University of South Carolina Libraries
S.PO RTS DIGEST By MAC HILL MUCH ADO OVER BOWLS... Many rumors are circulating about these days concerning the most up-and-coming of all the New Year's Day football games, Miami's Orange Bowl. Some have it that the OB officials do not intend to renew their present contract with either the Atlantic Coast or Big Seven con Yerences when the pact expires after the 1958 event. According to this rumor, with the probability of the University of Miami entering the Southeastern Conference when they are taken off their present proba tion this school year, the bowl officials will seek to sign a deal with the Southeastern for their champion to visit Miami on New Year's Day and then look for an outstanding outside team to furnish the opposition. The big obstacle, however, that the OB brass will encounter under this plan is, can they make the deal attractive enough to lure the Southeastern away from their tendency to visit the larger and older Sugar Bowl in old New Orleans town? Another rumor concerning the OB and their troubles tells us that the ACC champ will continue to go to the Miami classic and it is hoped by the Miamians that the Southeastern's best can be obtained to furnish the opposition in what would be an All-South bowl and would therein, in one move, eliminate any further racial interferences in the Sunshine state that might rise to hender the games. This latter rumor sounds like a winner, do it not? EltICSSON, FLOYD HAVE BEEN MISSEI) ... Pictured elsewhere on this page are the senior members of the Gamecock football team. They will be playing their last game in Carolina Stadium tomorrow when the Birds meet the Maryland Terps in the Homecoming encounter for 1956. Two members of the local team have already played their last game out at the Fair Grounds. Seniors Rick Ericeson and Bill Floyd were injured and required surgery earlier in the season. Floyd was hurt in the third game of the campaign, against Miami, and Ericcson played his last game on Big Thursday. Both men are guards and both have been sorely missed in the past few games as the outcome of those games will bare out. As Head Coach Warren Giese phrased it, "You just can't lose two good men like that at the same position > " and not feel the effects." Ericcson and Floyd were real k horses in the Gamecock's forward wall and they will be missed when the next season rolls around as they were missed during the latter games this year. WELCOME ABOARD .. . It was announced earlier this week that Billy Henderson, former assistant at Furman, has been employed by the University. This corner would like to take this opportunity to extend a hardy welcome to this young coach who is well known for his work with colleges and high school athletes. Glad to have you, Billy. Furman's se loss is dlefinitely Carolina's gain. FOOD FOR THOUGHT .. . Tennessee, presently the nation's number one team, possess depth a-plenty at the all important tail back position in their single wing 2, attack. Johnny Majors, a sure bet ' for All-American honors is first string. Al Carter runs behind Majors, and if you dlon't believe he's good ask Jim Tatum up at North Carolina. Carter did about i everything but steal the goal posts in Tennessee's 20-0 win over the Tar Heels a few weeks back. A fellow by the name of Bobby Gordon plays in the shadows of these two. Against Georgia Tech last Satur (lay, Gordon punted for an average of 67.6 including one dynamic boot covering 72 yards. Now that's some feat, especially with a big Tech line charging in. Sports Ganders (Continued from page 6) So, that's the reason for the increasing interest in the 1956 Olympics. Records, those that have stood for years, should fall in this year's classic. Should there be one event in which the record wvill stand, that will be the great Jesse Owens' broad jump record of 1936. All these records will or should fall even with several of the United States' athletes sitting on the sidelines watching in anxiety. Our Olympic team doesn't include world record breaker Dave Sime of Duke in the sprints, 15 Vfoot pole vaulter Don Bragg or Olympic javelin champion Bud Held. Injuries kept those three from qualifying for the Ameri can team in the Olympic trials in June. They are in shape now, but present rules will not allow them to compete. The opinion around the country is that the rules should be changed in order to give more hope to the United States' effort to win the Olympiad from the closest competitor, Russia. Will the United States win the 1956 classic ? Only time will tell. This reporter feels that the United States should take enough points in the men's track and field events to offset the victories the Russian women will probably win in their class. The United States . . . the winnah!!I Birds Bi, 4' .5. Seniors N Final Hon Seven Gamecocks will pla3 Stadium tomorrow at 2 o'clock Maryland's Terrapins. Buddy Luke Beasley, Bill Bullard, Bi will end the home season to: Ericcson, both guards on the earlier games and will not se BUDDY FRICK ... A da the Gamecocks is considered t ends in the South and, perh defense isn't the only specialt from North, south Carolina. caught 10 passes for 228 yards. As a sophomore, he intercepted a pitchout and ran 75 yards for a touchdown against North Caro lina. In 1956, Frick is an out standing candidate for All-Ameri ca and All-Conference honors. SAM DELUCA . . . Currently rated as one of the finest tackles in the nation, is a line-busting 225-pound bruiser from Brooklyn, New York. Sam, considered by many as being in line for the conference blocking trophy, was one of the outstanding high school linemen in the New York area in 1952. He broke into the starting line-up on varsity as a sophomore and1 has held the tackle position since. He moves quite well for a big man and the one major factor involved in his rise to the top) has been "desire." Last year DeLuca was voted to Mary land's all-opponent team. JACK HALL . . . A six-foot, 180-pound senior from Georgia, who transferred to USC after sp)endling his first two years at Georgia Tech under Coach Bobby Dodld. Hall is considered to be one of the better dlefensive ends in the state and is a better-than average punter and extra point specialist. In 1955, Hall threw -2 passes, completing 14 for 211 yards. LUKE BEASLEY . . . Luke is the largest man on the Gamecock roster wveighing in at 235 pounds. He is considered to be the big horse in the Bird line. As a freshman, Coach Baskin considered him one of the top linemen on the team. In high school, Luke played foot ball and basketball and was on the track and rowing teams. He was on the national championship crew team in 1953. Beasley was a Vir ginia football all-stater for two years. BILL BULLARD . .. Was an all-state center in high school. Captain of team and played in Shrine Bowl game. Bill was the reserve center on the freshman team. He was considered to be "too small" when he entered Carolina "on his own," but has gained wveight to go along with sp)eedl to be a dlefinite asset to the team. Was number three right guardi in 1955. BILLY RIVER .. . Played foot ball, basketball and baseball at York High. Played In North South all-star game In 1958. Played sparingly as a freshman, but moved up quickly to earn (Continned on page 8) THE GAMECOCK InH< -ds In Stadium Finm - ;r ill Make 1e Stand their final game in Carolina when the Birds do battle with Frick, Sam )eLuca, Jack Hall, Ily Rivers and Mackie Prickett norrow. Bill Floyd and Rick Bird roster, were injured in a action. agerous 6-4, 205-pound end of o be one of the best defensive aps, in the nation. However, y of this hard-hitting lineman Prior to this year, Frick had ESSO REEA H-1h4I/lI I - r?I; Fabulous oil-mae All-American kicks But footbhalls wcith .resist weather e. is out-performing Proo f, once a gain, mec o de x as 1 y x im .IOI 0 e rubber for the wo r~....._f 1 ~~, ' and~( crashing tackles put a I >laddercs of H ut il rubber take stremIes. D)ereloped from oil atural and( other tqypes of rub hat E SSO RESmErA sRC ming9 Carolina I Over Mary The Gamecocks of South Caro lina hold their annual homecoming tomorrow afternoon at Carolina Stadium as they battle the highly touted Maryland Terrapins. Coach Warren Giese's Birds, holding a season record of five wins and three losses, go into the game a six-point favorite although Coach Tommy Mont's Maryland aggregation held the Orange Bowl bound Tigers of Clemson to a 6-6 draw last week end. The Gamecocks, still moving through football wars in the At lantic Coast Conference with four sophomores - the starting line-up, have been a surprise to the other seven members of the conference. Carolina upset Duke's Blue Devils 7-0' after downing Wof ford 27-13 in the season opener. Then, the Birds were beaten by a fine Miami team 14-6. USC moved along to register wins over North Carolina and Virginia by 14-0 and 27-13 scores, respectively. On "Big Thursday," the Game cocks were beaten by Clemson's Tigers 7-0 in a thril4er where the winner was not known until the final few moments of the game. The Birds then rebounded to take a 14-7 win over Furman's Purple Ifurricane. The Wolfpack from North Caro lina State, looking for win number three of the season, roared from behind to down the Carolina team 14-7 in a battle that went to the final gun. Barrett Moves Up During the past four days the Gamecocks have been in earnest practice in order to reach good condition for the homecoming game against the Terps. Bobby Barrett, the junior full back from West Virginia, has moved back into the first unit South Carolina backfield. Barrett was dropped to the second string after he missed 10 days of work with a partial leg fracture suf fered in the North Carolina game. Mont Leads Terps Tommy Mont, young, capable and ambitions, was the first choice rid of sports utal squeeze on the rubber in punisinnent in st ride . . . hold by E sso Research, But yl rubbc her in hundreds of wayts. H works wonde>rs with oi Page Seven Battle Favorite and Terps of his former head coach and he was the man in whom the Uni versity of Maryland placed the destiny of future football fortunes at College Park. Mont, himself a Marylander and graduate, was all smiles at the beginning of the season as the Terrapins lost only 13 letter men in 1955 and had a total of 25 returning for the 1956 season. The bright spot in Mont's plans was the quarterbacking of Frank Tamburello. However, Uncle Sam stepped into the picture at Maryland and grabbed up Tamburello in the draft. The smiles of Coach Mont turned into frowns as his plans for a fine season slithered a bit. The lone position that could have dampened the outlook for the 1956 season for Maryland was at end. Gone were five ends who played and lettered for three years, but veterans Jean Waters, Ed Cooke, Bill Turner and Dick Porter teamed up with frosh pros pects Al Beardsley and Ben Scott to alleviate the darkness. Tackle Posts Strong From tackle to tackle, the Terps probably haven't been so strong since 1953 or before. All-Ameri can Mike Sandusky leads the tackle corps. along with Al Whar ton and Ed lIeuring. And, at guard, the Terps have another All America candidate in Jack Davis. Others leading the way for the Marylanders at guard are George Kolarec, Paul Tonetti and Dick DeCicco. Gene Alderton, junior, played brilliantly as a soph behind All-America pivot man Bob Pel legrini and he has led the Terps' forward wall thrusts this season. In the backfield, Tom Selep, one of the game's hardest running fullbacks, leads the offensive thrusts for the Terps. Fred Hamilton was moved to halfback from the fullback position to add speed to the Terrapin backfield. Ralph Hawkins, John McVicker and Howie Dare are the other halfbacks for the Maryland squad. a football. T ir indefinitely r