European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 08, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday May 8,1989 the stars and Stripe age 23 sex army coach Earl Blaik aies Colorado Springs Colo. A Earl Henry red Blaik who took Over a woeful army football program and built it into a National football Power coaching the cadets to three National titles during the 1940s, died Early saturday at a nursing Home. He was 92. Blaik had been in ill health in recent years and made his final West Point visit in 1988 to dedicate a Monu ment he had erected As a memorial to All cadets at the Holleder Center. Blaik compiled a record of 121-33-10 from 1941 to 1958. He guided army to unbeaten and untied seasons in 1944 and 1945, when the cadets won consecutive National titles behind Doc fila Chard and Glenn Davis and again in 1949. The cadets also were undefeated but tied in 1946, 1948 and 1958. Army compiled a 32-Gamc undefeated Streak with two ties under Blaik from 1944 to 1947, and a 28-Gamc skein also with two ties from 1947 to 1950. From 1944 through 1950. The cadets lost Only three games and tied three others out of the 63 they played. Colonel Blaik gave army football and army athletics a great Standard and a legacy that we will always labor to army athletic director Carl Ullrich said saturday. All West pointers and especially All army football players mourn his he contributed immensely to football. West Point and the country army coach Jim Young added. He will be remembered As one of the greatest coaches of All time and one of the outstanding no one will Ever think of army football without thinking of colonel red Blaik said it. Gen. Dave r. Palmer superintendent of West Point. His name is synonymous with excellence in army All America guard Joseph b. So iffy said he knew Blaik As three different men. I knew him As a player As a coach working for him and when neither of us were involved in football Stuffy said. He was genuinely interested in every player he Ever had. He was More interested in the third West Point football ice nil Earl red Blaik. Won three National titles string guard that did t graduate than he was in Glenn Davis or Doc Blanchard. Davis and Blanchard could take care of Blaik who graduated from West Point was an assistant coach there for seven seasons prior to taking the head football coaching position at Dartmouth in 1934, where he compiled a 45-15-4 record. Blaik grew up in Dayton Ohio and played football basketball and baseball in High school. He entered West Point in 1918 and earned All America status in football and also lettered in baseball and basketball. After being commissioned in 1920, Blaik served at fort Riey Kansas and later at fort Bliss Texas with the eighth cavalry. He resigned from the army in 1922 and returned to Dayton to work in real estate and contracting. In 1927, he became a civilian assistant coach at the military Academy holding that Post through the 1933 season. Blaik inherited an army program in disarray and turned it around almost immediately. He took a team that finished 1-7-1 in 1940 and posted a 5-3-1 Mark in his first season. His teams went on to win the Lambert trophy As the top football team in the East five times during the 1940s. Blaik s most trying time at West Point occurred in 1951 when 90 cadets including his son were dismissed for cheating. Blaik considered retirement but was persuaded not to leave by Gen. Douglas Macarthur. Blaik who lost 37 players to the cheating scandal rebuilt the army program again retiring after the 1958 season when Heisman trophy Winner Pete Dawkins paced the cadets to their last unbeaten season. When he retired Blaik had developed 29 All Macri can players and 15 of his coaching assistants went on to become head coaches. In 1964, Blaik was named to the National football foundation Hall of Fame and two years later he received the foundation s Gold medal award. At that time he explained what football meant to him. If it is the game most like War he said it is also a game most like life for it teaches Young men that work sacrifice selflessness competitive drive Perse Verance and respect for authority arc the Price one pays to achieve goals Blaik will be buried at West Point next to his late wife where a football shaped Tombstone has been erected. Boxing from Page 1 function under stress Zhc said. Boxing teaches men to be self confident and to take but boxing. Morris said is to of Many Confidence building Aspe West i boxed in gym class and two years of intramural he said. I got knocked out and i knocked some people out. Did it help me i Don t know. But eliminating boxing is not going to detract from the total or. Col Eberhard Koch Csc a neurologist and chief of the department of Medicine at the Frankfurt army Region Al medical Center in West Germany said that from a doctor s Point of View he also would like boxing knocked out of the military. Why arc they doing this he asked. Just to get physically fit no they arc appealing to aggressive instincts. I Don t think inc aggressiveness you have going into the ring beating each other to a pulp is the same As you need to fight against the common Anderson who was in Vietnam As an infantry officer said cadets need to know How to react in a fear filled Situa Tion As they would be forced to do in combat. "1 can think of no other sport Whu _ degree of fear can be present Hir said. Ideally i would like to see the Roan subjected to As much fear As Posy la while at the same time from any it Don Claycomb. Spam director for the . Army in Eug pfc said the study in the journal of tar american medical association was conducted before the Usa Amateur boxing federation added safety requirements such As thicker headgear and larger gloves. Usa eur boxing programs comply with these standards and add other measures to ensure a Boxer s safety he said. Protective headgear and larger gloves Morris said do not necessarily protect boxers from the damage caused by the bumping and twisting of the brain inside the Skull from an opponent s blow. Bumps and Sharp edges on the surface of the Skull can injure the brain As it is pushed or pulled across these irregular i jes. Adgear prevents facial lacerations but Campt Stop some of the most serious when a Boxer s head twists after receiving a blow to the Sion by Lorris said. The brain is a fwd As it turns in the Skull tearing the Small blood vessels be tween the brain and the Jura mater the covering of the brain. nerve cells throughout the Bra of a switchboard can also the can and damaged sometimes in a Boxer is vulnerable Tojun Vologi. Damage when he is Stup a confused and staggering said Law capt Dennis Mallei a doctor in Mannheim for the past iwo years. A Jon neurological damage can be Preidt cd by stopping the fight when their Renee or doctor sees the Boxer is St two he said. A try to Stop things before the Guy a Hurt Mallei said when interview Dat the Usa eur boxing championships this weekend. Boxing referee Ai Fontaine who is also a physician s ass Island for the 2nd in 1st Field arty 1st army div looks at a Boxer s eyes to Sec if he can focus an indication his head is Clear. He also notes if a b9xcr can hold his fists up or if he is wobbling or stumbling. You can Tell when a Boxer is becom ing passive and does t fight he said after refereeing a bout Al the usar eur championships. Mallei a general Pra Lioner for the army clinic in Mannheim said he is impressed by the concern sports organizers and referees have for safely. Safely really comes first he said. It s not a blood Mallei said he has treated no serious boxing injuries in two years. Neither have to Cycle and Morris recently treated any badly injured fighters. The military might take prcur6uT care of boxers because we do Nice any serious problems at least Wmk to Cycle said. However Boxt fit still does t make any sense. one engage in such an Nuy Jisc if you have to pad yourself Certai Lwft cell controlled Well coached with Good referees Are Row Cly Safe Morris said. But his a action is not to How Many injuries teach sport causes but rather to inc Typ of injuries inflicted by boxing. When you get into the ring and prac Tice for the purpose of knocking somebody out injuring the other person s brain that s where my objection to boxing pcs in he said. It majority of army bouts Clay end not when one opponent i Wpc cd out but when the ref Eree stops to Jpn test. "1 Don t the Milhe goal is to Knock the Guy out. I think to pal is to defeat him in any Way you can Wuhan the rules that includes knocking dimwit. Of course he said. The reason for he bout is to decide who is Best not Toj a one Guy the Chance to destroy the when a Boxer Dies from a Wev received in the ring it is often Mccau vhf an acute subdural a Catoma a poorer of blood Between the brain and the Skul causing increased pressure in the brain. On May i a swedish Boxer died from a brain Haemorrhage nine Days after being knocked out by a right Hook described As not particularly hard. Head injuries include acute problems such As concussions Post concussion symptoms such As headaches and dizziness Eye and Duma or Jurics and chronic damage. It s important for people to realize that Harmle a concussion does t mean the Crest no injury Morris said. Manye will have headaches dizziness nausea months later. Even a so called minor head injury could cause problems months or even years later. Mallei said that although Well run programs reduce the Chance for injury and he enjoys watching a boxing bout he agrees with his colleagues about inc potential dangers. There s no doubt prolonged boxing is going to kill the brain he said. Over time repealed blows to the head can cause Small Haemorrhages that leave scar tissue and kill nerve cells. Nerve cells cannot regenerate so eventually mental capabilities can be lost in the injured areas. Punch drunk syndrome first recognized in the 1920s, is often the end result of a Boxer s career leaving him with for Gotful Ness personality changes impaired judgment and difficulty in walking or making Fine movements of the fingers and hands. Former heavyweight Champi on Muhammad All suffers from Parkin son s disease which Many believe is result of his boxing career Morris said. The changes suffered by other boxers May be More Subtle and obvious Only to family and close friends Koch Csc said. These people arc Able to walk talk and function but arc probably unable to hold a Job because they have lost intellectual capability or can no longer use their hands and lingers to perform Many tasks. As a neurologist you look at the Cen trial nervous system and that is inc most us thing humans have Koch Csc that s All that makes humans he they would be lower Ani Malar Sec should really safeguard that to m8 Gen Ilbin new Yak contributed la ibis report x
