Musketeer Madness

KRAJACK BASKETBALL BOSS screams the headline of the April 28, 1967 Xavier News.

Father O'Connor says "His credentials give us fine hope for many winning seasons." He was the assistant varsity and freshman coach at West Virginia University and wa selected over 68 other candidates. A 1960 graduate of Clemson, started all 74 games in his varsity career and averaged 12.4 ppl. Press Maravich was quoted as ".....Xavier University and George Krajack will fit like a glove." He was also endorsed by Bobby Roberts, head coach at Clemson, Bucky Walters from Duke and current coach (at that time ) at WVU. Our AD, Jim McCafferty said "...We feel confident that George will be an excellent head coach and representative of Xavier University."

He inherited a 13-13 team returning four starters; Bob Quick, Luther Rackley, Tim O'Connell and Joe Pengrazio. GK said "....For all the nice things people have been saying about me, you might have expected see me fly in here with a big S on my chest........I Can't promise you a certain amount of wins per season or anything like that. I do guarantee a dedicated effort and loyalty to the players and everyone else at XU."

Unfortunately, for him and X it didn't work out. His first year with almost everyone back he went 10-16 after that it went downhill, 24-53 his next 3 years. Also, I found his obit as I was looking up his record. 4/1/2016 at 79. RIP.

In other XN, Dan Kruse won first place in the Dean's speech tourney, and the editorial was how campaign week had left the campus littered with posters, and how next time it should be limited to flyers, letters and personal meetings. (Hmm, That should draw a crowd!)

Ok, that's all I got cuz I only had one page of the paper.

Hi SC from DC. I am really enjoying your OT Xavier History stories. I was thinking of perhaps contributing some experience I had back in the 1950's with what was then known as The Masque Society, today's Xavier Players which has grown into three Theater Majors. So this is a subject about as OT as can be. I usually post my stuff down under the heading Movies Music and Food. So I don't know how MM would view my posting here at the basketball site. Of course I love basketball, being a kid from Indiana. And I wrote a musical play,
THE PERFECT GAME: Jim Naismith Invents Basketball. It was performed at Xavier in 2001, directed by Cathy Springfield. It had some problems, but a wonderful cast. Later after some re-writes it was done by the Catholic University Drama Department. Everybody liked it, and we were about to go into rehearsal of a New York showcase production last year in March. We closed down the same day that Broadway closed down. THE PERFECT GAME is published at Amazon books, with some happy user comments.
I better stop rambling here. Keep up with your OTing.

Good Stuff Edgecliff, sorry Covid affected ALOT!!

Since I had my yearbook out to see the score of the football game, I can tell you in my senior year the Masque society produced, "A Portrait of Shakespeare", "Along the Ol' Mizzou", and "Easter". I'd be lying if I said I saw any of them. Sorry!