w h e n V e g a s has the ball REBEL OFFENSE 86 KURT SCHNABEL .SE 72 RICK BEHRENDSEN .LT 74 CHRIS D A V IS.................. .LG 55 COURTNEY BOSSERT. ....C 61 BOB CHESS....................... 77 KEVIN GRAY................... 88 ROBERT STARBIRD TE 12 GLENN CARANO........... QB 22 MANNY RODRIGUEZ....FB 36 ANDRE JONES................. .RB 19 MIKE HAVERTY............ ..FL GRIZZLY DEFENSE 48 JOHN BUXTON............ .....LE 82 GREG HARRIS............. ....LT 65 DAN A R G O .................... 79 DOUG BETTERS , RT 42 BILL GULBRANSON ...RE 67 JOE SM ITH..................... .. LLB 46 STEVE DIONAS RLB 21 GREG ANDERSON ....SS 25 DON BERIAULT ..LCB 30 GREG CARTER............ ..RCB 27 TOM CLIFT..................... .....FS REBELS l Hoffman, K 58 Sandone, DE 7 Behtke, QB 59 Satterfield, C 10 Grantz, QB 60 Larson, OG 12 Carano, QB 62 Chess, OG 13 Harris, WR 62 Spencer, OG 16 Van Houten, DB 63 Rizo, MG 18 McLellan, DB 64 Riley, MG 19 Haverty, WR 65 Willis, DT 20 Duckworth, RB 68 Dill, OT 21 Watson, DB 70 O’Callaghan, OT 22 Rodriguez, FB 71 Carter, OT 23 Beavers, DB 72 Behrendsen, OT 24 Kelly, DB 73 Mastey, OT 28 George, DB 74 Davis, OG 29 Marlon Beavers, DB 75 Scott, DT 31 Cobb, RB 76 Watkins, OT 32 Williams, FB 77 Gray, OT 33 Russell, RB 78 Ingersoll, DT 34 Vereen, RB 79 Jenkins, DT 35 Moore, RB 80 Beall, DE 36 Jones, RB 81 Whitemaine, DE 38 Rogers, RB 83 Strecker, DT 39 Spinks, FB 84 Melcher, DE 40 Smith, DE 86 Schnabel, WR 42 Melton, RB 87 Cooper, TE 43 Bywaters, DB 88 Starbird, TE 46 Austin, WR 91 Giles, DE 47 Otto, LB 92 Lewis, DT 50 Concannon,C 93 Vargas, MG 51 Gaynor, LB 97 Bradley, LB 54 Ramsey, C 99 Lange, MG 55 Bossert, C Fights Sports Sports throat is an affliction common to fans the world over. Cure it with the crisp, soothing taste of ice-cold Oly. O lym p ia. Beer doesn’t get any better. JSL * * * ^ th Os to attain «««««»* -^P^iuiUfOWttYMPt* BREWING COMMNt OLYN Arch Ward of the Chicago Tribune liked the idea and fellow reporters T h e Wilfrid Smith and Ed Prell helped promote the team. Leo H. Petersen, Ed Sainsbury, and Ed Fite of the a c a d e m i c United Press aided the project, and Whitney Martin and Harold Ratliff of the AP devoted columns to the team. ★ ★ ★ a l l - Both Irving Marsh of the New York Herald-Tribune and Furman Bisher of the Atlanta Journal were generous a m e r i c a n in the space they gave to the team. The highly-encouraging response received from the media and from leading SIDs resulted in the first Aca­ T■■ he Academic All-American Foot­ demic All-American team appearing ball Team is the most important spe­ in December, 1952. The play it re­ cial project the College Sports In­ ceived from coast to coast indicated formation Directors of America that it would become a regular fea­ (CoSIDA) work on during the year, ture of the football season. according to Phil Langan, editor of Fortunately for the success of the the organization’s monthly publica­ project, several players on the early tion. Lester Jordan, originator of the Academic All- teams went on to make names in foot­ How did it get started? America team while at SMU ball annals as well as in business and It all began at Southern Methodist the professions. Dick Chapman of University in Dallas, Texas, in the made good grades. He then mailed Rice, a member of the 1952 and 1953 summer of 1952. For the preceding a story on the 1952 Southwest Con­ first academic teams, was the first five years, SMU had been the only ference pre-season academic team to round draft choice of the Detroit institution in the country to be repre­ the news outlets. Lions, and later earned his PhD. in sented each year on the consensus The project met with instant ap­ nuclear physics. Michigan State’s All-American teams and the only one proval from the news media and John Wilson, also of the original 1952 to have a player named on the UPI from educators, so Jordan started team, became a Rhodes scholar and first team each of these seasons. thinking about the post-season team. later president of Wells College. But by 1952 Doak Walker had left In October Frank Tolbert, who was In 1954 the three senior backs on SMU to become a star with the De­ covering the SMU beat for the Dallas the academic eleven—Dick Moegle troit Lions; Kyle Rote had started Morning News, suggested that Jordan of Rice, Allan Ameche of Wisconsin, his illustrious career with the New select an All-American academic and Joe Heap of Notre Dame were York Giants; Fred Benners, who had team. also first round choices. Heap, a thrown four touchdown passes to To test the idea, Jordan wrote lead­ devastating player, later developed a defeat Ohio State in 1950 and the ing sportswriters and sportscasters career in personnel and is now an same number to win from Notre over the country, explaining that the executive with Shell Oil Corpora­ Dame in 1951, was in law school; primary purposes of the project were tion. In 1956 the first team academic and Don Meredith was still a school­ to give recognition to football stars eleven had Jerry Tubbs of Oklahoma boy in Mount Vernon, Texas. who excel in the classroom; to dra­ at center, Lynn Dawson of Purdue It did not look as if SMU would matize for the general public the fact at quarterback, and Jack Pardee of have a consensus All-American in that players are interested in aca­ Texas A & M at fullback—three men 1952, so Lester Jordan, the school’s demic attainments also; and to im­ whose names are still important in Sports Information Director (SID) press upon high school athletes the football circles. as well as business manager of ath­ importance attached to studies by For seven years Jordan selected the letics, was looking for another means college players. team, but in 1959 when CoSIDA and of publicizing the school’s football Grantland Rice, then the dean of the American Peoples Encyclopedia team. American sportswriters, Volunteered became joint sponsors of the project, Upon checking, he discovered that his help, and Fred Russell of the all sportswriters and sportscasters an unusually large number of his Nashville Banner and currently chair­ were invited to vote for the team. team had made excellent grades the man of the Honors Court of the Na­ More than 600 voted and each re­ preceding year. He decided to capital­ tional Football Foundation and Hall ceived a copy of the APE Yearbook. ize on this information. of Fame, nominated two Vanderbilt Players making the All-American As a former sports editor of a players. Bert McGrane of the Des team or the various all-Conference Texas daily newspaper, Jordan knew Moines Register and Tribune said he academic selections were given ency­ the project would have more news was glad to give an assist to the clopedia sets. value if it were dramatized by form­ “brains” team and wrote of the schol­ Later, the American Heritage Life ing a team instead of merely listing arly achievements of Bill Fenton of Insurance Company replaced APE as the names of the scholar-athletes. He the University of Iowa and Max Bur­ a co-sponsor and Ted Emery became also knew that a story with an SMU kett of Iowa State, two team mem­ the co-ordinator. angle only would have limited ap­ bers. Hugh Fullerton of the Associ­ Among the sports information peal, so he wrote the other SIDs in ated Press told of the fine classroom leaders who made major contribu­ the Southwest Conference for a list records of Mitch Price of Columbia tions to the project in its early days of their top football players who also and Frank McPhee of Princeton. were Wayne Duke, now commis- continued 13t nd presents the most A ^ erf an incredible season. Freak plays. Upsets. Sensational Fireman’s Fund Insurance is bringing sophomores. In 1974, NCAA football was you these games on behalf of your local wilder and woolier than ever. If you missed Independent Insurance Agent. He repre­ any of it, “Firemans Fund Flashbacks” will sents many fine insurance companies. give you a second chance. Because, during So he’s the best man to see about insuring half-time on ABC-TVs NCAA national your home, car, life, or business against telecasts, we Ye replaying the highlights of the unexpected. And if you don’t think the last years outstanding games. unexpected can happen, just tune in: Monday, Sept. 8 - Missouri at Alabama* Saturday, Nov. 29 - Army-Navy Monday, Sept. 15 - Notre Dame at Boston College Saturday, Nov. 29 - Alabama at Auburn Saturday, Oct. 4 - Ohio State at UCLA* Saturday, Dec. 6 - Texas A&M at Arkansas Saturday, Oct. 11 - Michigan at Michigan State Saturday, Dec. 20 - The Liberty Bowl Saturday, Oct. 25 - USC at Notre Dame Monday, Dec. 29 - The Gator Bowl Saturday, Nov. 22 - Ohio State at Wednesday, Dec. 31 - The Sugar Bowl Michigan Plus other key games as season Thursday, Nov. 27 Georgia at Georgia Tech progresses. Friday, Nov. 28 - UCLA at USC* *Night games. Fireman’s Fund on ABC TV Fireman’s Fund American Insurance Companies. Home office: San Francisco. Look for your Firemans Fund Agent in the Yellow Pages. mm alhamerican continued ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lester Jordan began his career in 1922 when he became Sports Information Director (SID) at Trinity College.