PAGE SIX
Houck Had bug
Pro Ring Career
The boys call Boxing Coach
Leo Houck “the honorable Doc
tor” and the title is well bestow
ed. Leo earned his doctorate of
pugilism in the college of exper
ience. He was an honor student,
too, a Phi Beta Kappa in the art
of boxing.
Leo Fred Florian Houck start
ed his professional boxing career
in 1907. Before he retired from
the'-ring in 1923, when he took
over as boxing coach at Penn
State, he fought approximately
200 bouts, winning over three
fourths of them. Houck was
never knocked out and was
knocked off his feet only three
times.
Although he was never recog
nized as middleweight champion
of the world, Houck defeated
both George Chip and Johnny
Wilson several times. Both Chip
and Wilson later became title
holders but they never gave
Houck a crack at the laurels
while they ruled.
Houck won the middleweight
title of Europe when he decision
ed Harry Lewis of Philadelphia
in a 20 round battle in France in
1912. He took over the Canadian
middleweight crown by defeat
ing Roddy McDowell at Halifax
in 1919.
• In 1922 Leo gained the light
heavyweight title of Cuba by
scoring a fourth round knock-out
over the Cuban Esparagara. The
great Gene Tunney’s record of
eight straight KO’s was spoiled
by Houck in 1919 when he fought
Tunney in a no-decision bout.
Leo repeated the feat the follow
ing year in a battle which caused
Tunney to go into temporary re
tirement because of a smashed
hand.
During his 16 years of profes
sional boxing Houck gained vic
tories over Mickey Gannon, Gun
boat Smith, Frank Mantell,
Young Erne, Kid Locke, Dave
Smith, Bob Moha, Jimmy Gard
ner, Chip, Wilson, Lewis, and
many others.
“The Doctor” retired in De
cember, 1922, and became boxing
coach at Penn State. His teams
have won seven EIBA titles since
the tourneys began in 1924.
Houck has developed 39 indivi
dual eastern champs and three
national collegiate title holders.
Stahl, Gault Top
Lion Riflemen
Riflemen Co-captains Ben Stahl
and Gil Gault have compiled the
best individual averages for the
Nittany Lion marksmen.. Stahl
has a .952 average in 29 games
and Gil Gault followed him with
a .944 in 26 games.
Averages were figured on the
basis of the number of matches
each member shot and all of his
individual scores, much the same
as baseball averages. However,
riflemen’s averages are much
higher because of 300 and 400-
point matches.
The averages
Player
Stahl ....
Gault ...
LeWorthy
Yount ..
Cuthbert
Richwine
McCoy .
ROTC Glasses Changed
All freshman students in the
Engineers will report to Room
110 EE Building for classes
from 1 to 4 p. m. on Monday and
Tuesday. A training film will
be shown.
Grade Deadline Nears
Below grades must be hand
ed in by faculty members to
their respective deans’ offices
before 5 p. m. Wednesday, it
‘Doctor Of Pugilism’
Leo Houck, Lion boxing men
tor and host to the seventh
NCAA tournament, was the un
crowned middleweight of the
world. He-defeated both George
Chip and Johnny Wilson ..before
they gained the title but Houck
never gained a title bout.
Nittany Lions Involved In First Dual,
Eastern And National Boxing Meets
Three firsts—the first intercol
legiate dual meet, the first na
tional tournament and the first
eastern tourney—have fallen to
the credit of Nittany Lion boxers
and have brought Penn State to
its present position as one of the
leading colleges in fistic circles.
State's participation in the first
dual meet was purely accidental.
In 1919, the Lions entered a
tournament in Philadelphia but
when the boxers arrived in the
Quaker City they found that all
the other teams, with the except
tion of Penn, had decided not to
compete.
Two teams can’t very well hold
a tournament so the country’s
first collegiate dual meet was
scheduled on the spot. Six bouts
were held, Penn winning four
and Penn State the other two.
That meet put intercollegiate
boxing off on.the right foot and
the'Eastern Intercollegiate Box
ing Association was organized in
1921. The first EIBA tournament
was held in the Penn State Ar
mory in- 1924,. the Lions annexing
the first of their seven eastern
team championships.
In 1932, when the National
Collegiate Athletic Association
woke up to ’the popularity of
boxing, the first national tourney
was scheduled to select U. S.
Olympic finalists and again
State was chosen to play host.
Seventy-five fighters, repre
senting 30 colleges, entered the
1932 nationals. Penn State play
ed the perfect host, walking off
with the unofficial team title.
Only two coaches—Dick Har
low, now Harvard grid mentor,
Avg.
.952
.944
.935
.934
.932
.931
.928
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Leon GajeckFs Picture
Placed In Rec Hall
With 5 Other Greats
All-American Leon Gajecki,
1940 grid captain, etitered Penn
State’s hall of fame in Rec Hall
yesterday when his picture was
placed among other Nittany Lion
greats.
Gates’ full-length picture took
its place beside All-Americans
William T. Dunn ’O6, Robert A.
Higgins T 9, Charles A. Way ’2O,
W. Glenn Killinger ’2l, and F.
Joseph Bedenk ’23.
The Lion captain was given his
place in Rec Hall after he was
named All-American on teams of
the National Enterprise Associa
tion, Liberty magazine, and was
chosen to play on the All-East
team. Kate Smith also selected
him for-her All-American team.
Phi Kappa Elects
Newly-elected officers of Phi
Kappa are William F. Finn ’42,
president; Raymond F. Bednar
’43, vice-president; Adrian J.
Krebs ’44, secretary; and George
B. Kaiser -’43, house manager.
and Leo Houck—have held the
reins during the 22 years of Lion
fisticuffs. Harlow started the
sport in 1919 and continued un
til 1923 when Houck, the present
coach, took over the job.
Both men have been unusually
successful. Frankie Goodman,
Lou Ritzie, Billy Soose, Allie
Wolff, Steve Hamis, Izzy Richter,
A 1 Lewis, Sam Donato and a doz
en other ex-Lion greats need no
introduction to any collegiate
boxing fans.
In 17 years of EIBA competi
tion State has had 39 individual
titleholders—ll more than Syra
cuse in second place; Navy is
third with 19 and Western Mary
land ranks fourth with 12..
Four-40165-pound Place
Winners Fight This Year
All four 165-pound place win
ners in last year’s NCAA boxing
tournament at Sacramento, Cal.,
are entered in the three-day box
ing festival here this weekend.
Laune Erickson, the defending
champion from Idaho; Gerry
Strang, runner-up, from Cath
olic University; Stanley. Dila
tush,. third place, Washington
State; and Freddy Logsden,
fourth place, from Southwestern
Louisiana, 'have all signed up for
a crack at the 1941 165-pound
crown.
Six other ringmen, all with
impressive records, will battle
with last years place winners in
this division. They include Fen
ton Somerville, Virginia, EIBA
champion; Elden Sanders, North
Another McAndrews
■ \
Johnny McAndrews, one of
three brothers who were bn. the
boxing team continuously for
nine years. -
★ ★ ★
McAndrews Brothers
Boxed 9 Straight Years;
Fought At Every Weight
For nine consecutive years—
from 1928 to 1936—there was not
a single Penn State boxing team
withoua a McAndrews. More
over, the McAndrews boy fought
just about every weight-they had
in those days, seven in all.
This pugilistically inclined clan
consisted of three brothers,
Marty, John, and Francis. Marty,
the oldest, is still here, coaching
the freshmen football squad..
Marty McAndrews boxed 160,
175 and heavyweight in his three
years on the varsrtyi from 1928-
1930. 'He was captain of the
team ano EIBA 175 champ in his
senior year.'
' John followed Marty in his
path of glory at Penn State. He
fought 135 and 145, and was cap
tain in 1933. John captured the
EIBA title at 135 in 1932 and
1933.
Francis, the youngest of the
three brothers, was the “black
sheep’" of the family. He was
unable to win an EIBA cham
pionship nor become captain of
the- team. The last and lightest
of the McAndrews fought 115
and 125 in his three seasons here,
1934-1936.
Carolina, Southern Conference
champion in ’4O and ’4l; Phil
Prather, Wisconsin; and Joe Ces
towski, outstanding Michigan
State entry..
A novel honor system of con
ducting matches, without a ref
eree in the ring, was introduced
at San Jose' State College last
year. . " .
SATURDAY, MARCH .29, .1941
Charlie Short tef
Leading Referee
. Among the : many . familiar
men who will take part- in; the
seventh annual National Coliegr;
iate Athletic Association-,-boxing
tournament this weekend will be
the well-recognized figure of'a
man who is said to hav.e partici
pated in more boxing matches
than any other living man. .
He is Charley Short, nation
ally known professional, colleg
iate, and amateur boxing-refer.ee,
whir has been the “third min” in
well over 20,000 bouts and. has
boxed in 300 professional bouts.
Having spent over , half of his
46 years officiating, Short re
fereeing career antedates ,by• a.
short time the rise of organized
collegiate and amateur boxing.
His yearly officiating average,
counting collegiate dual meets
and tournaments, amateur, tour
naments, army tournaments, and
professional bouts, adds up to
about 1000 bouts, or 20 a week.
His great reputation and pop
ularity among collegiate boxing
fans and participants lies in .the
fact that he is one of the quickest
referees to save a beaten man
from punishment by stopping the
fight and rasing the hand, of the
victor in recognition of a tech
nical knockout. Because of his
swiftness in halting a bout ..in
which a contestant is he
has- never had a fatality in any
fight in which he has officiated.
■ Born in Galena, Mo., s Charley
started to box when he. was
about 15 years old and still ,in
high school. He entered the Un
iversity of Missouri, but stayed
only a short time and didn't
bother with other colleges - to
which his parents tried to send
him. ' ' .
He boxed on the Pacific Coast
with varying success until 1917
when he enlisted in the army.
Ending with a second lieutenants
commission, he went to. work: in
the Philadelphia-shipyards’after
his discharge.
In 1-822 he began his officiat
ing career and is now listed- as
the premier referee on the staff
of the Maryland Athletic Com
mission. He has refereed be
tween 12,000 and 14,000 bouts in
Maryland alone. ...
New Hospitalization 1 Plan
Defeated By {Faculty
The proposed plan for extend
ing group hospitalization to de
pendents of College'employees
has been defeated according to
John T. Law, secretary of the
American Association of Univer
sity Professors.
Failure to adopt the plan was
based on the results of a faculty
questionnaire which showed that
the project is not favorable to
the necessary 75 per cent of Col
lege employees.