shortly after the football sea-son ended, relieving them of any personal obligation to him and enabling them to seek new positions should they so desire. Although the open season on coaches is drawing to a close, Canham won't settle for anyone that he is not completely sold on. This doesn't necessarily mean a big name but it will mean quality. Canham can't say who his two choices at the top of the list are but he ma-de it clear that anyone still on the list would be capable of doing the job. 0k fr CANHAM GOT the job in March and quickly assured Elliott that his position was secure.

"I'm going to do everything I can to help him build a winning team," Canham said at the time. Thus Elliott was given a chance for his 10th year as head coach and, as it developed, that was his second best year at Michigan. His Wolverines lost their first game and last game of the season, running up an eight-ganle winning AP Photo Bump Elliott and his two latest stars, Kon Johnson and Dennis BroAvn rsrzm fin Wfr Things Always Temple: Motor City Spoiler? BY CURT SYLVESTER appened to Tis the Season To Be Jolly Except for two points and the ump's Teams New Mexico Lobos, there could be two undefeated teams in the Motor City Tournament instead of just one. The one, of course, is the host University of Detroit Titans. They've breezed through their first eight games without a loss and go into their tournament as the 11th ranked team in the country.

The taiii that has come so close to perfection is Tenlple University, which will meet Miami (O.) in the first game of the Motor City Tournament Friday night. U-D will meet Mississippi State in the second game. lip vJj fi-Wlir C-i ft ifT i The Owls, being coached for the 17th year by Harry Litwack, come in with a 4-3 record which may well conceal a pretty talented basketball team. SO FAR they have defeated Hofstra, Lehigh, NYU and Ford- ham no great shakes per haps. But two of their defeats have been by just one point.

AP Photo Simpson. That's Dave Foley of Ohio State riding along, too, during the Rose Bowl teams' visit to Disneyland. TUSH ON, says Rose Bowl queen Pamela Anicich, as she rides a Disneyland fire engine, piloted by USC's O. J. Wake Forest beat them 87-86 BY GEORGE CANTOR If there was one phrase that could symbolize the 10 years of Chalmers Elliott as football coach at Michigan it would be "We're not as bad as we look." The simple sentence pops up time after time in stories about the Wolverines over the last decade.

Except for one Rose Bowl year, something always seemed to happen to take the bloom off the season. AND WHEN the alumni and press poked around to try and explain why the team should look so bad when it really wasn't, the finger always seemed to point at nice guy Elliott. If games were won on class, a Free Press reporter wrote in one dark period, Elliott would be undefeated every year. But only three times in his 10 years could he defeat Ohio State and only twice could he knock off Jlichigan State the two greatest rivalries on the Michigan schedule. Twice the losses to Woody Hayes and the Buckeyes cost him trips to the Rose Bowl and by horrendous lickings of 50-21 in 1961 and 50-14 last month.

Neither team was as bad as it looked. DUMP TOOK over as coach in 1959 from Bennie Oosterban, after a brilliant playing career at Michigan and a nine-year apprenticeship at Oregon State and Iowa. He came in with fresh, young assistants and new ideas and was expected to do nothing less than rebuild the crumbling football empire that once had reigned from Ann Arbor. Elliott had been a standout on the last Fritz Crisler coached team at Michigan, the Mad Magicians of 1917. He led the conference in scoring as the Wolverines went to the Rose Bowl and was named Most Valuable Player in the Big 10.

BUT BECAUSE of a wartime eligibility mix tip he was not allowed to play in his senior year, 194S, in a conference decision that Elliott called "the darkest day of my life." Instead he helped coach the backs in spring practice and then joined Kip Taylor at Oregon State as an Turn to Page 2D, Column 8 and Army, the top-ranked de fensive team in the country, beat them 60-59 in overtime. rowns' Old Man Gets Toughest Job The third loss was in the final round of the Lobn Invitational last weekend where the highly ranked Xew Mexico Lobos defeated the Owls 83-70 on their home court. With this experience behind thorn, the Owls could come to Detroit spoiling for an upset. The unlikely Temple hero, CHRISTMAS MORNING: It is a time for love, gift-giving, affection and so let's give freely to the needy of our land and let them know what wonderous gifts are in store for them in the promising j-ear of 1969: laimarv Fred Zollner says, "What we need is a good little man," and so he trades Walt Bellamy for Mickey Rooney Joe Schmidt trades Lem Barney for Don Meredith The Baltimore Colts shut out the New York Jets, 108-0, in the Super Bowl and after the game Joe Namath enters a Miami Beach monastery. Drafting 34th, the Lions select Otis Pemberton, Oklahoma placekicker Jim Lonborg signs up for the Free Press "Learn to Ski" school.

February Joe Schmidt trades Mel Farr for Gary Cuozzo Pete Kozelle turns down, the job of Commissioner of Baseball Willie Horton reports in at 340 pounds as the Tigers begin spring training Denny McLain tells a New York writer he is going to form his own league Mayor Richard Daley turns down the job of Commissioner of Baseball. 3farcIi Wilt Chamberlain is traded to the Philadelphia 76ers Bill Ford buys the Philadelphia Eagles and signs Joe Kuharich to a 25-year contract North Farm-ington wins the State Class A basketball championship Lou Gordon turns down the job of Commissioner of Baseball Lew Alcindor leads UCLA to the NCAA basketball championship Lew Alcindor turns down the job of Commissioner of Baseball U-D wins the NIT championship and Bob Calihan says he wouldn't trade one Spencer Heywood for 20 Lew Alcindors. April Montreal beats Toronto in the semi-finals of the Eastern Division playoffs in the National Hockey League J. C. Goosie wins the Masters J.

C. Trembley is traded for J. C. Goosie Denny McLain pitches a no-hitter as the Tigers win the opener from Cleveland but claims he was misquoted Dave DeBusschere clinches the NBA scoring championship Joe Schmidt trades Charlie Sanders and Earl McCulloch for Milt Plum. Msiv Seabiscuit wins the Kentucky Derby Gates Brown turns down the job of Commissioner of Baseball The Kentucky Racing Commission begins an investigation into the Kentucky Derby Montreal beats Boston in the finals of the Eastern Division playoffs in the National Hockey League Free Press copy boy Thorn May wins the Indianapolis "500" in bis 1949 rorsche proving his many hours of practice on Woodward could pay off Silky Sullivan is declared winner of the Kentucky Derby.

I ime Denny McLain wins his 12th straight game but claims he was misquoted Charlie Sifford wins the U.S. Open and rushes home to wait for his invitation to the Masters Joe Louis embarks on a comeback and knocks out Joe Frazier, Oscar Bonavena, Jimmie Ellis, Karl Mildenberger, Floyd Patterson, George Chuvalo, Sonny Liston, Blue Lewis and Jack Roper Joe Schmidt trades Nick Eddy for George Mira Montreal beats Minnesota in the semi-finals of the Western Division playoffs in the National Hockey League. July Peter Lorre turns down the job of Commissioner of Baseball Doug Ford wins the Buick Open trying to follow in the All- America footsteps of fellows like Guy Rodgers and Hal Lear, is big John Baum, who never played a minute of high school basketball at West Philadelphia High. see how well Barnes contains Richardson, who proved the major weapon in Baltimore's 21-14 victory over Minnesota last Sunday for the Western title by pulling in six passes for 148 yards. "Richardson doesn't present any particular problem," Barnes explained.

"When he comes out on the field he's a problem. Like most great receivers he has everything Turn to Page 2D. Column 4 ell and Ernie Kellerman, none of whom is past 25 or has more than four years experience. "They call me old man, but it makes me feel good," Barnes said with a smile as he sipped a cup of coffee. "It's said out of sheer respect.

Our crew has come along real fast but fhey do look to you to do certain things." WHAT THEY'LL be looking for Sunday undoubtedly is to BAUM. now a 6-foot-5. 105- pound senior, stuck to soccer and baseball during his high school years. It until late in those years that he developed an interest in basketball and then he only played it on the sandlots of Philadelphia. When he arrived at Temple, however, he began taking the sport seriously and Litwack Irish South CLEVELAND (J) Erich Barnes, the old man of Cleveland's defensive backfield, set his sights Tuesday at trying to shut out ace Baltimore receiver Willie Richardson when the teams meet Sunday for the" National Football League championship.

"It's almost impossible to shut a guy like him off," Barnes readily admitted after a workout at snow-b 1 Fleming Field on the Western Reserve campus. "But my idea is always to shut a man out. And his idea has to be to not let me shut him out. That's the challenge of this business." THE CHALLENGE could be the key element in this struggle on the- road to the Super Bowl for the 33 year old Barnes will have to employ every facet of his 11 years experience to handle Richardson, the prime target for Baltimore quarterback Earl Morrall. And the individual battle may be even more important psychologically for the stability of the entire secondary since Barnes is the acknowledged leader of a unit that includes three virtual young sters Ben Davis, Mike How avore ver spotted talent in the strong legged youngster.

As a sophomore he earned a starting berth on the team and has held one since. Xnw, in his third year as a starter, he is shooting 52 percent from the floor with 2 of 110 shots. He's averaging 21 points a game, with 11 rebounds. Litwack is able to move Baum between center and for ball game Christmas Day. "It ain't easy," quipped the South coach, tobacco chewing Frank Howard of Clem-son, "to build a team in four days to play Notre Dame." Parseghian brought quarter- MIAMI, Fla.

A North team coached by Ara Par-seghian of Notre Dame and loaded with six of his own Fighting Irish, will be a slight favorite over the South in the Shrine's College All-Star foot- back Coley O'Brien, running backs Bob Gladieux and Ron Dushney, split end Jim Seymour, tight end Jim Wein-gardner, and center Tim Monty. With them as a nucleus, he got ahead start over How- ward, depending on the type of team he is playing against. Against a small team Baum can play center, against a tall team he'll play forward with 6-foot-9 Eddie Mast moving into the pivot. Good Seals Vieiv ft V- Si- 4 a If- i ard in forming a cohesive unit. BETWEEN them, O'Brien, Gladieux and Dushney accounted for 23 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards last fall.

O'Brien, an all-purpose back at Notre Dame, carried 64 times for 314 yards and three touchdowns, and added 272 yards and four touchdowns on pass receptions. Gladieux, Notre Dame's leading rusher, rambled for 717 yards and 13 TDs, Dushney for 540 and four. Anchoring the North's defensive line will be Richard (Mountain) Moore, 6-foot-7, 290-pound tackle from Villa-nova, and Tony Pleviak, 6-4, 240-pound tackle from Illinois. LIKE O'BRIEN, the South starting quarterback, Larry Rentz, played more of his time at Florida in other positions. "Who knows where he can play the best?" asked Howard.

"I don't have time to work with him on all three positions to find out where ha fits best. He's a good receiver and he's a good defensive back. He isn't the best thrower in college football, but he takes a hold of a team well. That's why I'm putting hira at quarterback." Howard will have the fastest running back on either team Eugene (Mercury) Morris of West Texas State, who broke the three-year NCAA rushing mark with 3,383 J'ards. Injuries Cloud U.S.

Cup Hopes ADELAIDE, Australia (ff) Arthur Ashe's troublesome tennis elbow and an outbreak of other nettling injuries threw a somber cloud over the heavily-favored U.S. team us the Americans and Australians prepared for the draw Wednesday in the 58th Davis Cup challenge round. Ashe' the team's top player, continues favoring his right elbow which has plagued him for weeks. Clark Graebner, the No. 2 singles player just over a hack ailment, has turned up with a mild hip injury.

Stan Smith has chronic tendonitis in the right hand. "Certainly we are concerned about all these injuries," said Donald Dell, the U.S. captain. "We have had a doctor treating four boys on the team. Charlie Basarell, who is not on the official squad, also has a bad racket hand." Denny McLain hits a grand-slam homer in the All-Star game but claims he was misquoted Montreal beats St.

Louis in the finals of the Western Division playoffs in the National Hockey League Bill Muncey wins the Port Huron-to-Mackinac race, to the consternation of the Bay view Yacht Club The Lions open training camp and Joe Schmidt trades Russ Thomas for Harry Theofiledes The Buick Open is moved to Pontiac. August Mayo Smith trades Al Kaline for Frank Howard, explaining the Tigers need a big man Johnny Unitas and Earl Morrall throw 12 touchdown passes as the Colts beat the College All-Stars, 144-0 Sensing that this is the year of the quarterback, Joe Schmidt trades himself for Karl Sweetan Denny McLain runs his record to 3S-0 but claims he was misquoted Barney Google turns down the job of Commissioner of Baseball Montreal beats the Boston Celtics in the seventh and deciding game of the NBA palyoffs Charlie Sifford is still at home waiting. September Red Wings open camp and Gordie Howe signs a new 10-year contract Employing the nine-quarter- Turn to Page 2D, Column 4 CHICAGO IT) For the man or woman who has everything how about a reserved seat for Christmas? You can get a Wrigley Field reserved seat for only $1.05. The thing is they aren't in the park. A wrecking company removed the old seats at the home of the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs and replaced them with new ones.

"We've had a rush of buyers for the old seats who are giving them as Christmas presents," said Paul Bergling, yard manager of the wrecking firm. "Many people came in and bought six or eight of them and sent them as far as Florida and California as Christmas gifts. "Most of the buyers are Bear or Cub fans. AP Photo CHRISTMAS rivals are Larry Kentz, left, of Florida and Coley O'Brien of Notre Dame. They will direct South and North All-star teams in the Shrine game in Miami's Orange Bowl Christmas afternoon..