Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Caroi11 - King Di EDITOR'S NOTE: Many words have been typed about Albert King Dixon II in the past ten years, but I don't figure a few more will hurt anyone. Since this is the last issue of the Gamecock that I will have a finger in, I want to try to pay some small tribute to one of the finest students, one of the finest leaders and one of the finest athletes that has ever received his sheepskin from Carolina. People speak of him as "Little King." And they are speaking of him-from his legendary start in athletics at Laurens High School, where his name was number one on many high-school All-American lists, through four years of ex emplary college life at the Univer sity of South Carolina, as a stu dent and an athlete, to three years of "outside running" and national famneWce again playing armed service football. As I grew up in a small com munity near Laurens, and a grad LUCKY STRIX presents:" 15CR 'I CHANE T ra Pla Gelth xon Ha. iate of Laurens High School, I iad the opportunity of being "on he scene" when King began ihowing his leadership both on ind off the football field. Becoming interested in sports in iis early teens, King went out for .he high school team in the eighth Crade weighing almost a hundred >ounds. He was completely hid len from view even by the smallest iniform. Due to his size, he was sentenced to the "B" squad for a rear of seasoning. Undergoing a stepped-up eating )rogram, King packed some thirty ive pounds around his bones for he ninth grade year, made the :eam, won a letter and drew sev !ral favorable comments concern ng his football future from the ocal enthusiasts. When the fall of 1953 rolled tround, King's soph year, the voung man came of age. Weighing n at 155, the little speedster be ran making the headlines for the, l'igers (Laurens, that is). Scoring El MUFA "It's Yoga / willed myself up herel e **\** . . ute o colegn capu grow h a barmds. rs"b smk oeLuckies oncllgan SLUCKIES and c Ireduct of A s State S Ready.....oGo...........a d .u ed o . . . . . . . . . . and... G SCarved Out F;,"THE INTELLECTUALS" * "... but think of i' this way, Gwen, I'm here, and Lord Byron isn't. "To lose one's individuality is to lose the meaning of life itself!" UAL, be thankful you're living at the right time. The ry culture is sympathetic to new voices, new ideas. lent explains, among other things, the popularity of ies. Deduce this yourself: Enlighten up a Lucky. As ut you, reflect on this profundity: College students any other regular. tet some taste for a change! Etturda Oing! )uite A ] f'0 points for the season, King marked up an All-State rating and :he college scouts began to wear a beaten path to his door. The records of his junior and senior years are public knowledge, even seven years afterward. He led the state in scoring both sea sons, amassing nearly 300 points ;or the two years, and finished his high school career with a four-year rushing average of 10.3 yards per carry. That's from pretty good to terrific! His specialty was to re verse his field a couple of times, outrun pursuers to the sidelines, and then turn on the horsepower. The opening game of his senior season was an indication-King scored five touchdowns, two extra points and rang up nearly 300 yards rushing for the evening. Man, I can't walk that far. During t h e summers King worked at Camp Greenville for Boys, in Cedar Mountain, N. C. The biggest drawing card for the camp, King Dixon was followed around by a group of little camp ers everywhere he went. He looked like the Pied Piper, himself. Mothers and fathers would bring virtual little rascals to camp to get them out of their hair for a few weeks, and when "Dennis the Menace" returned home walking bowv-legged and carrying a foot ball to bed with their excess en e?rgy turned to sports. King Dixon's influence on young boys was extraordinary. Following his senior year, every college within 500 miles wooed King, Jr. until he chose Carolina, disappointing some 60-odd coach ingstafsthroughout the South While at the University, King paintedl such a unique college MAMMY'S Famous Srr Served 3020 Two I FINAL EXI That is what we give to us for launderin prior to their return ti LAUNDRY 8 On Xx. (Photo by Nye) Record! career that it can almost be termed a work of art. On the athletic fields, Little King was a "king-sized" spark plug on the football team. His senior year he was named captain ol the squad, most valuable player, and won slots on the All-State, All-ACC and All ACC Scholastic teams. Any one of these is a fine honor. During his four-year stay on campus, King was Vice-President of the freshman, sophomore and junior classes, President of Kappa Sigma Kappa, President of Omi cron Dielta Kappa, Dean's List, Outstanding Senior, Who's Who :nd Phi Beta Kappa. King graduated in 1959 and wen: directly into the Marines to work ol his three-year PLC pro ramt obCiigation. While in service, King ma(le first team on the All iervice team three consecutive years. was named Outstanding Service Athlete and this year, serving as player-coach of the .\fMrine base at Okinawa, was also chosei service coach-of-the-year. When Dixon gets out of the Marines, it is quite possible that he will sign a pro football con tract. Reliable sources claim that the Baltimore Colts as well as other National and American foot ball league teams have contacted King about his post-service plans. A defensive halfback or a kickoff retuon specialist in the pro ranks wVould be his meat. Whatever his choice may be, to give pro football a try or to return to South Carolina and become a normal citizen, may the record :hat King Dixon hits made serve as a source of inspiration to young athletes across South Carolina and the Southland. SHANTY torgasbord Daily latch Road IMS . .. ry day! to all garments taken Sand dry cleaning you. CLEANERS o V. N.C. Next ACCGame Of Season Bty HLANDING CLARKSON, JR. Assistant Sports Editor Carolina's cut-quick Gamecocks a-e on two supposedly "de-eni )hasized" basketball powers to norrow and Monday in North "arolina State and North Caro ina, but if this season's results iave been any indication, these two eams are not exactly hurting for .alent. The Wolfpack of N. C. State, ,he Birds' opponent tomorrow ifternoon, is fresh from their startling 61-60 upset over mighty )uke a week ago. The game, a 'ital ACC contest for both teams, will be televised regionally, be 4inning at two o'clock. Both of these North State out rits play curtailed, 16-game sched ules because of last year's basket ball scandels, but each seems to possess enough talent and good oaching to carry on their reputa tions as ACC powers. State can field an especially tough front line, with several boys on the bench to provide depth. The top entrant here is 6-5 John Pun ger, a husky driver and rebounder who beat Duke in the last two seconds with a jumpshot from the corner. Russ Marvel, a 6-6 center, gives the 'Pack more protection under the boards, besides putting in more than ten points per game. Jim "Wheaties" Whitfield, a 6-5 springboard, is N. C. State's ver sion of Jim Podell, and soph Pete Auksdal is also ready for duty. In the backcourt, the visitors have one of the premier guards in the ACC in jumpshooter Jon Speaks, who is currently putting in the ball at a rate of 20 points per contest. lie is ably supported by Dan Wherry. For the Tarheels, they are set forth as a taller, but not as deep a squad. Rookie Coach Dean Smith protests that his boys don't re bound as well as he would like, but with big boys measuring from 6-8 to 6-5 in abundance, no one is ieeling too sorry for him. Six-seven, 220-pound Jim Hud ock is at center for the Tarheels, a good scorer who is putting in about 15 points per game this year. He is ably supported by 6-8 Jim Donohue, who has only been eligible since Jan. 1, but who may have secured a starting berth al ready. Guards Larry Brown and Donny Walsh give the Tarheels fine pro tection at this spot. Also in the starting p)icture are sophomores Bryant McSweeney, 6-5 forward, and Mike Cooke, a good shooting guard. Leagues Set, SN Captures Table Tennis Sigma Nu swept the Fraternity ping-pong competition and leagues for intramural basketball were drawn by the Intramural office this week. Basketballer R o n n i e Collins came out victorious in the individ ual competition in table tennis, carrying the Sigma Nu colors to victory over the Kappa Sigma representative. In the fight for honors in the doubles division, the duo of Ben Boyd and Billy Rentz roared to victory for the "Snakes," ending up with a win over Kappa Alpha for the title. The important drawing for leagues in second semester basket ball was announced by the Intra mural office last week. As usual, one group of seven teams seems to possess a greater number of strong squads, with Sigma Nu, PiKA, SPE, and Phi Kap, last year's playoff entrants, all being in the same league. INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL League I Kappa Sigma Phi Kappa Sigma Pi Kappa Alpha Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Chi Sigma Nu Sigma Phi Epsilon League II Alpha Tau Omega Chi Psi Kappa Alpha Lambda Chi Alpha Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Epsilon P1 Pi Kappa Phi