Ohio University - Athena Yearbook (Athens, OH)

Page 33 text:

Leading all the way, our Ohio U. Bobcats upset a much heavier Western Michigan football team by a 16-6 score. The game, played at Waldo Stadium in Western Michigan, was wit- nessed by a crowd of ten thousand spectators. Once again it was a hard-charging line that was the vital factor in our victory. A line which outclassed the opponents who boasted a greater weight advantage. Our first touchdown was scored early in the first quarter, climaxing a 63 yard drive the first time the ball came into the Ohioans ' possession. With the scoreboard clock registering 55 seconds to go in the first half, Ronnie Van Horn intercepted a Western Michigan pass and return- ed the pigskin to the Broncs 27. Then Ed S ' idnick kicked a field goal to give us a 10-0 half time lead. An intercepted pass by Michigan ' s George Dunn paved the way for the first and only Bronco touchdown. The Broncos scored on a pass from Harris to Clysdale. Ohio ' s third tally was scored from our own 33. Jim McKenna, taking a pass from Pete Nor- man, weaved his way down the sidelines behind excellent blocking and broke into the open at the Michigan 45 yard line, to score another touch- down for Ohio. Quinn Stumpf, a bone-crushing, pile-driving full- back, who can be counted on to supply the neces- sary yardage at almost any time . . . Hails from Copley, Ohio . . . An O.U. junior, majoring in commerce . . . Greatest thrill in sports: Scor- ing five touchdowns and kicking two extra points against a Copley opponent in high school . . . Copley won, 75 to 0. Majoring in accounting is End Ronnie Van Horn ... a junior who has seen lots of action with the Green and White . . . Names his greatest thrill in sports as the time when he stole the ball in the final seconds of a high school basketball game, making the winning score. 29

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Ed Roberts . . . Plays halfback for the Bobcats, and packs a great deal of punch . . . Spring- field, Ohio, is home . . . Majoring in radio . . . Greatest thrill in sports: beating West Virginia in ' 49. Don Miller, of Uhrichsville, Ohio . . . O.U. guard ... a sophomore majoring in education ... a three-sport man in high school. Opening the 1949 football season a 20 point under-dog, the Widdo-ized Bobcats surprised even their most ardent rooters by completely out- playing and outscoring West Virginia ' s Mount- aineers to register a 17-7 victory. The Bobcats began to roll in the first quarter after several bad West Virginia punts. Under expert passing by Norman, OU scored their first touchdown on a beautiful pass to Roberts in the end zone. Again in the second quarter Norman ' s pass- ing placed OU in scoring position. After several attempts through the line, Big Train McKenna scored the second Bobcat tally on an around end play to make the score 13 to 0. Sudnick kicked an end over end point after the touchdown to make the score 14 to 0. An intercepted West Virginia pass late in the second quarter placed OU deep in Mountain- eer territory, but successive drives failed to gain the necessary yardage. On last down Coach Carroll Widdoes sent in Ed Sudnick, who kicked a perfect field goal from the 22 yard line, to put the Bobcats way out in front of West Virginia with a half time score of 1 7-0. The game was the first victory for the Bob- cats under the coaching of Carroll Widdoes, who had been selected as the Coach of the Year in 1944 when he directed the Ohio State gridders to the Big Ten Championship. 28

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Karl Finnen, O.U. tackle, has seen two years in Bobcat togs . . . from New Lexington, Ohio, where he played football and basketball. Al Scheider, hailing from South Euclid, Ohio, played a hard game at tackle . . . earning hours toward a degree in mechanical engineering . . . only frosh on ' 48 frosh squad to get a var- sity letter. Our third straight — 34 to 6. A game that started disappointingly for the Ohio rooters be- cause for the first time this season we were be- hind. The Kent gridders recovered a Bobcat fumble on the OU 37 yard line and scored in five plays, but their conversion failed. At the half, we were leading by one point. The green and white scored early in the second quarter on a march from our own 21 yard line. Sudnick booted the extr a point. Once the second half started it became apparent that the Bob- cat ' s attack was clicking. A pass from Norman to Stack brought our second score. Winemiller intercepted a Kent State jump- pass and returned the ball to the Kent 33 yard line, again putting us in scoring position. This time it was a pass from Norman to Poloski that gave the Bobcats another b points. In the fourth quarter Carroll Widdoes ' single wing boys, still on the offensive, rolled up two more tallies with the elusive running of Fabis and Haug in the backfield paving the way. An OU drive to the 8 yard line, with Fabis going over through his own right tackle, completed the Bob- cat scoring for the day. 30