University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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and coaches the game of football pates. For example, on downf ield blocking, players are graded on stance, moving with the ball, ap- proach to the block, position of the block, and fol- low through. Thus, only one-fifth of the rating de- pends on the opposition. The players ' scores on each play are fed into the IBM, and averages are computed. With these aver- ages, Mather and his assistants can determine the most effective players in each phase of the game. A common problem of college football today is the feeling that the team is playing not for the stu- dents, but for the administration and the alumni of the University. To combat this, Coach Mather has instituted a student quarterback club which 24

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Football statistics roll out of the I.B.M. When football coach Charles V. Chuck Mather took over last spring, most people expected a great many changes in KU football. These people have not been disappointed. Although the season has produced no victories so far this year, Coach Mather has initiated many new policies. The Big Red team sported new blue jerseys with yellow helmets to provide for better spotting of pass receivers. The players ' bench was moved to the west side of Me- morial stadium. A television was installed on the sidelines to give an aerial view of the game to the coaching staff. Players on the bench wore Frank Buck sun helmets to combat the heat. The list seems endless. However, the most famous innovation Mather has started is the use of IBM for the grading of with his I.B.M. paraphernalia player efficiency. This system appears very com- plicated, but at a closer look, it is revealed as mere- ly a simple method of figuring statistics. After each game, movies of the game are studied by the coaching staff, and each player is given a grade for every play in which he partici-

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with soundly scientific technique meets every Tuesday night in the Student Union ballroom. Mather shows the movies of the previous week ' s game and comments on the pictures. At the end of each session there is a question-and-answer period when students are invited to ask about any phase of the team or its coaching staff. Coach Mather has impressed many persons with the thoroughness of his coaching technique. The coaching staff leaves no stone unturned in their ef- fort to achieve perfection. The attitude of Mather and his staff can be well summed by the motto found on the wall of the football office, which reads, It takes work to be good, and if we are not good, we have no one to blame but ourselves.