PAGE FOURTEEN
spoil fo
The person who coined the phrase, "Nice guys finish last,"
never met Joe Bedenk.
Bedenk, whose retirement became official last Tuesday,
has given athletics over 40 years service as both a player and
coach. As a player he gained All-America stature as a guard
on Hugo Bezdek's 1923 Rose Bowl team. As a coach, his
defense-conscious baseball clubs have molded a legendary
record of 410 wins against 161 setbacks.
Meeting Bedenk, one wonders how a man whose hobby
is refinishing antiques could dole out enough punishment to
make All-America. But, for two years Bedenk led interference
for Harry (Lighthorse) Wilson conceded by many, including
Bedenk, as one of State's finest
backs.
l3edenk's career reads like
pages from the Hall of Fame. He's
met them all—from boxing great
Leo Houck to sportswriter Grant
land Rice, from major league
stars to collegiate benchwarmers
—and made friends,
His scrapbook, if he had one,
would fill volumes. But, he is not a
believer in living on past laurels,
"Those newspaper clippings don't
put food on the table," he says.
He remembers a game against
Lafayette when State ran every
offensive play except one, and
lost. "Lafayette punted the ball
on first down every time they
had their hands on it." he said
"until they forced us back to our
15. We fumbled, they recovered,
ran one play and scored— beat
us 7-0."
It would seem that a game of
this nature should stick out in
Bedenk's memory because his
coaching philosophy was based
entirely on defense. He calls it
"inside Baseball."
"You hold the other team score
less, and pray like hell for one
run." he says.
THIS PRACTICE' is fine for
Bedenk Lhe coach, but Bedenk
the fan prefers his action to be
wide open.
"1 enjoy a 7-5 game when I'm
in the stands, but not when I'm
on the sidelines," he remarked.
Confidence is one thing Bedenk
never lacked and he tried to in
still this into his players.
"My teams never entered a
game they didn't feel they had a
good chance of winning," he said.
"No matter what our opponents'
record was we always figured we
were as good as they were."
One of the early promoters of
a college World Series, Bedenk is
a charter member and one of the
founders of the American Asso
ciation of College Baseball Coach
es, serving as its president in
1949.
MANY CHANGES have taken
place during Bedenk's r:orts ten-
ECAC Threaten
LOS ANGELES (FP) The in
fluential Eastern College Athletic
Conference, representing more
than 130 colleges and universities,
dealt a damaging blow to the
AAU-sanctioned indoor track sea
son yesterday.
In a letter from Commissioner
Asa Bushnell, mailed to member
schools by the conference office
in New York, and disclosed here
at the National Collegiate •Ath-
`Nice Guy' Bedenk
Ends Coaching Career
By KEN
. DENLINGER
Assistant Sports Editor
ure, but the upsurge of the home
run semes the most significant.
While the long ball is a neces
sary part of any offense, Bedenk
prefers that it take the form of
a double or triple consistently
rather than an occasional circuit
blast.
Bedenk's career as an active
participant in athletics is over,
a routine of coaching will be re
placed by a routine of leisure. He
leaves to Chuck Medlar, his pitch
ing coach for the past 14 years,
the unenviable task of filling his
shoes.
What does Bedenk plan to do
with his spare time? Watch base
ball, naturally. He plans a trip
to Florida soon "to escape this
miserable weather," where he will
watch the majors in spring train
ing camps. Then he'll come back
"Home." He says he wants to
watch all the sporting events he
can because that has been his
life.
"And you can be sure," he. says
with a twinkle in his• eye, "that
next baseball season I'll be around
---to watch."
AAU Boycott
letic Association convention, the
ECAC strongly urged its mem
bers not to compete in the meets
unless they are sanctioned by the
U.S. Track and Field Federation.
Chick Werner, president of the
federation, said none of the big
Eastern indoor meets has sought
federation sanction. The recom
mendation, labelled a threatened
boycott by the AAU, involves all
of the major track powers of the
East.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA
JOE BEDENK
Modern Day
Oak leys Test
Lions Today
Ely ZD CARPENTER
The Nittany Lion rifle team
will go after its second victory of
the young season when..it enter
tains Duquesne .University and
Lehigh in a tri-meet at the Uni
versity range beginning at 1:30.
An added sidelight to the meet
will be the possibility of an ap
pearance by the two modern day
Annie Oakleys on the Duquesne
team.
However, these two coeds, Jan
ice Ann Barczak and Mary Ann
Heinzl, have done little to bolster
a mediocre Duequesne team. In
its first eight matches this season
Duquesne has been held winless,
its highest team score being a
meager 1379.
LEHIGH HAS a slightly better
record, having broken 1400 a
couple of times. However, neither
team should be too big a threat
to Sergeant Joe Watson's squad.
The one thing that could de
feat the team is the old jinx of
looking forward to the next meet.
A week hence the team travels
to West Point to face one of its
toughest opponents. In previous
meets the Cadets haven't been
able to beat the Lions by more
than 10 points. With better and
more experienced personnel this
year the Lions could pull an up
set.
In its only match of the sea
son, the Lions defeated Pitt 1417-
1385. The four leading
.scorers
were Mike Beckmeyer, 288; cap,
tain Dick Gogolkiewicz, 287; Dick
Taylor, 282; Chuck Nagel, 281.
IMs Resume Tomorrow
The intramural sports depart
ment will resume its winter tour
naments tomorrow with the con
tinuation- of bowling. Monday
night will mark the resumption
of basketball. Both tournaments
will continue according to sched
ule.
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S. ALLEN STREET
STATE COLLEGE
Heinze Soccer MVP
Dieter Heinze was named the
winner.last night of the first Bill
Jeffrey Award as Penn State's
outstanding soccer player for the
1962 season.
At the same time, Heinze, a
junior center halfback from Ham
burg, N.Y., was also elected cap
tain for 1963, succeeding Jay
Stormer.
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Pros Honor Mitinger
Former Penn State end Bob
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ly selected as the squad's "Rookie
of the Year." A year ago Mitinger
was named to the Coaches All-
America Football Team.
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