Thursday, January 12, 1956
THE BATTALION
Page 3
S PORT
II O R T
s
By RONNIE GREATHOUSE
Battalion Sports Editor
If you’re wondering what kind of basketball coach clever
Ken Loeffler is, this story from his new book, “Ken Loeffler
On Basketball”, should be interesting.
Once during his six-year stay at Philadelphia, his LaSalle
team was in the midst of a 21 game win streak over a two-
year period. Then one night LaSalle lost one to Utah in
New York’s Madison Square Garden. Loeffler strolled sadly
back to the dressing room with Brother David, the LaSalle
sports publicity director.
“I’m sick and tired of losing,” growled Loeffler.
“Why Ken, this is the first game we’ve lost in more than
a year,” answered an amazed Brother David.
“That’s what I mean,” re-'*'
torted Loeffler, “I’m sick and
tired of losing.”
LOEFFLER, in his first
year at A&M, has been ham
pered by lack of a “big man.” The
tallest player on the starting five
is George Mehaffey, 6-4 junior
from Houston.
A&M, despite its seemingly un
impressive record, has been the
most improved team in the confer
ence to date. In their SWC opener
against Baylor, the Aggies set an
all-time A&M scoring mark of 90
points.
People often ask Loeffler what
happened to the “little man” in bas
ketball. His answer is simple:
“He’s refereeing.”
COACH LOEFFLER has long
been known for saying what he
thinks, and during his fabulous
coaching career in the East he was
constantly in the headlines. After
a close, hard-fought loss to North
Carolina State some years ago,
Loeffler felt his team had been vic
timized by* the officials. And he
said so.
“This,” voiced Loeffler after the
game,” is the biggest steal since
the Louisiana Purchase.”
Newspapers carried a running
account of the word battle between
Loeffler, the officials and North
Carolina State Coach Everett Case.
The stoi-y died, but not with Loef
fler.
The following summer he and
Case were flying over the Atlantic
to teach a coaching school in Ger
many. Unable to land at their pro
posed destination, the passengers
were informed that they would
proceed to Scotland.
Loeffler turned to Case, who was
sleeping, and shook him roughly.
“Everett, we can’t land at Kefla-
vik. We’re going on to Scotland
and may not make it. Quick, be
fore we go down, admit those offi
cials at Raleigh were terrible.”
•
An interesting side-note to the
long rivalry between A&M and
Texas basketball teams is the fact
that the Longhorns hold the record
for the most number of points scor
ed—and the least number scored—
in the' series.
In 1921 A&M held Texas to a
low of 5 points in winning 23-5, and
in 1945 the Steers thumped the
Cadets 87-59 for the high.
FRITZIE CONN ALLY, hustling Aggie basketballer from
San Antonio. 6-214 Connally is second in scoring on the
Cadet team with 127 points and is tied for second in re
bounds with 75.
A Champion High Jumper
Connally Shines As Cager
By BARRY HART
• Assistant Sports Editor
Fritzie Connally, A & M’s
sharpshooting sophomore
guar d, came to Aggieland
simply because the Aggies
were the only four-year col
lege to offer him a scholarship.
“I had offei’s from some junior
colleges,” says Fritzie, “but Coach
John Floyd (ex-A&M basketball
coach) talked to me after a game
and offered me a four-year scholar
ship, so here I am.”
Connally graduated from Thomas
Jefferson High School in San An
tonio in Jan., 1954, enrolled at
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A&M in February, and immediately
joined the Fish team for the i’e-
mainder of the season.
Fritzie didn’t play much in 1954,
hut made the starting Fish team
last year, scoring 118 points in the
seven games he played. He became
ineligible at midterm, and left the
first-year squad with a 16.9 scor
ing avei*age. He was second behind
Ken Hutto in the point-making de
partment.
Currently leading the Aggies in
shooting percentage with 47 field
goals in 99 attempts for a fine .475
percentage, Connally’s greatest as
set is his tremendous defensive
ability.
Though only 6-2 Vk in height,
Fritzie gets the ball off the boards
as well as men six inches taller
and stands second in rebounding
behind George Mehaffey, with 75
grabs. 40 of 57 foul line attempts
gives him a .700 percentage and
he is third in scoring with 134
points, an 11.2 per-game average.
Fritzie’s finest game in his
young collegiate career came just
last week against the Baylor Bears.
His 20 points, on seven field goals
and six free throws, helped the Ag
gies put a new scoring record into
the book as they mauled the hap
less Bruins, 90-70.
Fast-moving Connally, who’s best
shot is a driving layup, plays a
hard, aggressive game, and you’ll
often see this burrhead take a
bruising tumble in the swift action
on the hardwood.
He shares a fast-growing admi
ration and respect for new head
Coach Ken Loefflei' with his team
mates.
“Coach Loeffler really knows
basketball,” says Fritzie, “and its
encouraging to have him tell you
you’ie doing a good job and he’s
proud of you, even when you’re
losing.”
Connally was a thi-ee-year letter-
man at Thomas Jefferson in bas
ketball, but wasn’t picked for any
all-district or all-state honors. A
track and baseball man, he made
the San Antonio American Legion
All-Star team as a pitcher in 1953.
Last year’s Southwest Confei'-
ence high jump co-champion,
Fritzie was “discovered” by track
coach Frank Anderson in somewhat
of a freak accident.
Connally bet Jeff Penfield, an
other basketball player, that Jeff
couldn’t high jump five feet. Pen-
field did and Connally lost the wag
er, but Coach Anderson saw Fritzie
jumping well over five feet in his
fatigues and asked him to come
out for the team. Fritzie did,
luckily for the Aggies.
King of the tyMM) frontier.
Even b’ar killers need protection, Master Crockett.
Seven million youngsters got the first Salk polio vaccine
in 1955. Your March of Dimes funds developed this vac
cine, tested it, provided the first shots within days after
it was proclaimed safe and effective. Now, March of
Dimes research is making it even more effective. But we
must still remember those, born too soon to be protected
by the vaccine, who still need care and those tens of
thousands who will be stricken in polio epidemics before
the vaccine is made even more effective.
> % MARCH OF DIMES
>v- '• i- • .-v V : • '
Aggies, Steers Renew
Heated Rivalry Friday
Basketballers Meet for lOOtli Time;
Longhorns Hold Big Lead In Series
Mustangs Pace
SWC Teams,
Southern Methodist’s stam
peding Mustangs remain atop
Southwest Conference stand
ings in both full season and
loop action this week. The
Ponies . have marched to three
straight SWC wins and hold a fine
13-2 season 1’ecord.
The Mustangs are rated seventh
in the United Press poll of sports-
writers.
Surprising Ai-kansas jumped
from its last place berth to fourth
over the season on the strength
of three straight wins, two of them
in league play.
OONFKRKVOR STANDINGS
Team
IV
L
Pet.
Pts.
Op.
So. Methodist .
3
0
1.000
245
187
Arkansas ....
2
f)
1.000
155
131
Rice
2
1
.667
225
224
Texas Christian
i
1
.500
133
147
Texas A&M . . .
i
2
.333
1 35
151
Baylor
0
2
.000
134
175
Texas
0
3
.000
197
209
SKASON
STANDINGS
Team
VY
L
Pet.
Pts.
Op.
So Methodist . .
13
2
.867
1142
964
Rice
12
2
.857
1210
904
Texas
6
7
.4 62
94 0
94 5
Arkansas
3
8
.27.3
713
724
Texas A&M . . . .
3
9
.250
809
922
Baylor
3
10
.231
776
877
Texas Christian
3
11
.214
84 6
927
313
330
I.EADING SCORERS (SWC)
Temple Tucker, Rice 69
Larry Showalter, SMU 62
Raymond Downs, Texas 60
George Mehaffey, A&M 58
Joe Durrenberger, Rice 52
Ken Hutto, A&M 48
Dick O’Neal, TCU 46
Joel Grok, SMU 41
Norman Hooten. Texas ."T 38
Louis Estes, Baylor 36
LEADING SCORERS (Season)
Temple Tucker, Rice .
Dick O’Neal, TCU
Raymond Downs, Texas 317
Jim Krebs, SMU 258
Larry Showalter, SMU 213
Joe Durrenberger. Rice 195
Manuel Whitley, Ark 190
Louis Estes, Baylor 188
Joel Krog, SMU 178
Bobby Mills, SMU 175
THIS WEEK’S SCORES
Arkansas 70, Texas 67; Southern Meth
odist 97, A&M 68; Rice 80, Texas Christian
60.
FUTURE GAMES
FRIDAY—Texas vs. Texas A&M at Col
lege Station; Rice vs. Arkansas at Fay
etteville.
SATURDAY—Baylor vs. Texas Christian
at Ft. Worth.
MONDAY—Texas A&M vs. Arkansas at
Fayetteville; Texas vs. Rice at Houston.
Two of the Southwest Conference’s most ardent rivals,
A&M and the University of Texas, renew their long-standing
quarrel tomorrow night—Friday the 13th—in White Col
iseum.
This will be the 100th meeting between the two schools
on the hardwood court, having first tangled in 1917. In 39
years the Aggies have compiled a losing record of 33 wins
and 66 losses against the Longhorns.
A&M currently shows the best record in conference
play, while the Horns sport the best season slate. Coach
Ken Loeffler’s fivesome enters tomorrow night’s battle with
a 1-2 mark in SWC games and a 3-9 over-all record. Texas
is 0-3 in league action and has*
a 6-7 season ledger.
FRIDAY THE 13TH should
hold no fears of bad luck to
the Longhorns, who have
dropped their last three games by
an average of only four point per
game. A vastly improved Arkan
sas team bested Texas by a 70-67
margin last Monday night, and
Southem Methodist edged the
Steers 66-63 last week.
The Cadets are fifth in both con
ference and full season standings
among SWC teams. Texas holds
down the third spot in season rank
ings and occupies the cellar in loop
play.
George Mehaffey leads the Ag
gies in several departments through
12 games, including scoring, re
bounds, average points per game
and individual high score for one
game. He has dunked 156 points
over the season and is fourth in
SWC scoring with 58.
FRITZIE CONNALLY is next
in line in Aggie point making with
127. Ken Hutto is third with 126
and an average of 14 points per
game, second only to Mehaffey’s
14.1.
Texas fans are banking on Ray
mond Downs, a 6-5 junior scoring
artist, to put the Longhorns back
on the winning trail again. Downs
is third in both season and confer
ence scoring at present. He has
bucketed 317 points in 13 games
for a lofty 24.4 average per game,
and has 60 markers in SWC con
tests.
As has been the case in every
game so far, the Aggies will be at
a height disadvantage. The Long
horns can boast the likes of 6-10
Ellis Omstead, 6-3 Bill Groogan,
6-2 Norman Hooten and 6-5 Downs.
The Aggie Fish host the Short
horns in Friday night’s opener at
6:30. A&M’s first-year cagers have
a record of one win against thi*ee
losses so far this season, their last
game being a 76-92 loss to Rice’s
Slimes at Houston.
Texas’ Shorthorns are undefeated
this season in five straight games.
They turned back Schreiner Insti
tute, 89-59, last Monday night.
Neil Swisher, 6-0 Victoria sharp-
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