GRINNELL SCARLET AND BLACK

Oldest College Newspaper West of the Mississippi River

Z 209
VOLUME XLVII

GRINNELL, IOWA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1940

NUMBER 33

 

Athletic Department Reorganized

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Douglas Named Football Coach

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NEW COACH (

 

 

 

 

—-Ca\u'tesy or Dns Moincs Register

Above is Ben Douglas, newly
appointed hem] football and
hashetbuu conch at Grinnell,
who will arrive on the campus
to assume active leadership of
the Pioneer spring grid prac-
tice on April 1. Douglas comes
here mm the Muplewood, Mo.
high school where in '35 and
'39 his teams were mideienoed.

740 Football
Card Lists
9 Games

Six Conference
Battles Included
In Season Schedule

The first season in which Ben
Douglas will coach the Pio»
neer grid team calls for six
Mid-west conference games,
two Missouri Valley frays,
and one intersectional game,
to be played here with Colo-
rado, college, November 23, as
the concluding game of the

season.
FIRST GAME PLAYED HERE.

Lawrence college will tackle
the Pioneers in the opening
—->
battle to be played here Sep-
tember 27, while the Pioneers
will engage Drake in Des
Moines, October 4.

The Pioneers’ homecoming
opponent will be Cornell. The
game will take place on 0c-

G. Lester Duke to Become
Inter-Collegiate Athletic

Director in Revision

New Grid Mentor Will Arrive
To Conduct Spring Practice
In Grinnell on April 1

BULLETIN, GRINNELL, 1A., FEB, ZO—Coinplete reorgani-
zation of Grinnell college’s athletic and physical education
set-up was announced this morning when President John S.
N‘ollen.received a telegram from Ben Douglas accepting a
contract to become head football and basketball coach at
Grinnell.

Douglas, former star athlete at Grinnell and at present
high school coach at Maplewood, Mo., expects to arrive in
Grinnell April 1 to start spring football practice He will
bring with him his assistant, Oliver Wagner, who is to‘ be
added to Grinnell’s coaching staff as assistant football,
basketball and swimming coach.

DUKE NAMED.

G. Lester Duke, track conch since 1926, becomes director
of inter-collegiate athletics, will continue to coach track, and
will coach freshman football. John C. Truesdale, for the
last twelve years director of athletics and professor of
physical education, will devote his attention to directing the
teaching of courses in the department of physical education
and the program of intramural sports and recreation

Today’s announcement comes as the result of two months
of continuous work on the part of a special trustee appointed
committee on athletics which was named December 15 at the
time of the resignation of Guy H. Lookabaugh as football
coach.

DUKE AND TnUEsnALE COMMENT.

“I speak for all of us,” said Duke in discussing the reor—
ganization of the department, “when I say we feel that
with the new plan we can build up Grinnell’s intercollegiate
athletics and bolster the physical education program. We
know each other and can work together effectively. The
fact that each man can give full attention to his special
phase of the work should be a great help in building up
strong, winning teams, and in strengthening to a great ex-
tent the college’s program of recreation and training in
physical education. Furthermore, I am especially pleased
at the selection of Ben Douglas."

Truesdale added: ”This plan is particularly gratifying
to me because it has infinite possibilities for expanding the
entire program and concentrating our individual efforts. In
addition I’m pleased at the selection of Douglas as coach,

wannaasoonoaancneaannnonwooamanonammaaooanaan

for my contact with him here and my knowledge of his
record since then convince me he is an excellent choice. The
same holds true for Duke. He knows Grinnell‘s situation
thoroughly, we‘ve worked together for years, and with Ben
the department should be able to work out the plans we
have for Grinnell. '

DOUGLAS BRINGS ASSISTANT.

Douglas wired his acceptance of his contract this morn-
ing following a visit to the campus Saturday when final
details were worked out. Arrangements were made for him
to begin his duties April 1. He does not plan to return to
Maplewood at the end of spring football practice here.
Wagner, after the month of spring training, will return to
finish his teaching at Maplewood and will come back to
Grinnell in the fall to take up his permanent duties.

Ben Douglas was graduated from Grant high school,
Cedar Rapids, Ia., in 1927 where he made an outstanding
record in football, basketball and track. He entered Grin»
nell and continued his athletic record, winning nine letters
in three years of competition in football, basketball and
track. He captained the Pioneer eleven in his senior year.
After being graduated from Grinnell in 1931 he was coach
at Greenfield, 1a., high school 1931732; assistant football and
head basketball coach at Cornell college 1932-33; played pro-
fessional football with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1933; has
been coach at Maplewood, Mo., high school since 1934.
DOUGLAS' RECORD LISTED.

In his six years at the Missouri school his football teams
have won 40 games, lost 9 and tied 5 for a total of 934
points to their opponents 287. His teams were undefeated
in 1935 and 1939, and in four of the six years either won or
tied for the championship of the St. Louis suburban league.
It was at Maplewood that Douglas developed Paul Christ—
man, Bill Cunningham and the Orf twins who brought
Missouri university’s football team into such prominence
last season. Douglas’ basketball teams have averaged .750
in their games throughout the years and the present team
is leading the league.

DUKE GIVES UP PERSONNEL worm.

In assuming the position of director of athletics, Duke
brings to the position 19 years of experience in Grinnell
athletics. Entering Grinnell from Washington, 1a., high
school in 1921, Duke played outstanding football for three
years as a tackle and was named both all-state and all-
Missouri valley tackle. He competed in track for three
years and played basketball. Upon his graduation in 1925
he was made freshman coach. The next year he was made
head track coach, which position he has held since, and
became assistant varsity football coach under Mike Hyland.
Last year Duke was made director of personnel in addition
to his duties as track coach, but will now give up his per-
sonnel work. He has done graduate work in education and
physical education at Michigan and Wisconsin.

 

_\ _____ _
88 H ED U LE i We Must Pledge—
Sepc 27 (’ )—Lawrcuce at Grin-

nell.

Oct 4
Monies.

(‘)—Drake at Des

A NEW PIONEER SPIRIT

—An Editorial

 

Oct. iz—Knox at Gnieshur'gmi.

Oct. 13 (*)—\Vasliburn at Gr’m
nell

Oct. 26 (x)—Coniell at Grinnell.

Nov. Z—Beloit at Beloit, Wis.

Nov. 9—Cm'letan at Northfield,
Minn. .

Nov.

Nov.

0')

games.

tion,

IG—Coo at Cedar Rapidsl
zsicolorado at ’Grrinncll.

 

tober 26.

ing gmne. iron background that has

With the appointment of Ben Douglas as
' head football coach, Grinnell college can
look forward to starting the 1940-41 football
campaign with a new spirit and determina-

We now have with us a man widely rec—
ognized as having one of the finest prep
coaching records in the Middle West.
is no doubt in our minds that under normal
Denotes probable night circumstances Douglas would have thought

lnore than once before accepting a coaching
(x) Denotes probable lmmecom- position at a school having the dismal grid-

Grinnell in past years.

We must attribute Douglas‘ acceptance
of the Grinnell coaching position as lying
in a large measure in his desire to be of aid
to his alma mater when she needs it most.

The duty of Grinnell students and alumni
is clear. With a new coach to lead us on
the gridiron, it is imperative that there be
a revived Pioneer spirit to replace the one
that died last fall.

Grinnell’s lethargic gridiron spirit must
be a thing of the past. We look with confi-
dence toward the future.

There

characterized.

 

