Gridiron Candidates Engaged in Varied Summer Activity

Gridiron Candidates Engaged In Varied Summer Activity

Getting into condition for the 1941 season, Nebraska's Cornhusker footballers did everything from fighting grasshoppers, harvesting and cement shoveling, to plowing, working on road gangs, and digging post-holes.

One of the outstanding sophomore backs, Marvin Athey, spent his summer building roads for Chase county while lettermen center Fred Meier worked with a surveying party way down in Oklahoma.

Shoveling wet cement on the highway between Lincoln and Seward proved to be a good conditioner for two ends, Ed Nyden and Jerry Kathol, and guard Don Bottorff. While back Al Zikmund spent his summer fighting grasshoppers and riding a plow at Ord, tiny 6 foot 7 1/2 inch end Bert Gissler chased a plow around up Scottsbluff way.

Tackle Phil Yakal, in addition to working in an ice storage plant also found time to act as a filling station attendant, while his fellow lineman, Alma's tackle candidate Joe Byler, did the farm chores during the week and spent "most of the Sunday mornings building up the old forearm on the ice cream freezer."

Working for his father in the plumbing business, center Howard Kelly found time to work out with another Grand Islander, tackle Clarence Herndon, who worked at the Third City's Rest Haven camp.

Two boys working for Uncle Sam during the summer were back candidate Ed Hanisch and back Tubby Hansen. Hanisch spent the summer in the bomber plant at Omaha while Hansen worked with the Federal Bureau of Reclamation on the Republican river.

Blair's promising candidate for a backfield position, Roy Long, unloaded sugar at an Omaha warehouse while Omaha's Gene Wilkins worked on a farm at Atlantic, Iowa. Another Scottsbluff linemen, Jerry Hooper, worked for a hometown wool buyer.

Three more Cornhuskers who farmed during the summer are tackle Glen Hennings, back Ken Simmons and end Jerry Prochaska. Prochaska, along with two year lettermen Clarence Herndon and guard George Abel spent the first half of the summer in officers training camp. Another two year letter man, end Bob Ludwick also endured the "taps till revielle" schedule in camp.

Working on the new library building, tackle Vic Schleich, and back Wayne Blue found time to lean on their shovels now and then to watch their teammates attending summer school.

In this latter group were tackles Howard Martig, Phil Bordy, Phil Yakal, Francis Leik, backs Roy Long and John Mackey, guards Les Buckley and Don Bottorf, and end Ed Nyden.

Looking after the interests of the Lincoln Star, sophomore guard Herb von Goetz, back Howard Debus and Schleich also found time to work on the stadium field, while Bob Deviney, guard, spent some time life guarding in Sioux City. Working with the U.P., end Jack Hazen saw his share of greasewood and buckbrush out in the wilds of Wyoming.

Two Cornhuskers in the power business were, indirectly, back. Bob Cooper, who put in his time digging post holes for a telephone company, and directly, Art Lincoln, who worked for the North Platte muny power company.

Back Dale Bradley turned boys' camp counselor during vacation, with another back, Wally McDowell, also working for the railroads.

All in all, the 1941 edition of the Jones boys looks like they're in condition to fill the shoes of last year's squad which were, after all, a pretty big, pretty tough, pair.