DECEMBER 8, 1947
RIVERS TOP PICK IN QUIET RULE FIVE DRAFT
The annual December FABL tradition known as the Rule Five draft was completed last week. This one was much less eventful than some in recent years with a total of just 11 players being selected with only six of the 16 teams opting to draft a player. It is a good indication of the return of roster stability after plenty of upheaval during the war years and a huge influx of returning players that led to 21 being selected in the rule five draft two years ago and 17 last December.
The Pittsburgh Miners, thanks to their last place finish in the Federal Association, had the first choice but they elected to pass leaving the Montreal Saints to select former Brooklyn Kings infielder Howard Rivers. Rivers is a 27-year-old who missed three years due to the war but did play 37 big league games for the Kings back in 1942.
The Detroit Dynamos selected two players including Al Horton, who at 38 is quite likely the oldest rule 5 selection ever. Horton will be given a chance to compete for a bench role and his working ethic and leadership skills will hopefully rub off on the young group of rising stars in Detroit. The Washington Eagles also opted for experience, selecting 36-year-old righthander Jonah Brown from the Continental Association champion Philadelphia Sailors. Brown saw some action with the Sailors last season before being dropped off their secondary roster.
Players selected in the draft must spend the entire season on the major league roster or be returned to the organization they were selected from.
ST BLANE SECURES NATIONAL TITLE
The Fighting Saints of St Blane subdued Coastal California 31-21 in Los Angeles on Saturday, closing up a perfect football campaign and staking a commanding claim as the top college football team in the nation. Amazing a packed crowd of 104,953, the largest attendance at a college game this year, the Saints were off to an early 10-poin lead. In the second quarter St. Blane yielded a touchdown to the surprisingly stubborn Dolphins, but then threatened to make the 19th game of this series a rout with 21 uanswered points before the Dolphins added a pair of late scores on the Saints reserve to keep the score respectable.
Running the team with the mastery of his All-American status was quarterback Ricky McCallister, and simply overpowering the Dolphins was the Saints heavier line led by the "O-boys" Finn O'Boyle and Jack O'Sullivan.
The Collegiate Classic slate got off to an early start with a new game, dubbed the Great Lakes Classic and was contested on Cleveland's Forester Field. The Central Kentucky football team parlayed power and deception into a one-two punch that ripped Penn Catholic for an upset 17-7 victory in the opening classic matchup of the holiday season. A meager crowd of 14,908 lost in the confines of the vast stadium on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, saw a bang-up game by two colleges that played as if it was the beginning of the football season rather than the end. Sparkling line play by the Tigers, from Lexington, Ky., gave the Southerners a big edge over the favoured Crusaders.
The complete Classic Schedule has been unveiled:
CLASSIC GAMES
DECEMBER 6
Great Lakes Classic -Cleveland
Central Kentucky 17 Penn Catholic 7
DECEMBER 20
HAWAII FOOTBALL CLASSIC - Honolulu
Custer College vs Kamehameha College
DECEMBER 27
HAWAII FOOTBALL CLASSIC - Honolulu
Custer College vs Hawaii All-Stars
JANUARY 1
EAST-WEST CLASSIC: Santa Ana, CA
Detroit City College (9-0) vs CC Los Angeles (8-0-1)
CAJUN CLASSIC: New Orleans, La
Alabama Baptist (8-1-1) vs Travis College (10-0)
LONE STAR CLASSIC: Austin, Tx
Noble Jones College (7-4) vs Maryland State (6-3-1)
SUNSHINE CLASSIC: Miami, Fl
Lawrence State (9-1) vs Georgia Baptist (7-1-2)
BAYSIDE CLASSIC: Tampa, Fl
Liberty College (8-1) vs Texas Gulf Coast (7-2-1)
PACIFIC COAST CLASSIC: San Diego, Ca
Coastal California (6-2-1) vs Abilene Baptist (8-2)
VOLUNTEER CLASSIC: Nashville, Tn.
Amarillo Methodist (4-6) vs Mississippi A&M (8-1-1)
DESERT CLASSIC: El Paso, Tx
Ohio Poly vs College of Waco (7-3)
SAN JOCAQUIN CLASSIC: Fresno, Ca
College of San Diego vs Topeka State
WEEKEND RESULTS
St Blane 31 Coastal California 21
Bayou State 20 Baton Rogue State 10
Central Kentucky 17 Penn Catholic 7 Great Lakes Classic
Abilene Baptist 34 Tempe College 7
Valley State 28 Provo Tech 10
BOTH AFA DIVISIONS UP FOR GRABS IN FINAL WEEKEND
There will be plenty of excitement on three fronts as the American Football Association season comes to a close. The West Division comes down to Whitney Park where the Chicago Wildcats will host the Cleveland Finches with a berth in the AFA championship game December 22 on the line. The Wildcats are 9-2, a game ahead of Cleveland so not only will the Finches need to win the game but they will also have to win a tiebreaker which might well come down to a coin flip. If the Finches prevail the two clubs will have split their two games this season and will each be 6-2 within the division.
The outcome in the East is also still up for grabs but it appears all the Washington Wasps need to do is win in Boston on Sunday and they will be in the championship game for the first time in franchise history. Washington was in a similar position last season but came up short. Even if the Wasps fall to Del Thomas and the Boston Americans they can still qualify for the title game if the Philadelphia Frigates also lose. The Frigates host Detroit.
On Sunday Greg LePage broke the AFA single season rushing yards record by gaining 133 on the ground against Cleveland. That raised LePage's total for the year to 1,143, smashing the old mark of 1,045 set by Jesse Pratt of Pittsburgh in 1934. LePage's efforts were not enough as the Frigates fell 20-14 to Cleveland in a crucial game for both clubs.
Gus Brown threw for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Chicago Wildcats to a 27-7 victory over St Louis and keep the Wildcats a game ahead of Cleveland entering the season-ending showdown between the two on Sunday. Detroit blanked Cincinnati 28-0 but the Wildcats victory still ended the Maroons slim title hopes. Washington jumped out to a quick 27-0 lead in Pittsburgh and then withstood a Paladins second half charge to hold on for a 34-27 victory. Finally in New York, Boston Americans quarterback Del Thomas became the first player to pass for over 3,000 yards in a season with a 327 yard passing day in the Yanks34-30 win over the New York Stars. Stars quarterback Charlie Morrison, an early season cast off by Cincinnati, had a record breaking day of his own as Morrison became the first quarterback ever to surpass 400 yards passing in a game with a 440 yard, 4 touchdown effort in the loss.
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Washington 7 4 0 .636
Philadelphia 7 4 0 .636
Boston 4 7 0 .364
Pittsburgh 4 8 0 .333
NY Stars 2 9 0 .182
West Division W L T PCT
Chicago 9 2 0 .818
Cleveland 8 3 0 .727
Detroit 7 4 0 .636
St Louis 4 7 0 .364
Cincinnati 4 8 0 .333
WEEKEND RESULTS
Boston 34 New York 30
Washington 34 Pittsburgh 27
Chicago 27 St Louis 7
Cleveland 20 Philadelphia 14
Detroit 28 Cincinnati 0
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY DECEMBER 14
New York at St Louis
Washington at Boston
Cleveland at Chicago
Detroit at Philadelphia
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Balfour, Bos 91
Watts, Cle 79
Gipson, Chi 66
Holt, Pit 66
Chick, Cin 65
Allen, Pit 61
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
D Thomas, Bos 206-364 3100 24 13
Marston, Pit 193-354 2758 15 38
Brown, Chi 175-297 2557 24 30
Colvin, Cle 115-271 1614 15 18
Morrison, NY 100-249 1584 11 25
RUSHING YDS TD
LePage, Phi 1143 8
Mellette, StL 768 5
Ponder, Was 512 4
Herndon, Phi 503 4
Orlosky, Det 502 2
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Gipson, Chi 61 990 11
Holt, Pit 48 750 2
Ericksen, Bos 46 644 6
Douglas, Was 45 660 4
Tisdale, Pit 43 789 3
INERCEPTIONS #
Neilsen, Cle 12
Thompson, Cin 8
Coleman, Det 8
Chick, Cin 8
Wynkoop, Det 8
Watson, Was 8
The second annual Continental Football Conference championship game will be a repeat of last year's debut contest in which the Kansas City Cowboys hosted the New York Gothams. A year ago the Cowboys entered the game as heavy favouites but New York put up an outstanding effort and nearly surprised the Cowboys before ultimately falling by a 20-14 score. This time around the host Cowboys remain the favourites, but only by a very slight margin as New York -which waltzed in to Kansas City and shut the Cowboys down in October, looks to do the same next Sunday.
The 1946 title game was supposed to be a showcase for rookie passing sensation Pat Chappell, who dominated the competition all season including 41-3 and 24-7 victories over the Gothams. The title game instead turned into much more of a ground game and a battle for field position although backs Ken Hale of the Gothams and Mason Matthews of the Cowboys played major roles with each scoring on 71-yard touchdown runs in the opening quarter. Chappell, who threw 26 touchdown passes during the regular season, did manage to get one more in the title game but his 104 yards through the air on that day was far below his season average.
This year the Cowboys and Gothams are 1-2 in nearly every team statistic with the Gothams ground game and the Cowboys aerial attack being key reasons why they are once more playing in the championship game. They met twice during the regular season and, unlike last year when Kansas City won both easily, the two clubs split their series this time around. Hale, handling the passing duties this season for New York in addition to his running focus, was dominant in the first meeting between the two clubs. The former St Blane back ran for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Gothams became the first visiting team to win a game in Kansas City, doubling the Cowboys 20-10. A week later the Cowboys would fall at home again -this time to Los Angeles- but they have been perfect since including a 17-10 victory in the rematch at Gothams Stadium on November 23. Chappell threw for just 125 yards -the Gothams defense always seems to fare better against him than most opponents- but he did throw a pair of touchdown tosses to Bill Tammaro while the Cowboys defense kept Hale in check to the tune of a meager, at least by his standards, 71 yards rushing. It will be an interesting battle next week with the Gothams hopes likely riding on a big rushing day from quarterback Ken Hale.
COWBOYS FINISH SEASON ON A HIGH NOTE
Pat Chappell threw for 250 yard and 3 touchdowns as the Kansas City Cowboys finished off their second Continental Football Conference season with a 31-14 victory over the New Orleans Crescents. The win leaves the West Division leaders with a 12-2 record as they prepare to defend the title they won last season on Sunday against the New York Gothams. The East Division champs also finished on a winning note, holding off Brooklyn 7-0. Gothams dual threat quarterback Ken Hale was held to just 62 yards by the Kings, leaving him just 15 yards shy of the 1,500 mark for the season. Chappell also came tantalizingly close to a nice milestone number, missing the 3,000 yard passing total by 51 yards. Each did set a CFC record in those categories although it should be noted the league is just two years old.
The other two games to close out the season took place on the west coast with Los Angeles hammering the Chicago Comets 38-3 while San Francisco outscored Buffalo 44-27.
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FINAL STANDINGS
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L T PCT[/b]
NY Gothams 10 3 1 .769
Buffalo 7 7 0 .500
Brooklyn 5 9 0 .357
New Orleans 3 11 0 .214
WEST W L T PCT
Kansas City 12 2 0 .857
Los Angeles 7 6 1 .538
San Francisco 7 7 0 .500
Chicago 4 10 0 .286
WEEKEND RESULTS
Kansas City 31 New Orleans 14
San Francisco 44 Buffalo 27
Los Angeles 38 Chicago 3
New York 7 Brooklyn 0
END OF REGULAR SEASON
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY DECEMBER 14
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
New York at Kansas City
Code:
CFC LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Penna, LA 116
Wade, NY 104
Hale, NYG 90
Karaszewski, Buf 90
Walston, KC 89
Higman, Buf 72
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Chappell, KC 174-318 2951 32 16
Fuchs, LA 150-307 2485 10 25
Boettcher, NO 196-399 2426 14 29
Monday, Buf 160-330 2181 20 20
Walker, Chi 126-275 1791 9 17
RUSHING YDS TD
Hale, NYG 1485 13
Garner, SF 887 3
Matthews, KC 882 5
Rose, NYG 875 7
Karaszewski, Buf 777 12
Stone, SF 772 3
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Mula, SF 62 806 9
Pruitt, NO 59 651 4
Tammaro, KC 50 837 10
Mandish, NO 50 768 7
Orr, KC 49 947 9
Breig,Chi 46 716 4
INERCEPTIONS #
Dutton, Chi 8
Yardley, Bkn 7
Carroll, SF 6
Alexander, Buf 6
J Smith, Chi 6
Reid, KC 6
PACKERS JOIN VALS AT TOP OF NAHC
The Chicago Packers are the hottest team in the NAHC and thanks to a 9-1-1 record over their last 11 games the Packers have moved into a tie with the Montreal Valiants for top spot in the North American Hockey Confederation. The Packers have outscored their opponents 21-9 in winning their last 4 games. The Valiants have been steady, going 6-3-1 in their last ten but have lost twice to the Packers in the past four weeks and will face them again next Sunday in the Windy City.
Tommy Burns has once more been the key cog in the Chicago attack. Burns recently had an 8-game scoring streak snapped but he has a 10-game point streak active heading into the Packers next game, which will be Wednesday when the Boston Bees visit Lakeside Auditorium.
Third place Boston has struggled since beginning the season with 6 wins in the first 8 games. Since then, the Bees are just 3-8-1 and will limp into Chicago Wednesday on a 3-game losing streak.
Tommy Burns (left) and his brother Wes Burns are once again leading the Chicago Packers.
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NAHC Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA
Chicago 20 12 7 1 25 74 53
Montreal 20 12 7 1 25 66 61
Boston 20 9 10 1 19 59 54
Toronto 21 9 11 1 19 62 73
New York 18 7 10 1 15 53 55
Detroit 19 7 11 1 15 48 66
SCORING LEADERS
NAME GP G A PTS
T Burns, Chi 20 15 13 28
Mahoney, Chi 19 11 17 28
W Burns, Chi 20 9 18 27
Chandler, Bos 20 9 13 22
Pollack, Tor 21 10 10 20
Sauer, Tor 20 9 10 19
Skinner, Mon 20 9 10 19
Cabbell, NY 17 12 6 18
Albers, NY 18 3 15 18
Lanceleve, Mon 20 9 8 17
Lynch, Mon 16 6 11 17
Hart, Bos 19 7 9 16
Haines, Mon 26 6 10 16
Gubb, Chi 19 6 10 16
Carlson, Tor 19 5 11 16
GOALIE LEADERS
NAME GP W L T ShO GAA
Tremblay, NY 11 5 5 0 1 2.73
Brockers, Bos 15 7 8 0 0 2.74
Hanson, Chi 16 8 7 1 0 2.83
Touhey, Mon 18 11 7 0 1 3.18
Sorrell, NY 9 2 5 1 2 3.39
Broadway, Tor 19 7 10 1 1 3.43
Chasse, Det 15 6 8 1 0 3.57
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 3
Chicago 4 at 3 Boston: The Packers beat the Bees for the first time in four meetings this season thanks to third period goals from Jarrett McGlynn -his second of the game- and Tommy Burns. The Bees had scored 3 answered goals in the second to take the lead including a pair from Jacob Gron.
Toronto 3 at 3 New York: The Shamrocks winless streak stetched to 5 games but they did end a 4-game losing skid with a 3-3 tie on home ice against the Toronto Dukes. The Dukes had been in a slump entering the game was well, with a 2-5 record to show for their last 7 outings. With Etienne Tremblay still nursing an injury, rookie goaltender Alex Sorrell came up big for the Greenshirts, who were outshot 37-23. Bobbie Sauer scored twice for Toronto while Robert Sharpley, Orval Cabbell and Gil Corbeil, with the tying marker at the 16 minute mark of the third period provided the New York offense.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 6
New York 1 at 0 Boston : 22-year-old Shamrocks rookie Alex Sorrell had an outstanding game, turning aside all 34 shots he faced for his second career NAHC shutout in a 1-0 New York victory. Laurel Albers provided all the offense with an unassisted goal early in the first period. It was the battle of rookie goaltenders as Boston's Oscar James was at the other end and stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced.
Detroit 0 at 6 Montreal: After the two clubs tied in Detroit last week, the Valiants thoroughly dominated the rematch at the Montreal Arena. Clarence Skinner scored twice and Adam Sandford added one to give Montreal a 3-0 lead just over 3 minutes into the game and the offensively challenged Motors never recovered. Montreal outshot Detroit 42-14 making for possibly the easiest shutout Millard Touhey has ever had.
Chicago 5 at 2 Toronto: The Packers ran their unbeaten streak to 8 games with a 5-2 win at the Dominion Gardens. Tommy Burns saw his 8-game goal scoring streak come to an end but the Packers star did notch a pair of assists to run his consecutive point streak to 10 games, during which he has accumulated 19 points. Five different players scored for Chicago in Jarrett McGlynn, Marty Mahoney, Ed Delarue, Jeremy MacLean and Derek Gubb. Dick Zimmerman and Philippe Dubois replied for the Dukes.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 7
Montreal 3 at 2 Boston: The Bees are in a slump with 3 straight losses and just 1 victory to show for their last six games. After a scoreless first period Ian Doyle and Adam Sandford staked the Vals to a 2-0 lead in the middle frame. Boston's Robert Walker and Montreal's Rey Sclisizzi swapped third period goals and the Bees had pulled Tom Brockers in the third trying to score two to force a tie. George Anderson beat Montreal's Touhey to cut the gap to 3-2 but that was with only 2 seconds remaining so the Bees were unable to pull even.
Toronto 2 at 6 Chicago: The Packers won the second half of the weekend home and home series with Toronto as easily as they took the opener last night. Four goals in an 7-minute span early in the second period proved the Dukes undoing and forced Toronto coach to pull Terry Russell, who started in the Toronto net in an effort to give Gordie Broadway a day off. Tommy Burns was held to just one point, an assist, but it was enough to keep his scoring streak going at 11 games.
Detroit 4 at 2 New York: In the battle for fifth place the Detroit Motors doubled the Shamrocks 4-2 at Bigsby Garden to leave both clubs tied with 15 points. Third period goals by Adam Vanderbilt and Ben Witt snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted the visitors to victory.
UPCOMING REGULAR SEASON GAMES
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10
Boston at Chicago
Toronto at Detroit
Montreal at New York
THURSDAY DECEMBER 11
New York at Montreal
SATURDAY DECEMBER 13
Chicago at Detroit
New York at Toronto
SUNDAY DECEMBER 14
Toronto at Boston
Montreal at Chicago
Detroit at New York
AROUND THE LEAGUE
ROOKIE GOALIES MAKING THEIR MARK
A pair of rookie goalies had stellar NAHC debuts recently with both Oscar James of Boston and the New York Shamrocks Alex Sorrell recording shutouts in their debuts. James has been especially impressive in Boston, pushing veteran Juneau Award winner Tom Brockers for playing time while going 2-2-1 with a 2.41 goals against average. The 24-year-old British Columbia native was the Bees 1st round draft pick in 1943 but spent 4 seasons apprenticing in Cleveland of the HAA. He was called up from the minors in late November and shutout Montreal in his NAHC debut.
Sorrell is just 22-years-old and already owns two NAHC shutouts including blanking Toronto in his debut November 6. Last week he shutout the Boston Bees, with James as his opponent, 1-0 but consistency has been a concern. With two shutouts Sorrell has obviously looked good but he has struggled at times as well in allowing both Detroit and Chicago to beat in 6 times in November matchups. With starter Etienne Tremblay nursing a couple of minor injuries there has been plenty of pressure on the young goalie who grew up just outside Toronto. He was a third round pick of the Shamrocks in the 1945 draft and has spent the previous 3 seasons playing in the coast league for Portland and Tacoma.
A WEEK OF FIRSTS IN FEDERAL LEAGUE
The Baltimore Barons finally lost for the first time this season in Federal Basketball League play while the Toronto Titans finally won a game. The Barons had started 8-0 before falling 77-76 at home to Chicago last Monday. The Panthers, who are 7-4 and co-leaders in the West Division, outscored Baltimore 27-18 in the fourth quarter to claim the slim one point victory. Richard Campbell led the way with 20 points and 31 rebounds. Baltimore would get back on track, beating Philadelphia 91-82 to start a new winning streak.
The Toronto Titans finally won a game. After dropping their first 10 contests, pro basketball's lone Canadian entry held on to trim Buffalo 90-89 Friday evening at Dominion Gardens for their first win of the season. It nearly got away from them as they were badly outplayed in the second half after opening a 15 point lead at the break.
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FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT GB
Baltimore 9 1 .900 -
Philadelphia 7 4 .636 2.5
Buffalo 3 7 .300 6.0
Toronto 1 10 .091 8.5
WEST W L PCT GB
Detroit 6 3 .667 -
Chicago 7 4 .636 -
Cincinnati 5 6 .455 2.0
Cleveland 3 6 .333 3.0
SCORING LEADERS PPG
Danny Hendon, PHI 21.9
David Reed, DET 20.2
Jack Hirst, BAL 19.4
Lary Yim, BUF 18.3
Richard Campbell, CHI 18.3
Jamel Porter, TOR 17.4
Herb Hobbs, CLE 16.9
George Kelley, CLE 16.6
Mike Trapp, TOR 16.5
Jack Kurtz, DET 15.9
The Boston Centurions look like a team on the rise in the American Basketball Conference. An original ABC club entering its 11th season, the Cents have never posted a winning record and made the playoffs just once in their history. This year they are of to a 7-5 start including two wins in three games last week. The Boston quintet is enjoying success with a focus on offense and with the duo of Morgan Melcher (20.3 ppg) and Gerald Carter (18.4 ppg) is league the ABC in scoring while averaging 98.1 points a game. Scoring comes natural to both Melcher and Carter, who are both in the top four all-time among collegiate point producers. Melcher twice led the nation in scoring while at Coastal California and Carter finished in the top ten in AIAA points both his junior and senior seasons at Western Iowa.
There must be something about Coastal California that produces great pro scorers. Melcher is second in the ABC scoring parade behind only Hartford's James Phillips - who starred on the coast at City College of Los Angeles- while Melcher's Dolphins teammate for three seasons Daniel Hendon is the leading scorer in the Federal Basketball League.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES AMONG PRO SCORING LEADERS
The Washington Statesmen have already eclipsed the amount of losses from all of last season with their fourth loss of the season, falling 94-90 to first-place Richmond. The Statesmen (5-4) were outrebounded, 76-56, but the key to the loss was their poor free throw shooting. Both teams had 14 makes from the charity stripe, but Washington had 11 more attempts (14-for-27, 51.9%) in the four-point loss. Richmond is 8-4 with a one-game lead on Pittsburgh in the ABC Western Division, 1-1/2 games ahead of Washington.
AMERICAN BASKETBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT GB[/b]
Boston 7 5 .583 -
Brooklyn 8 6 .571 -
Hartford 5 7 .417 2.0
New York 3 7 .300 3.0
WEST W L PCT GB
Richmond 8 4 .667 -
Pittsburgh 7 5 .583 1.0
Washington 5 4 .556 1.5
Rochester 3 8 .273 4.5
SCORING LEADERS PPG
James Phillips, HAR 21.0
Morgan Melcher, BOS 20.3
Augie Schleicher, PIT 18.9
Ivory Mitchell, BKN 18.5
Gerald Carter, BOS 18.4
Stewart Hurlburt, RIC 18.3
Max Lucia, PIT 18.3
Norm Yates, RIC 18.2
John Rodrigez, HAR 17.7
Don Marlow, NY 17.6
[/code]
FAST START FOR BELLS STAR MESSER
Liberty College may be struggling a little this season with early losses to Lane State and Huntington State, but star forward Ward Messer is clearly not the reason. The senior, who helped the Bells reach the National Title game each of the past two seasons, scored 19 points and added 11 rebounds in a 52-35 victory over Grafton last week to increase is season averages to 16.4 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game. He leads the entire AIAA in both of those categories with his scoring average narrowly ahead of North Carolina Tech senior guard Mike Massa and Carl Casswell, a sophomore forward out of Lane State. Only Messer and College of Waco senior forward Matthew Till are averaging double figures in boards. It is early but if Messer were to remain at the top of both lists he would become the first collegiate basketball player ever to lead the nation in both points and rebounds.
Messer, who's older brother Walt is an outfielder with the New York Gothams, is the front runner to be the first name called in either the ABC or FBL drafts next year. He has, at least at this point, not declared what draft he will enter.
CANARIES RETAIN TOP SPOT IN POLLS DESPITE CLOSE CALL
It was a much tighter game than anticipated but the Western Iowa Canaries improved to 4-0 with a 66-61 victory over tiny North Shore in collegiate cage action yesterday. The Canaries, who were led by Toby Shively's 18 points along with 17 from Willy Ludwick, were only up by a single point at the half, before adding some breathing room against a pesky Blackhawks quintet.
A number of top 25 teams were in action yesterday including the Canaries Great Lakes Alliance rivals from Whitney College. The Engineers, who won the National Tournament last April, improved to 5-0 and moved up to third in the national rankings with a 43-38 victory at home in Gary, In. over Kansas Agricultural. Sandwiched between the two GLA foes in the lastest poll is Rainier College, which improved to 6-0 and moved up one spot to second in the rankings with an early week 38-22 victory over Academia Alliance outfit Henry Hudson.
Carolina Poly, which had held down the second spot a week ago, slipped to 8th after the Cardinals were upset by Jersey City Tech 49-46 to suffer their first loss on the season after starting 5-0. Senior forward Guy Lemley set a career best for points with 13 to lead the 2-2 Wizards to the suprising victory.
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AIAA COLLEGIATE CAGE RANKINS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Western Iowa (69) 4-0 1796 1 Great Lakes Alliance
2. Rainier College (3) 6-0 1729 3 West Coast Athletic Association
3. Whitney College 5-0 1618 7 Great Lakes Alliance
4. CC Los Angeles 5-0 1561 9 West Coast Athletic Association
5. Coastal California 3-0 1552 5 West Coast Athletic Association
6. Detroit City College 3-0 1384 6 Great Lakes Alliance
7. Great Plains State 6-0 1354 13 Indy
8. Carolina Poly 5-1 1310 2 South Atlantic Conference
9. Alabama Baptist 4-0 1120 14 Deep South Conference
10. Mississippi A&M 5-1 1069 19 Deep South Conference
11. Lane State 5-1 1032 4 West Coast Athletic Association
12. St. Ignatius 3-0 991 21 Great Lakes Alliance
13. Chesapeake State 2-0 898 NR South Atlantic Conference
14. Holland 4-0 858 NR Central Athletic Alliance
15. Western State 3-0 745 24 Central Athletic Alliance
16. North Carolina Tech 5-1 652 NR South Atlantic Conference
17. Redwood 2-1 622 NR West Coast Athletic Association
18. Cleveland 1-0 487 NR Central Athletic Alliance
19. Lubbock State 7-1 431 NR Southwestern Alliance
20. Frankford State 8-1 405 NR Indy
21. Indiana A&M 3-1 389 10 Great Lakes Alliance
22. Liberty College 5-2 355 NR Indy
23. East Missouri Seminary 5-1 247 11 Indy
24. Maryland State 2-1 153 NR South Atlantic Conference
25. Texas Gulf Coast 3-2 151 NR Southwestern Alliance
Others Receiving Votes:
Pittsburgh State 5-1 95 Indy
Central Ohio 4-2 72 Great Lakes Alliance
American Atlantic 6-1 56 Indy
Johnston Tech 6-1 40 Indy
Perry State College 5-1 38 Indy
Central Kentucky 4-1 24 Deep South Conference
Bayou State 1-2 21 Deep South Conference
Narragansett 5-1 20 Indy
College of Cairo 4-1 17 Indy
Grant (IN) 5-1 17 Indy
Travis College 4-1 15 Southwestern Alliance
Utah A&M 3-1 14 Rocky Mountain Athletic Alliance
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS INVOLVING TOP 25 TEAMS
MONDAY DECEMBER 1
at #22 Liberty College 52, Grafton 35
at Central Kentucky 39, #21 Indiana A&M 33
at #7 Great Plains State 52, Mile High State 44
TUESDAY DECEMBER 2
at #2 Rainier College 38, Henry Hudson 22
#9 Alabama Baptist 55, at Campion 37
at Pittsburgh State 51, #11 Lane State 41
at #20 Frankford State 45, St. Pancras 36
#10 Mississippi A&M 51, at Elyria 47
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 3
at #3 Whitney College 45, St. Blane 42
#13 Chesapeake State 53, at University of New Jersey 50
#7 Great Plains State 56, at Colorado Poly 49
at #8 Carolina Poly 69, Pierpont 34
#23 East Missouri Seminary 57, at Texas Panhandle 55
at #19 Lubbock State 47, Baton Rouge State 40
#16 North Carolina Tech 54, at Brandywine 45
THURSDAY DECEMBER 4
at #4 CC Los Angeles 49, Ellery 36
at #21 Indiana A&M 42, Central Carolina 34
FRIDAY DECEMBER 5
at #24 Maryland State 49, Rose Point (PA) 32
at Jersey City Tech 49, #8 Carolina Poly 46
#6 Detroit City College 52, at Canton State 49
at #19 Lubbock State 54, Wichita Baptist 42
#20 Frankford State 44, at Miners College 33
SATURDAY DECEMBER 6
at #4 CC Los Angeles 34, St. Martin's College 22
SUNDAY DECEMBER 7
#12 St. Ignatius 49, at Chicago Poly 46
#16 North Carolina Tech 63, at Garden State 42
at #3 Whitney College 43, Kansas Agricultural 38
#7 Great Plains State 47, at #23 East Missouri Seminary 39
#14 Holland 53, at Queen City 52
#1 Western Iowa 66, at North Shore 61
#11 Lane State 73, at Rock Island 59
MELANSON SET FOR SECOND CHANCE AT EDMONDS
Frank 'The Tank' Melanson says he feels like he has been waiting "forever" for another chance to step in the ring against the only man who has ever defeated him. In truth it has only been 5 months since the fireworks of a John Edmonds TKO victory over Melanson on July 4 rang thru the air. That bout, halted just over 5 minutes from its conclusion because Melanson could not see out of his right eye due to blood flowing from a nasty gash on his eyebrow, marked the first defeat in Melanson's 34th fight as a professional and cost him the world middleweight title despite the fact he was ahead on points at the time of the stoppage.
Melanson gets his second chance but it won't be in his hometown of Pittsburgh where a packed Fitzpatrick Stadium cheered his every move during the summer spectacle. This will be much closer to Edmonds hometown of Muncie, In. with Chicago's Lakeside Auditorium serving as the venue.
The money seems split with odds nearly a toss-up for who will prevail. Edmonds, the 29-year-old champ, looked confident in final sparring this week, and enters with a 23-2 record while the former Steel Factory worker Melanson, who held the title for just over 2 years, looks to add to his 32-1-2 record and reclaim his title.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Dec 12 - Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: World Middleweight Champ John Edmonds (23-2) rematch with Frank Melanson (32-1-2)
- Jan 10 - Santa Ana Stadium, Los Angeles: World Heavyweight Champ Hector Sawyer vs Dan Miller
- Jan 15- Philadelphia: HW Scott Baker (15-3-2) vs Chris Sullivan (19-4-4)
- Jan 19- Portland, Oregon: WW contenders Mark Westlake (22-2-1) vs Carl Taylor (22-4-2)
- Jan 24 - Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland, OH: World Welterweight champion Harold Stephens (20-3-2) defends his title against Ira Mitchell (19-1)
- Jan 29 - Bigsby Garden, New York: HW contender Mark Fountain (22-4-1) vs Dave Kennedy (28-11-4) and HW contender Roy Crawford (25-3) vs Glenn Hairston (25-8-2)
- Jan 31- Detroit: rising HW Lewis Jones (14-1) vs Marvin Martin (18-10-4)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/07/1947
- Strikes continue to plague France as leaders of the Communist-dominated General Confederation of Labor defied the government's anti-strike legislation. A new much stricter, anti-strike, anti-sabotage law went into effect on the weekend.
- Communist-led workers in Rome demanded "unemployment relief" and gave the harassed government of Preimer Alcide de Gasperi just 3 days to comply with their ultimatum.
- The Arab Higher Executive called for a 3-day general strike of Arabs through the Holy Land to protest the UN decision to partition Palestine. This following a weekend wave of violence and protest that erupted again during the week causing countless injuries and well over 150 deaths.
- A prediction that the emergency foreign aid bill for western Europe will be passed through the House next week came from the Speaker of the House.
- In urging the House to quickly approve the $590 million emergency stopgap aid, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee warned that Russia could take over Europe in 24 hours if it saw fit to do so. This following his committee's report stating Russia has military supremacy in terms of troops at this time.
- The chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission disclosed that the United States now is producing new atomic weapons from both uranium and plutonium.