Nebraska Wesleyan University - Plainsman Yearbook (Lincoln, NE)

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■ iSfc -- • Gonial, smiling Coach Dwight Thomas came to Wcslcyan in 11)37. His avocation ninsic, Coach Tliomas is pla.viii r his second season with Lincoln . ' s niplmn.v urclicslra. li;is iila.vcd with Denver Mnnii-ipal haml. and under Sons;i and Inness. Gradnatc of .Nel.raslia I ' iii I ' .iis. Thomas was senior niana;;inK edilor et tlic C ' ornhuskcr, member of Aliilia Tan Omega, member of the Innocents. j iX Coach Dwight Thomas riM ' ' (2G)

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' The Plainsmen, driving down the home stretch of the 1938 season raised their season ' s percentage to .500 by capturing; two victories and a tie in the last three .games. The Yellow and Hrown won four games, each oddly enough from a school with the colors of Pdue and White, as against four defeats and the one tie. In the Doane, Midland, and Hastings games. Martin Brasch played full games proving himself truly an iron man , and a leading candidate for All-Conference center. ' hen injuries made a shortage of guards, John ' anElls was shifted from tackle to this spot. The Midland tilt showed that he wouldn ' t be stopped. All season long Xeil Davis blocked, and blocked out those would-be tacklers. . t Hastings his all-around play was a fitting climax to a grand career. SNIost All-Conference selections picked Johnny .Staten for a backfield post. This year Jawn ' s defensive play and ball toting ranked with the best. Elongated LaX ' aun Price cjuarterbacked the Plainsmen -his year. His pass receiving set the stage for several of ' esleyan ' s touchdowns. Don Williams, one of the most consistent ends in the con- ference, was a tough cookie on both offense and defense. Another tough man is Captain Raleigh Ripley, one sweet guard. His opponents had no trouble in spotting Ripley ' s hard playing. Floyd Ralston played an aggressive game at guard this sea- son to advance to an All-Conference rating. His hobby was play- ing in the opponent ' s backfield. The specialty of Dale Magnuson, fullback, was backing up the Plainsman line, and tearing the opponent ' s line to shreds. Speedy and shifty Charles Burroughs turned in several long gains on end runs. His passing and plunging was a real asset to the team. Tackle Gerald Beefy Gardner, the biggest football player in the nation, starred previously at Omaha university. Beefy played every game with all he had and that was plenty. When the Weslejan attack stopped, little Don Otto ' s running, punting, and passing often set the Plainsman machine rolling again. For a small sized fellow, Frank The Champ Harrington did a first class job of blocking and ball toting. In his first year of football Bob Braun gained needed experi- ence and at Midland proved that he ' s got plenty of snap and drive. For dependability John Lay rates high, his defensi e work being his strong point. From many a pileup he emerged with the tackle. Old carrot top George Carne is one who is headed for great things next year. His work this year was very commendable. The toe of Bill Wilhelm, end, kept Wesleyan out of many holes. His play this season ranked him high in the X.C.A.C. Russell Merrill played some grand ball at tackle this year, while blocking back, freshman Ray Bailey, worked his wa - up to one of the top backfield spots. Bob Anderson filled in at center, doing a grand job of it. and the play of Andrew Johnson served notice that he is one to be watched next season. AuGUSTANA 20 Wesleyan In the opening game of the season, Nebraska Wesleyan ' s Plainsmen bowed before the Augustana Redskins at Sioux Falls, South Dakota 20 to 0. The Dakotans scored in the first, second, and third quarters. The first touchdown was a result of an intercepted pass. A second interception again set them up for an easy tally. The Redskins chalked up their last score when they blocked a Plainsman punt and recovered behind the goal line. (28)