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THE BATTALION
Thursday, May 10,1951
Committee Meets Here Tomorrow
Good Sportsmanship ‘Organized’ by Students of S’WC
By DAVE COSLETT
Battalion Co-Editor
W HEN members of the Southwest Conference Sportsman
ship Committee assemble on the campus tomorrow, they
will have behind them a four-year history in the unique
undertaking of endeavoring to reward and encourage sports
manship in college athletics.
That history had its beginning at A&M. More specifi
cally, that history began in the offices of The Battalion.
The time was Fall of 1947. J. K. B. Nelson, then Bat
talion co-editor, first brought up the idea of recognizing good
sportsmanship. He proposed giving this recognition in the
form of an annual trophy to the school in the Southwest
Conference displaying the best sportsmanship.
Nelson took his idea to the Student Life Committee
which authorized The Battalion to purchase such a trophy,
a three-foot high gold cup that would pass each year to the
school selected by ballots of other conference schools. The
paper also furnished a plaque for permanent possession by
each winner of the award.
First Trophy Presented
The idea first appeared in print on the front page of
the April 5, 1948 Battalion which announced presentation
of such a trophy at the Conference Track Meet in Houston
the following month. Votes were to be cast from each school
in the conference as well as from members of the Associated
Press and larger papers in the state. Sixteen conference
officials, the executive secretary of the conference, the
president or executive secretary of the former students asso
ciation and the athlptic director of each school also had a
ballot.
First presentation of the trophy took place in Houston
on May 15 of that year with Southern Methodist the original
winner. Schools agreed at that time to send representatives
to College Station each Fall to discuss plans for improvement
of inter-school relations.
Consequently, three students from each conference school
showed up at A&M on Friday, October 15, 1948, for the first
meeting of the Sportsmanship Committee.
Voting Procedure Established
A&M Football Coach Harry Stiteler delivered the wel
coming address to the group. Delegates quickly elected as
chairman C. C. Munroe, 1949-50 co-editor of The Battalion.
Then the group set to work.
Standardization of voting procedure ran high on the
list of topics to be discussed. Immediately adopted was a
ruling that no school could vote for itself to receive the
trophy. Another policy adoption gave two votes to members
of each school governing body. Editors and yell leaders
retained their single vote in the selection.
The Sportsmanship Code adopted at the first meeting
is printed in full elsewhere on this page.
Others Interested
Principle speaker for the first meeting was James Stew
art, then secretary of the Southwest Conference. Stewart
said in his address:
“You students have begun a program that will probably
be taken up in each major athletic conference in the country.
It was my pleasure to give a report of your efforts to en
courage better sportsmanship at a meeting in St. Louis of
the officials of the major conferences. They were amazed
at the great work you had started. It was the first such
student program reported to them and they were interested
in it.”
During the Spring after this initial meeting, A&M laid
claim to the gold trophy on the basis of the second selection
of top sportsmanship in the conference. This second award
was made on Saturday, April 2, 1949, at the Texas Relays in
Austin.
Next regular meeting of the committee took place at
Rice on Saturday, November 5, 1949. Here a major change
in presentation procedure was made by adoption of a plan
to award the trophy in the 1951 Cotton Bowl.
Introduced at the meeting were policies for yell leaders
from each school to join in leading the singing of the National
Anthem preceding each conference football game. The
possible idea of an all-conference yell was introduced.
Rice Is Third Winner
Tabulations of votes for third winner of the trophy
found Rice declared winner. The Owls accepted the cup at
the conference track meet in Austin on Saturday, May 13,
1950. The presentation was followed by a short business
meeting to discuss Cotton Bowl presentation of the award.
Fall of the present school year found delegates from the
schools meeting at Texas for the fourth regular meeting of
the Sportsmanship Committee.
Unanimous passage was voted the policy of preceding
each conference football game with a prayer. And the pre
viously considered motion of joint leading for the singing
of the National Anthem was adopted. The idea for an all
conference yell was tabled.
Preceding the Cotton Bowl presentation, the committee
held another business meeting on the SMU campus. Main
topic of discussion was sportsmanship during the basketball
season.
On New Year’s Day, Cotton Bowl fans saw SMU reclaim
the coveted cup to rank as first repeater in the conference.
The Battalion
Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Founder of Aggie Traditions
"Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman"
Entered as second-class
Blatter at Post Office at
College Staton, Texas,
Under the Act of Con
gress of March 3, 1870.
Member of
The Associated Press
Represented nationally
by National Advertising
Service Inc., at New York
City, Chicago, Los An
geles, and San Francisco.
CLAYTON L. SELPH, DAVE COSLETT.... Co-Editors
John Whitmore, Dean Reed Managing Editors
Andy Anderson, Bob Hughson Campus Editors
Fred Walker Sports Editor
Joel Austin City Editor
Vivian Castleberry Women’s Editor
Today's Issue
John WTiitmore
Andy Anderson
Fred Walker
Joel Austin
Managing Editor
Campus News Editor
Sports News Editor
City News Editor
■ Tomorrow’s meeting will find committee members eval
uating sportsmanship since their last meeting and looking
for ways to further the job of good relations between schools.
Specific problems include such topics as how to handle the
dilemma of Arkansas, a conference member who has ranked
consistently last in sportsmanship ratings.
Committee members realize that the low ratings are no
reflection on the school. Quite to the contrary, Arkansas’
Bill Robbins, president of the student body there, has been day relations,
one of the most zealous members of this year’s committee. The Committee is faced with several challenges. Pri
mary among these is the institution of a positive program
And the problem of non-conference schools is beginning that tends
to be felt. Some of these schools have been guilty of mis- to better relations. Of secontc y
conduct for which conference schools have been blamed.
Progress in good relations since the introduction of the
sportsmanship program has been notable. Much, though,
remains to be done. The Sportsmanship Committee is
potentially a strong force for better understanding between
conference schools, both in the field of sports and in every-
Southwest Conference
Sportsmansh ip Code
i
Preamble
The purpose of the Sportsmanship code is to
further good relations between Southwest Conference
Schools.
I. Team
A. Each member of the team shall:
9 Participate in the contest to the best of his
ability, abiding by fair and proper means of conduct
determined by the rules of the contest.
• Treat contest officials with due respect and
courtesy and shall accept the official’s decision in
good spirit.
• Accept victory or defeat in a gracious man
ner.
II. Student Body'
A. Pre-Game Courtesy.
• The host school shall:
h. Write a letter to the visiting school and team
prior to the game. This letter should be published dur
ing the week prior to the game in the visiting school’s
paper. The letter should list the activities of the
weekend, i. e, banquets, dances and receptions.
b. Provide receptions and directions for visiting
students and team.
c. Provide a means of information booths or
ushers to provide information about tickets, sections,
seating, etc.
B'. Game Courtesy:
• There shall be cooperation between yell lead
ers, band, other student organizations and student
body, i. e., yell leaders cheers will not coincide, and
student bodies will not yell while teams are in a hud
dle or calling signals.
• The student bodies shall avoid misconduct
such as fighting and overt demonstrations, use of in
toxicating drinks, desrespect and discourtesy, toward
teams and officials, and general discourtesies during
the halftime period.
C. Post-Game Courtesy:
• Each student body shall demonstarte:
a. Respect to both teams after game.
b. Despect to each other and to spectators.
c. Mutual respect for school songs when they
are played.
(Adopted October 15, 1948)
tempts to prevent poor sportsmanship.
Another challenge—perhaps the key to ail the rest—is
that of recognition. Members are going to have to impress
their goals and their work on each student body and m the|
minds of athletic officials, coaching _ staI I s, newsmen and
spectators over the state. Only in this way will their voic{}|
in urging better relations be heard.
The Southwest Conference is leading the nation m this
undertaking. It can set a pace that will be haul to equal.
See the Gifts Especially For
MOTHER’S DAY
at your
EXCHANGE STORE
“Serving‘Texas Aggies”
(See Page 6)
m Si
at:
YOU GIVE MOM HOSIERY
But Arkansas, remotely located from other conference
schools, seldom, if ever, gets a chance to demonstrate student
body sportsmanship.
Large student bodies have been recognized as another
detriment to the sportsmanship program. Unsportsmanlike
conduct seems to be more prevalent where offenders can
commit their deeds in the shelter of obscurity.
C of C Asks
For Aid to
Boy’s Schools
The East Texas Chamber of
Commerce at its Waco convention
recently approved a resolution, pro
posed by Ernest L. Kurth of Luf
kin urging the State to build four
schools to take the place of the
present facilities of the State
School for Boys at Gatesville,
thereby eliminating the present
crowded facilities and inspiring
proper segregation and training of
these boys, Hubert M. Harrison,
general manager, announced.
Kurth points out that the State
Youth Development Council which
has made a survey of the condition
and needs of the Gatesville insti
tution reports that it would take
more than two million dollars to
modernize the Gatesville plant but
that it believes four buildings de
signed for proper segregation,
training and rehabilitation could
be constructed for approximately
the same amount.
The resolution revealed that 54%
of repeaters and 25% of the entire
population of the Texas peniten
tiary come from the State School
for Boys at Gatesville.
The proposal for four new build
ings will aid in correcting the pre
sent crowded situation at Gates
ville as well as make possible the
permanent rehabilitation of the
large number of boys who enter
this school, officials of the regional
chamber believe.
Malemute Is Mute,
One Jeep Missing
Fairbanks, Alaska—(A’)—Steve
Losonsky parked his jeep with
the keys in it, but wasn’t worried
about the jeep being stolen.
He had left his huge Alaskan
malemute dog to guard it.
Today police were searching for
an unidentified man who stole
both the jeep and the malemute.
Bible Verse
SANCTIFY yourselves therefore,
^ and be ye holy: for I am the
Lord your God. —Leviticus 20:7.
Don’t Be Caught
With . . .
"YOUR
APPLIANCES
DOWN'
for
MOTHER’S DAY
is practically here
CAN’T AFFORD TO GET
APPLIANCES ? ? ?
Oh, but you can . . . .
have you been by and
seen the many LOW-
PRICED yet WON
DERFUL household
gifts ? Look —
• TUMBLERS
• COASTERS
• METAL TRAYS
• POTS & PANS
• ELECTRICAL
WONDERS
• CLOCKS
• WIFE SAVERS
Just to mention a few . . .
Priced right .
Wonder High
Quality &
C. E. GR1ESSER
Electric Co.
Southside — College
PHONE 4-9876
are the only
Nylons she needs — morning, noon, and night.
They’re knit on so many tiny needles, they’re
hard to rip, almost impossible to pop.
60 gauge—15 denier $1.95 pr.
51 gauge—15 denier $1.95 pr.
51 gauge—20 denier $1.65 pr.
Smart Shop
Bryan
For
A Season
In the Sun
ARROW
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Every man wants sev-
eral of these cool
bascpie shirts for sum
mer — they’re the
coolest, most comfort-
able leisure shirts we
know. Trim-fitting.
Smart looking. Per
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sports outfits. See
them at your favorite
Arrow dealer’s.
$1.25 to $3.95
ARROWshirts & TIES
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.25 up
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fitting, knit
"gives
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here in solids, whites and patterns.
. absorbent, trim*
in a springy weave that “eives” with
CLOTHIERS
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fOR ARROW UNIVERSITY STYLES
LI’L ABNER
Three is a Crowd
ELEVATOR SHOES, MY CORSET AMD MY
NOSE NOB f'lAME ME LOOM LIME A COLLEGE /
BOY—BUT, / HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF
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compartment: yout?
^ THE R ^ ° ^ r -7 r - S A RL ~.
By Al Capp
IS COMFY, ISN'T IT,
GIRLS?--N|AV I OFFER YOU
SOME REFRESHMENT-?
NOW TO GET RIO .
Oh the sloppy one.'f-)