| Show Good d S Former Wyoming Coach Wife Assist Utes to National Hoop Laurels The fickleness of athletic fates never were were shown hown re mo-re more clearly than in this years year's University University University Uni Uni- of Utah sports teams where the football team turned in its worst record Jn In history and the Ute basketball U team is in the process of closing one one of its best years Utah played and lost seven football games gaines The basketball team now en Sports r rouse roue u e to Kansas Mirror Mirror City for the western west- west em ern d division 1 vis ion By John N C A A play- play Mooney Offs has lost four games this year ear including a heartbreaker 46 38 to powerful powerful powerful power power- ful Kentucky in Madison Square Garden Monday night How Utah manage managed l to inherit inherit inherit in in- herit such a poor football team and follow up with one of its greatest hoop quintets will al always always always al- al ways be a mystery But its it's no mystery how U Utah h made such a fine showing against Kentucky beaten only once this season and rated a top favorite to win the Madison Square Invitation in invitation in- in tournament in New York This then is th the true story behind Utah's Blitz Kids who came within 10 minutes s of pull pull- pullIng Ing one of the major basketball upsets of the season It dates back several sever l years t to toa a bitter basketball enmity which later developed into a afine afine afine fine friendship between Utah's coach Vadal Peterson and Ev Shelton coach of the Wyoming Cowboys Utah and V Wyoming oming especial especial- ly since Bernard ernard Bunny Oakes took over the football reins have been at loggerheads ath ath- Not that Utah and Wyoming couldn't get along it just happened the Utes would rather shellac the Cowboys in football and vice versa in basketball basketball basketball bas bas- than anything else But this year Coach Ev Shelton Shelton Shelton Shel Shel- ton t took ok over the athletic reins of Dow Chemicals Chemical's A AAU A U contenders contenders contenders con con- tenders and he saw a chance to heal this sports rift Shelton manhandled Ecker Studio twice and a combined Provo Salt Lake Sheri Sher- Sher ui i I 4 r I i Vadal Peter Peterson on iffs iUs five lve twice before tackling the University of Utah in the final Beehive state game Coach Shelton told the writer before not the Utah-Dow Utah game Im going to do anything to humiliate ate those kids Naturally we wear weare ar are going to try to win but we arent going to td pour it on and wreck those kids' kids chances of developing into fine tine basketball basketball basketball basket basket- ball players Utah deserves a apat pat on the back for tor continuing basketball this year and Vadal has a fine bunch of kids If It we can beat them and still give the kids some some confidence it will be good for the league Well VeIl Dow Chemical did Just that For 30 minutes of the ball game Utah's Blitz Kids did the unexpected and led Dow Chemical It mattered little that Dow came back and managed managed managed man man- aged to eke out a victory In Inthe Inthe Inthe the minds of th the young Utah team it was a close game Utah morale hit a new peak and the freshman who might have been discouraged if beaten badly suddenly took on new life lite Utah came back to give the Salt Lake Wings a bad evening and since then haven't been afraid of anything wearing wearing wearing wear wear- ing basketball shoes But the Shelton episode goes further Had Utah played Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla Okla- homa at Madison Square Garden the Redskins would have been in fine shape to win their first start for Mrs Ev Shelton has been forwarding scouting reports to Vadal Peterson Pe Pc- terson since Utah took the lime lIme- light as a possible postseason tourney candidate And you sho should ld see those scouting reports Vadal laughs Mrs Shelton reports a game as clearly and concisely as aa any male scout Ive I've ever seen Her scouting reports are master master- pieces So now Utah moves to Kansas Kansas Kansas Kan Kan- sas City for the western vestern N C A A. A Whether Utah wins winsor or loses Redskin boosters can thank the lend-lease lend help of Mr and Mrs Mn Shelt Shelton n. n But when fj b LJ AS A'S Ev Shelton peacetime comes agan Coach Shelton will be back trying his level best to hand Utah a lacing The conference Ev Shelton and Vadal Peterson remind one of ofa a a. few Irishmen They'll fight like blazes among themselves es b but t let an outsider step In and the th whole bunch will gang him But once hes he's beaten the friends will start fighting each other again |
