In short, from all evidence the athletes as a group are not to any great degree different academically from any other organization. Every Harvard administrator interviewed for this article saw no significant academic inferiority among the athletes.

"There is not that much variation between the academic records of the undergraduate organizations," Sargent Kennedy '28, Registrar, declared. He, like Owen and Bender, sees no definite factors which distinguish the athlete as a student from other "types" of undergraduates.

Bender, who feels strongly that C students are necessary for a "dynamic" community, said: "I think it would be most unfortunate if there were a group set aside from the student body by qualities and attitudes derived from participation in athletics. From my experience, this has not been true.'

"There is a tendency for students to wall themselves of into separate groups in terms of their own sets of prejudices and interests," Bender admitted, generalizing on the various group personalities he has observed: "My general impression is that boys with athletic abilities and interests tend to be more broad-minded and have a greater breadth of interests than members of other groups. The self-conscious intellectuals, for example, tend to be more narrow and in their interests, and are usually more arrogant in their approach to problems than are the athletes."

"My guess is that the whole of varsity letter winners is less than, say, the dramatists or the CRIMSON editors," he said. The freshmen and varsity letter who make up about 1/16th of the College," Bender remarked, probably represent a good cross-section of the whole class."

Bender's favorite example of athletic importance is that of the University of Chicago, which eliminated athletic programs just before in an all-out effort for intellectual progress. "Afterward," Bender pointed out, "they found out that the intellectual, in quotes, were not really as as they thought and that the non-intellectuals, in quotes, were really quite valuable after all." The experiment resulted in a student body of "narrow intellectuals," and the school's appearance declined so much that five years administration had trouble finding enough students to fill its quota.

President-Emeritus James B. was known to take a dim Chicago's approach to athletics.

Primarily B's and C's

The athletes may be primarily C students, (so are the majority of the undergraduates at Harvard), but they are not an inferior element hindrance to the college as the University of Chicago experiment showed.

Partly as a result of the "shining example" of the Chicago experiment and partly from his own experience is led to make comments "The A student is very often stupid," and, "An awful lot and narrow students grind .

"It doesn't follow that the students are brilliant," he added they are vitally necessary. For example, during my time, most of the became great contributors to had highly undistinguished Harvard."

Who, then, is the athlete Harvard? He's not always the II student, nor is he the hanger-on. He may be one of the students in the 550-650 range in the swung the admissions committee to his side by favorable extra-curricular abilities, as do members of the Club, Band, CRIMSON, also. He may be a gentleman, and he may be ungraceful. "Harvard is a bag," Bender noted quite keenly. "You can say almost anything, cite , and prove it."

can be said about the athlete with reasonable assurance is not motivated by images and heroism. There are no around Cambridge; with honors is valued winning a letter and .

Value Athletics?

question in my mind is value of athletics," Bender are the athletic programs of our expenditures students' interests." Undeniably, Harvard never admits students because it wants their bodies rather than their minds, and it never encourages athletic activity by offering such as Physical .

What, then, keeps the athlete at Harvard going?

Some quit. They are frequently high school standouts from the Mid west who always thought of colleges in terms of football teams, and who come to Harvard--a new horizon. They find the exciting display of academic purpose too inviting. The man who came to play athletics finds himself interested in the rest of Harvard.

A second type waxes in athletic ability and interest while he is here, as did the sparky fullback from Cherokee, Iowa, Jim Nelson. Called "crazylegs" because he ran in what appeared to be an awkward manner in his freshman and sophomore years, Nelson last fall was billed as the man who went "from stand-in to standout." At the end of the season he won the New England senior football award.

A third type of athlete at Harvard never dies. He is the Charlie Ravenel or the Mark Mullin, who just keeps going ahead in athletics with an interminable drive, determination, and winning enthusiasm for his sport all the way through school. To these people, athletics is a way of life whole life has centered around athletics," Ravenel said recently. everything to sports." He is Class Marshal this year, has a $5,000 scholarship from Glass Company to travel around the world, has been named co-recipient of the Bingham Award for this year has been admitted into Harvard School. That's a lot to sports.

Ravenel played football because he had the feeling that "It was what I was meant to do," because he the game, and because he wanted to keep his body in shape. Of course memorable quarterback who also baseball wanted to win, also, athletes play for headlines, athletics for self-discipline and goals of accomplishment, with President Kennedy health of the mind is portional to the health of the Still others play because they on their record for graduate And then there are some because they need a rage and frustrations. has his own reason.

Anti-jockism

But anti-jockism at Harvard bad as anti-intellectualism; type of personality under exists per se at Harvard, and no reason why a varsity dispel the erroneous triad types by joining a final club A's. To those who ask " hell are you doing down at muddy field with a bunch animals when you could be your knowledge by reading ?" the athlete can reply " a college experience" much validity and pride as a of the CRIMSON, Glee Club, Council, or any group.

"Harvard probably has -up oddballs then any ," Bender declared, adding that he would " it without any, however."

The athletes don't apply, asserts: "If the term 'jock' can be used at Harvard, then should be done. At present, think it is a term that can .

O'Hiri, center forward of the Nigerian olympic soccer squad, has scored more down more goal posts, and knocked out more goalies than any player in .