PAGE FOUR
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The Lions
With Elliot Krone
Sports Editor
Basketball Opener .
Although th e Susquehanna
team the Lion basketballers will
face tomorrow evening has little
in the way of "big" name ath
letes, the visitors mill bring along
a coach with one of the "biggest"
names in organized sports. He's
Amos Alonzo Stagg, Jr.,' son off
the former coach of the College
of the Pacific.
Alonzo Stagg, Sr., is still ac
tive in football and coaches at
the Selinsgrove c o 11 e g e. His
son assists him in the grid sport
and takes charge of The indoor
season while Alonzo, Sr.,
makes plans for his 60th sea
son on the gridiron.
High Scorers
The Susquehanna "Crusaders"
are not to be regarded lightly.
Even though the little college
won only seven out of seventeen
contests last year, they never
failed to score at least 40 points
per game. And against Wesley
College the Orange and Maroon
teem hit an even 100 mark.
The man responsible for
'most of last year's prolific
point-m akin g, Evan Zlock,
graduated last season, but his
brother Charles, will try to
keep up the fraternal tradition
tomorrow night.
Last seas o n, Susquehanna
averaged 50 points per game,
twice hitting the 70 bracket and
three times the 60 mark. This
garhe should be an -excellent
proving ground for Coach• Gross'
:defensive patterns which have
been patterned after his prede
cessor's famous sliding zone.
Like Old Times
_ .
- The Washington and Jeffer
son basketball team has in
augurated practice sessions,
and' from the imposing list of
_returnees, Coach Gross will
have a lot to think about be
fore the team travels to Wash
. ington, Pa., in January. -
Although high-s corin g Tom
Osso has left via the graduation
route, names like Alcorn, Devic,
Knoche and Mestrovic still .re
main on the President's roster.
Carlson at Corn ,
ot to be outdone by its "up
state country cousins" Pittsburgh
has signed for a bowl tournament
during the Christmas vacation.
While the Penn State basketball
team is playing in the Raleigh
bowl, the Pitt squad will go
west to compete in the Corn
Bowl at Des Moines.
Opposition for the panthers
will be provided by Utah State,
Tennessee, and Drake.
Unlike W. and J., Pittsburgh
has been hit and hit hard by
• graduation. Only George Mc-
Crossin, a guard, and Lou Cec
coni, forward,. have been left
from Carlson's 1948 traveling
. circus.
On Wrestling
Far, far above Cayuga's waters
a little over 50 miles to be exact,
the Syracuse wrestling team is
dusting off a spot on the mantle
for the 1950 Eastern Intercollegi
ate championship. Eight varsity
ALL CADETS and MIDSHIPMEN ....
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White Orchids-$4.00
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135 South Allen Street Phone 4994
TfEE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA,
Lion lagers Open Slate Tomorrow
Players, Coach
Susquehanna
New
Face
Come 8 o'clock tomorrow night in Rec Hall, Penn State's basket
ball mentor Elmer Gross will be sweating out his debut as head Lion
coach against Susquehanna University.
Although it will also mark the first appearance in State spangles
for some nine other anxious athletes, odds can be laid that none will
be as nervous as Gross.
Several things lie in the balance of tomorrow's game.. For one, a
victory for Gross will mean start
ing the season on the right foot
before a critical home audience.
Attendance in the Lions' spacious
arena has slacked off noticeably
the past few seasons and an open
ing day triumph will go far in
boosting the Nittany fans' morale.
PLATOON?
• will also be gnawing his
nails in anticipation of how his
experimental two-platoon system
will stand up under actual col
legiate fire. After. two months of
molding, Gross will unveil his
new departure in attack which
employs two separate units re
placing each other quarterly.
An assistant coach since 1946,
the 31-year-old Penn State alum
nus was handed the Lion reigns
last spring following the surprise
retirement of John Lawther.
FAST BREAK
State shouldn't have too much
trouble with the little-known
Eastern Pennsylvania outfit, a
a little more time to look over
his fast break. Joe Tocci and
factor which will provide Gross
Marty Costa will cp-captairi the
Penn State quintet, each , taking
Personal charge of one of the
platoons.
Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, Jr.
has lost practically every eager
from his 1948-'49 varsity but will
miss Evan Zlock the most. Last
year Zlock smashed practically
every existing Susquehanna scor
ing record.
letterwinners including
champs Pasca). Perri, Kenny
Hunte and George Gebhardt give
support to the Orange claim for
a repeat of last year's champion
ship.
Hunt, 155 pound champ, has
n't lost a decision in the last
13 dual meets, while Perri has
"only" twelve straight to his
credit. Gebhardt was unde
feated at 175 for the last three
years, but he has lost a few
bouts when wrestling in the
heavyweight slot.
•
On Boxing
Not to be outdone by their
mat brothers, the Syracuse
boxing team is prepared to take
its • ninth Eastern Intercollegi
ate Boxing Association title.
And the. Orangemen also have
a good claim to the trophy with
three Eastern champs on their
squad list.
National heavyweight champ
Marty Crandell tops the list of
returnees to the fold. Tim Cur
ley and Chuck Rigiglioso, 145
and 155-pound Eastern champs
plus two-time champion Jim Rol
lier fill out the star-studded card
of the Piety Hill team.
Penn State meets the Orange
wrestling and boxing teams on
February 17 here. Both Char
lie Speidel and Eddie Sulkow
ski are working for those East
ern trophies, and the Syracuse
battles should be a good indica
tion of just where the honors
will go when the dust of the
battles settle.
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JOE TOC CI
Weekend Results
Only one of Penn State's cur
rent court opponents lost on the
hardwood last week. Carnegie
Tech and Washington and Jef
ferson each won two, while
American, Colgate, Temple and
West Virginia tallied single vic
tories. Gettysburg alone failed to
register a win, losing to Cor
nell's Big Red \basketeers.
American 62; Brooklyn Poly 41
Carnegie Tech 79; Steubenville 44
Car. Tech 66, Lawrence Tech 53
Colgate 78; Toronto 35
Cornell 72; Gettysburg 54 .
Temple 55; Vanderbilt 35
Wash. and Jeff. 64,; Buffalo 40
Wash. and Jeff. 80; St. Vincent ,32
West Virginia 59; Davis-Elkins 44
Joe Lane, 26-year-old Balti
more, Md., standout, was the Col
lege's most prolific scorer during
its unbeaten, untied soccer sea
son. Lane scored one-third of
Penn State's 33 goals. Eight op
ponents were restricted to a total
of eight goals.
SO `"E DATES
Neither. wi s li that
First Class,
after vacation!
So better travel Home and back on .
DEPENDABLE RAIL SCHEDULES!
More Fun, Too, traveling with the gang. Lots of room to
roam about and isit. Mouth-watering meals in the diner.
Yes, it's part of vacation to go by train!
From School:
SAVE 28% on now Group Tick
ets, good on most coach trains
east of Chicago or St. Louis, and
north of the Potomac and Ohio
Rivers, and west of New York
City. Parties of 25 or more leaving
school together for same destina
tion may participate in this ar
rangement. So gather your group
now. if not all go to same final
destination, pick farthest point to
which you can travel together ...
and• get Group Tickets that far.
Then get individual round-trips
beyond. Return trip may be made
individually in time for reopening
of school. Ask ticket agent or near
est railroad passenger represent
ative to help organize a group.
Each member saves 28% of round
trip fare on Group Tickets. ,
EASTERN RAI
Gross Faces Tough Task
Filling Lawther's Shoes
When Elmer Gross stepped into the job of head basketball coach
at Penn State, following the resignation of John Lawther last spring
he realized it would be a big step.
Only 31 years of age when ho
ment by Dean Carl Schott, head
ment, Gross was catapulted from
comparative obscurity into the
role bf a big-time collegiate men
tor.
Although in an envied position
as viewed by coaches standing on
the outside, Gross realizes his job
has its headaches as well as its
additional remunerative value. As
is the usual procedure following
the step-down of a well-known
and highly respected predecessor
—such as Lawther—the eyes, of
both students and alumni will be
focused on the new prexie more
intensely than is usual at the start
of a new court season.
TRICKY PLAYERS •
As a player Elmer Gross ranked
as one of the trickiest guards ever
to hood-wink an opponent for
Penn State. He captained his
mates to one of the greatest sea
sons a State team has known, in
1941-'42.
Th-.t was the "Golden Year" of
Lion basketball. A season which
saw the Blue and White cop 18
out of 21 games, including Their
two 'Sugar Bowl' appearances
against the East's top-ranking col
legiate powers.
Sporting a 17 and 2 record upon
entry to the NCAA tourney in
New Orleans, the State cagers
went down to a 44 to 39 licking by
Dartmouth (who eventually won
the series) but returned a 41-34
triumph over Illinois in.a consola
tion round.
LIKES ZONE
As a mentor Gross has undoubt
edly benefited by inhaling the ex
periences of one of the craftiest
strategists the game has known.
He is thoroughly convinced as to
the merit of the zone defense, but
differs with his old master in the
theory of attack.
Whereas Lawther employed the
the cautious, offt-critized, set
play offense, Gross feels that the
time has come to exploit the fast
FOR HER .. .
A beautiful watchband by
Gemex or Spiedel.
B. P. MOYER
Gilaranteed Watch Repairs
c si Upstairs at College Sportswear
From Home:
COLLEGE SPECIAL tickets are
available at your home town ticket
office anywhere in the U. S. bn
coach or Pullman, they give you
all the cash saving and stop-over
privileges of a regular round-trip
ticket with longer return limits.
Get a College Special back to
school after Christmas ... it will
still take you home for Spring or
Summer vacation!
For Fun—For Comfort
—For Dependability
GO BY TRAIN!
ROADS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1949
e was given the surprise appoint
of the Physical Education depart-
Gross graduated from State in
the spring of '42 and went direct
ly into the Army as an infantry
man. Following his discharge in
January, '46, he was enrolled by
the College as graduate assistant
physical education instructor, and
was assigned as Lawther's right
liand man.
Now. an Assistant Professor of
Physican Education, Gross is
working for his doctorate at Pitt
during the Summer. He is mar
ried to the former Jane Candy,
of Tyrone, and is the father of
two little girls, Jennifer, 5, and
Barbe, 3. When asked about her
husband's hobbies, Mrs. Gross re
plied, "Basketball, naturally."
Penn State set a new all-time
home attendance record during
the 1949 football season. Figures
released today by H. R. Gilbert,
graduate manager of athletics,
show 82,835 attended four home
games".,as compared, with 73,371
in 1948.
Anniversary
A. year hence, Bill Jeffrey will
field his 25th anniversary soccer
team at the College.
LEVI'S
REG. U. S. PAT. OFF.
the slim, trim waist. overalls
for work and play
Sure as shootin', these
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blue jeans—will outwear
any other overalls you've
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riveted, extra-heavy blue
denim. There are lots of
blue jeans, but there's •
only one Levi's. Look for
the Red Tab on the
back pocket.
Waist Sizes 27 to 38
$3.95
YOUNG MEN'S
SHOP
127' S. Allen Street