A WSU student from Sept. 1967 to June 1972, I was not an athlete and it is true that I have attended more WSU football games after I graduated than I ever did when I was a student. This was probably because, like many WSU students, I continued to live in my parents' downriver home and commuted to my classes while I also held several part-time jobs giving music lessons. Still, I did my best to participate in on-campus activities whenever possible, including carrying a banner in a parade celebrating Wayne's centennial.

I began my freshman year at WSU the fall after the Detroit riots of 1967, when the Michigan National Guard was still patrolling campus and my parents worried if I'd survive the day. Back then the Warriors football team was known as the Tartars. The opposition took immense pleasure in their threats to make tartar sauce out of our team.

I also remember attending football games that freshman year that were in a football field on the northwest corner of the I-94/Lodge intersection. I recall the field surrounded by derelict homes -- many vacant and boarded up. I went through a driveway between two houses and through someone's backyard to get to the field. Did I imagine that a football game was delayed because a field goal attempt resulted in the football entering one of those homes and someone had to go into the house to get the football back?

If I'm not mistaken (and I very well may be) this was also the time when UHF television was in its infancy -- you had to get a separate receiver to adopt your existing TV and tune in the station much like an old radio dial. Channel 50 was dedicated to all sports and broadcast many local events, college and high school. I believe they did broadcast some WSU games?

Those were the days. I attend WSU football games now and one of my spectator buddies was at Wayne at about the same time.

This alumnus is annoyed and perturbed by the fact that WSU is this jewel situated in the heart of Detroit and media coverage of its sporting events is practically non-existent. The Detroit area TV stations have no problem hyping events like the Woodward Cruise, or events at Campus Martius, Hart Plaza, etc. Wouldn't it be great if they could devote a little hype and a lot of coverage of WSU events? It would not only boost attendance at these events but focusing attention on the school would also boost recruiting efforts for new students. An organized attempt by the current student body supplemented by WSU alumni could flood local media with letters, emails and phone calls demanding such coverage. Media will ignore a few calls but a massive outpouring would make them sit up and take notice. Let's do it!

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From Sanford (Sandy) Simons, BA from WSU in 1973, Member of Men's Tennis Team, 1967,1968,1969.

Coming from a poor small town family from the thumb it was a new world once I arrived at WSU. Living on campus provided many great adventures but my fondest memories were as a tennis team member. Coach Fred Mulhauser held spring practice and early tryouts in an old (quansot type building) called the auxiliary gym which was located behind Old Main. The basketball team practiced there and we had to put up a net tied to posts in order to practice. Once the weather was warm enough, we went outside but had no courts of our own. We had to practice at local school courts and played our home matches at Detroit Northwestern High School. One spring Coach Mulhauser took the team to the area's first indoor facility on the east side to practice. We were practicing when we noticed a good looking young lady, about our age, and her younger sister playing on the next court. Our whole team thought the older sister was cute but we decided we could probably beat her. As it turns out the young lady was Peaches Bartkowicz who had done real well at Wimbledon and was possibly the best woman player in the U.S. Guess we were half right.

The Matthaei complex opened and our team thought we had died and gone to heaven. A great facility and tennis courts right there. We had a good team and played Michigan State University, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green. Coach Mulhauser even took us to Winn Schulers restaurant on a trip to play Illinois Chicago Circle. It was the first time I had ever eaten at a nice restaurant. Thanks Coach and for having the team at seasons end for your famous spaghetti dinner.

Thanks Wayne State University for the fond memories.

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From John Telford, B.A., WSU, 1958; M.Ed., WSU, 1961; Ed.D., WSU, 1968; Inductee, WSU Athletic Hall of Fame, 1978

My fondest memories of my four years as a WSU trackman center around our wonderful coach, David L. Holmes, and my teammates -- particularly my relay teammates. We won relay races throughout the Midwest, culminating on a muddy track at the 1956 Penn Relays in what the organizers hyperbolically billed as "the College One-Mile Relay Championship of America." I led off and brought the baton home with a lead that was maintained by Ralph Williams, a 9.8 100-yard sprinter from St. Kitts, B.W.I., and Ralph Carter, a former Northern High School and Marine Corps star who later became a professor at Rutgers. Cliff Hatcher, the Detroit Schools' 440-yard record-holder at 48.8, broke the tape twenty yards ahead of the pack. I have glorious memories of that golden era.

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From former Wayne University Sports Information Director (1948-57) Paul Pentecost

I am reminded of my first trip to Michigan Tech in January 1949. We flew up via a Nationwide Airlines charter out of Detroit City Airport (there was no Metro and only a few flights from Willow Run then). Nationwide was a forerunner of North Central later Northwest. The plane was a WWII converted C-47. The seats were adequate but no flight attendant, just a thermos of coffee and one of water and 2 dozen donuts. The john was a plywood throne with a bucket underneath. The pilots were still wearing their WWII flight jackets. We also had a mechanic who was wearing his WWII Air Corps coveralls with Sgt. stripes. We flew upstate and then directly into Houghton. Along the way I saw something leaking out of the right engine and asked the mechanic about it and he said, "that sometimes happens, I'll check it in Houghton." Not very re-assuring.

We started to descend but I couldn't see an airport, just lots of snow. But down we came and we landed on the snow and I noted little trees to the right and left. I found out later that they were discarded Christmas trees to mark the runway which by late January had so much snow they couldn't keep it clear and just rolled and packed it. We taxied up to a large shed (the airport center) with a large radio antenna. The mechanic opened the door and a figure appeared dressed like an Eskimo with a ladder and yelled "Welcome to Houghton." The mechanic opened the cargo holds and got out our baggage, ball bags, etc. Then he pulled out what looked like tents and small engines. It was the heaters and engine covers to keep the engines warm over night. There were cabs waiting for us and we drove in to town and stayed at the Douglass House, a Victorian era hotel with no elevator. The game was played at the new Sherman Gym. Through all of this Coach Joel Mason kept smiling an chuckling and then he said "I thought you'd all like to see the kind of winters I grew up in. Joel was a graduate of Stambaugh H.S. The mechanic stayed with the plane to keep the heaters running. The next morning there was a problem with one engine and we were told to stay in Houghton until they got it fixed. Later we heard the plane in the air and we were off to the airport. We flew from Houghton to Milwaukee where we played Marquette U.

The traveling party was AD Alden Thompson, Trainer Doc White, Coach Mason, Asst. Fred Mulhauser , myself and 12 players. After that we drove to the UP, using private cars. We never took a bus. Later we added Northern Michigan to the UP swing. Joel always was in his glory up there. After all, he was a UP'er who had played seven years in the NFL and was a successful coach. I always enjoyed the trip. Thought you'd get a chuckle out of our "charter flight."

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Freeman Flynn, Jr. was a three-year swimming letterwinner for Wayne University in 1940-41-42.

How about the swim team placing third, at Yale, for national honors, with Guy Lumsden winning the 50 free, Bill Prew tying a 17 year 100 free style record and Andy Clark winning the 440 free, second in the 220 and third in the mile. And, beating the 1939 Big Ten champions Ohio State ! I remember the joy as a a spectator touched my shoulder in Columbus and said" I beg your pardon, but just where is Wayne University?"

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Bill Watt, a former student-athlete on the crew team and a loyal WSU athletic follower.

When I was a freshman at Wayne (1965) I joined the Crew (rowing team). Although it's a great sport, I wasn't much of an athlete and did not last past the first year. None the less, we had a pretty good crew, good coach and our own Crew House on Belle Isle. We would warm up with a run or two around the island and then launch the boats as soon as it was light and row up and down the river, between Belle Isle and the Detroit shore. I particularly remember one of the coxswains; a little guy but very much a take charge guy as you would expect of a coxswain. He was also an ex-marine sergeant, not long out of the service. The simplest way to describe what a coxswain does is that they steer the boat and give commands to the crew. This particular coxswain had a parade ground voice and a very interesting vocabulary as befitting an ex-marine sergeant. One of his favorite commands was "Set it up you f****** s***birds." (meaning to balance the boat). Except to obey them, we crew members thought nothing of the loud commands being yelled at us since thats what coxswains were supposed to do. However the residents of the apartments along the river were not so pleased with being awakened at dawn by obscenities being screamed at the top of someone's voice. A few calls to the University administration and the word was passed down to the Crew. We stayed closer to the Belle Isles side after that and we were a bit quieter. I always get a laugh thinking about those poor apartment residents.

Back in 1967 Wayne had a pretty good football team. A.J. Vaughn comes to mind, and there were many other good players. In any case well into the season Wayne was to play Eastern Michigan - then in their last season as a division II team. Coming into the game, both teams were undefeated (5-0) and there was a lot of hype. There were antics back and forth between EMU and WSU students (hard to believe, eh?). EMU was favored as they were moving up to division I. The game was held at the old Tartar Field in the northwest corner of the Lodge and I-94 (that was the last year for Tartar Field). There was such a demand for tickets that they had to add extra seating and televise the game (on Channel 56 ?) to help meet demand. It was a great game, especially so because Wayne won (20-3). I'm not sure how the season finished (7-2) but that game helped ensure it was a great year and for once, there was great spirit and enthusiasm for WSU sports.

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Former Wayne University Sports Information Director (1948-57) Paul Pentecost attended the September 12, 1981, WSU vs. Slippery Rock football game at Michigan Stadium.

Paul's thoughts on the contest -- "I watched part of the game from the stands and some from the press box. We tailgated at the golf course. When I walked into the stadium I was taken by how many people there were (34,876) and even more, how many empty seats there were. As the game wore on I kept saying to myself -- 'don't blow this game. Keep the pressure on them.' [WSU won 14-13] It was a great experience and I don't know why U of M didn't try it again with GLIAC teams. As far as the neutral site was concerned, in my early days as sports editor and as SID we always played in a neutral site whether it was U of Detroit (1945-53), Keyworth Stadium (1946-49), etc. We didn't have a home field until 1953 (Tartar Field -- Hamilton & Holden Avenues) and it was the same with basketball until Matthaei opened. We had games at Central High, Pershing, MacKenzie, the Fairgrounds, U of D Memorial, etc. We should have been called the Nomads instead of the Tartars.
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