PAGE SIX
Frosh Gridders
star in Practice
Swinging into the third week
of practice, the football squad has
dinned its pads and started con
tact drills. So far, the scrimmages
have been limited to running off
plays from one spot and not utiliz
ing the entire length of the field.
However, before long there may
be regular intra-squad games.
Resuming his coaching duties
after returning ,from his yearly
vacation, Joe Bedenk has inten
sified the training of the lineman.
The former all-Acerican daily
teaches tricks of the trade, which
he gained through playing and
coaching to the gridders.
Almost half the squad is com
posed of freshmen, many here on
scholarships. These first-year men
will figure prominently in the
plans for the coming season, Coach
Bob Higgins said The Nittany
freshmen candidates are Murray
Cohen, Charles Drazenovich, Jim
Emanuel, John Finley, Ralph
Flamini°, Eucrett Frets, Al Gulba,
WWilliam Hanley, Jack Harford,
Ross Herron.
Earl Hower, Frank Hoyt, Don
Kanter, Grant Karsner, Bob Krit
zer, Lou Langley, Lou Lehm,
Merle Long, Bob Lindy, Charles
[Murray.
Ab Pennebacker, David PPlatt,
William Rogers, Bob Russel, Rus
sel Sadker, John Schilling, Al
Spinner, Sam Tamburo, William
Trapplett, William Turner, Mar
tin Veater.
Ex-State Athlete
To Continue Career
After War's End
"I still have one more season to
go and when I'm out of the Army, I
intend to return and finish", said
Lt. John J. Jaffurs, '44.
Lieutenant Jaffurs visited the
College during the week and made
a literally blazing entrance as his
car caught on fire when he ar
rived. Now on his honeymoon, the
former Nittany football great was I
married on July 7 to Mary Eliza
beth `McCurdy, '44.
Arriving overseas in November,
1914, Lieutenant Jaffurs joined
General Terry Allen's Tinaberwolf
division during the siege of
Archen. This division specialized
in night fighting, and, as Johnny
said, "I don't think that I was ever
in a daylight operation."
The Rhur River front proved to
_be his nemesis as he was twice
wounded there. After being hit the
second time, Lieutenant Jaffurs
was sent via Paris to a. base hos
pital in England. He remained
there until sent back to the States,
arriving in New York on June 22.
Not to be outdone by his for
mer trainer Jack Hulme who wit
nessed the V-E Day celebration in .
Paris, the Wilkenaburg gridder
viewed a similar demonstration in
London.
"The British seemed to have
gone beserk at the news. The
crowds milling through the streets
and those congregated at Buck
ingham Palace were overwhelm
ing. The King and Queen made
five appearances to the frenzied
delight of the mobs.. England
fought a long and tough war, and
it was sure doing a good job in
celebrating' its end, at least in
Europe," Jaffurs said.
At the, -end of his present sick
leave, Lieutenant Jaffurs reports
back to the'Woodrow Wilson Gen
eral Hospital, Staunton, Va.,and
then expects to be reassigne for
further duty in the Pacific.
During his days as a student at
the College, "Jeep" Jaffurs played
four seasons of football from 1940
to 1944, was on the '43 wrestling
team, was a member of Parini
Nous and Acacia fraternity. He
was a member of the East team
that played in the annual East-
West bowl game in 1944.
Six sports discontinued at
Penn State as a wartime economy
will be resumed immediately af
ter the war.
5t 9 a 4) 11,,d11.14
Venezuelan D
' "As football is to the Ameri
cans, so soccer is to the Germans
and Latin Americans," says Herb
Mendt. Herb, who is soccer coach
along with John Hamilton in Bill
Jeffrey's absence, can say this
from experience.
Born in Venezuela, he went to
Germany with his family in 1932,
just before Hitler came into
power.
While in Germany, his athletic
ability first manifested itself. He
became quite active in soccer
playing. Running in various track
meets and competitions, he re
ceived awards for winning and
placing in numerous races. He also
was a memlber of a field hockey
club which received the title of
second best throughout the Reich.
"Field hockey," he said, "is the
second most popular sport in Ger
many. It occupies the position, hn
that country, that baseball holds
over here."
After graduating from high
school, Mendt returned to Vene
zuela in 1939, and in 1940 he jour
neyed to the United States. Being
unalble to speak English, he attend
ed Franklin and Marshall Acad
emy in Lancaster in order to pre
pare himself for college.
Besides learning to speak, read
and write English, he was quite
active on the soccer, track, and
tennis teams.
After leaving prep school, he
came to Penn State, where he un
dertook a phenomenal task. He is
studying architecture and architec
tural engineering at the same time,
and hopes to get degrees in both
courses upon the completion of his
ninth semester.
Because of his difficult schedule,
Herb can only find time for his
favorite sport—soccer. Not only
does he enjoy playing the game,
but he has proved himself quite
expert at it.
Emphasizing the fact that soccer
is the national sport of :South
America,' the Venezuelan pointed
to the numiber of Latin Americans
who are on the first team. He also
mentioned that •in Germany even
men up to the. age of sixty play
soccer regularly.
Soccer is a game requiring much
skill and ability, resulting only
Returned Vet Visits
Matmen, then Mom
They're telling this story on
Lieut. Glen Alexander, an ex
wrestler, who returned to his
State College home after 28
months in Africa and Italy.
When Glen arrived in town, he
spotted a placard advertising the
Penn State - Lehigh wrestling
meet, and he went directly to
Recreation Hall to see the bouts.
But before he settled in his
seat, he went to the telephone and
called his .home. His mother was
breathless, wondered how soon he
would be home. He told her where
he was.
"It has been a good three years
since I saw a wrestling meet," he
told his mother.
4 Teams Enter League
Four teams have entered the in
dependent softball tournament,
announced Jack Dickstein, organ
izer. They are Grahams, Penn Ha
ven, Penn State, Christian Associa
tion, and Beaver House.
Smart Shop
THE COT 3 GIAN
scusses Foreign Sports
from long practice. Using this
hard-earned skill to best advan
tage, Herb plays an expert wing
position.
Despite the•team's many defeats
last • year, co-coach Mendt still
places Penn State among his list
of the five top soccer outfits, the
others being Army, Navy, Cornell
and Temple. Because of returning
lettermen and an expected 'large
number of green, but well-drilled
booters, he envisions excellent re
sults for the team this fall.
'45 Season Looms
Bright for Roofers
Prospects for a successful soc
cer season loom bright as practice
moves into its second week, ac
cording to acting coaches Herb
Mendt and John 'Hamilton.
Among the 27 candidates, there
are some who never booted a ball
before, veterans from last years
team, and one discharged service
man who played on the 1942 var
sity. Don Rider, recently discharg
ed from the Army on points, has
resumed his playing which was
interrupted when he entered the
service.
As there are enough men re
porting, daily scrimmages are be
ing, held on the practice field be
side the golf course. Besides this,
the squad concentrated on short
passes and goal kicking.
Mendt• and Hamilton received a
letter from Coach Bill Jeffries
stating that he is presently on the
outskirts of Rome teaching soccer
to the troops. These men are
awaiting sripment and his job is
part of the Army athletic program
to keep them occupied while wait
ing transportation.
Practice is held daily, except
Sunday, from 3:30 p. m. to 5 p. m.
"'Basketball Popular
Overseas,' Lawther
John Lowther, veteran Lion
basketball coach, expects a new
crop of collegians to spring' from
cage competition overseas.
Post-war teams, he believes,
will be. dotted with thousands of
boys who .have developed an in
terest in the sport on make-shift
courts all over the world..
"The game," Lawther says, "has
acquired these recruits mainly be
cause it doesn't require much
equipment, and our (boys have been
able to play it indoors and out
doors, on small areas.
"I've had first-hand accounts,"
he adds, "of games played aboard
battleships, and on small assault
ships, all over the Atlantic and
Pacific."
Lawther, who is looking .forward
to his tenth season as Nittany
Lion cage coach, looks for a new
appreciation of the sport to de
velop from its present popularity
in far-off places.
"In England alone," he explains,
"more than 25,01:10 'boys have play
ed the game, and will want to
play it again after the war."
Football Coach. Bob Higgins of
Penn State is an avid golfer, plays
18 holes daily.
IT'S SURE
TO RAIN
Don't be a bedraggled beauty
stay dry in one of our raincoats
and to protect yotir curls add a
rain hat
RALPH VENTRESCO
Higgins To Build Squad
Around Pre-War Star
Among the swelling ranks of
ex-servicemen who have return
ed to complete their education at
the College is Ralph Ventresco.
He is outstanding because it is a
round him that Coach Bob Hig
gins intends to build his 1945 grid
squad.
Ventresco, whb last played in
1941, 'was understudy to Fullback
Bill Smait when he left in 1942.
He served for three years in the
Army, seeing action in Africa, Si
cily, Anzio, Southern France, and
Germany, with the famed 45th In
fantry Division. He was then dis
charged under the point system
and returned to Penn State.
Having two years remaining
before he receives his degree,
Ventresco will greatly bolster the
eleven and brightn the Lions foot
ball hopes for 1945 and 1946.
Ventresco, a hard-hitting back
and one of the many ex-service
men who are members 'of the
squad, hails from Pitcairn.
ASTP Begins intramurals
The ASTP softball tournament
began play this week. The tourna
ment is divided into two leagues;
Company A and Company B. Com
pany A is composed of Barracks 4,
5, 'B, and 30. Compahy B consists
of Barracks 7, 12, 1.7, and 28. •
,1n the initial games, Barracks 7
downed Barracks 28, 1740; and
Barracks 17 topped Barracks 12,
8-7.
FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1945
Navy Units Open
Softball Tourney
The V-12 unit softball tourna
ment has gotten well under way
in the first half. The seven-inning
games are played on the golf
course Monday, Tuesday, and
Thursday afternoons. The winner
of the first half of the tournament
will play the victor in the second
half in a two-out-of-three cham
pionship series.
League competition is scheduled
to end August 211, weather perMit
ting.
In the opening games, Barracks
26 edged out Barracks 13, 5-4; Bar
racks 9 defeated 36, 9-2; Barracks
37 won over Barracks 113, 9-0; Bar
racks 26 dawned Barracks 36, 5-2;
Barracks 26 beat Barracks 317, 9-2;
and Barracks 13 topped Barracks
9, 5-4.
In this week's games, Barracks
37 downed Barracks 9, 15-6; Bar:-
racks as edged out Barracks 13,
3-2, in an extra inning contest; and
Barracks 37 blanked . Barracks as,
14-0.
The standings follow:
Team Won Lost
Barracks 26 3 0
Barracks 317 3
Barracks 9 1 2
Barracks 36 3
Barracks .13 1 3
6 Coaches' Sons
Serve In Army,
Navy, Air Corps
Four memlbers 'of the athletic
coaching staff at Penn State have
sons in the armed services. Dean
of the group is Boxing Coach Leo
Houck, with sons in the Army,
Navy, and Air Corps.
Houck's 19-year-old son, Tom
my, is finishing off his first year
in the Navy as a seaman,• first
class, aboard a fighting ship in
the Pacific. His brothers, Leo Jr ,
and Eddie,, served for nearly a
year in the 'European theatre.
Leo Jr., a second lieutenant- in
the Air Conps, won the Air Medal"
for his part in the Normandy in-;
vasion. As a glider pilot he par
ticipated in every major action.
Eddie, a private first class, in
infantry, was returned to this
Country prior to V-E Day becauSe
of burns sustained on the Western
front.
Technician 4th class aim Lamy, -
ther, son of John, the ; Lion bas,
-ketball coach, is still in Germany
with the American Army as a radio'
technician. Ensign Art Jeffrey,
son of Bill, the soccer coach, is
in the South 'Pacific. He ipartiti
bated in the Luzon invasion. Sea-
Man first class Ken Rutherford;
son of Boob, the golf coach, is aISO
aboard a fighting ship in the
South Pacific.
ALWAYS . . .
The Corner
unusual