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Lt. Keen Thought He Was In Good Shape

Lt. Keen Thought He Was In Good Shape image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
April
Year
1942
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Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News
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Lt. Keen Thought He Was In Good Shape

By Mill Marsh

“I thought I was in good physical shape, but take it from me I found out I wasn’t," said Lt. Cliff Keen, former Michigan wrestling coach, as he returned here on furlough after qualifying for a commission in the U. S. Navy after a month of intensive preparation at Annapolis.

Cliff, who spent hours on the mat with his Michigan grapplers before reporting to the Navy, lost five pounds during the month which he spent getting ready to act as head coach of wrestling at the Navy’s conditioning school for aviators at the University of Georgia.

‘‘The first week at Annapolis I felt like joining several others of our gang in the hospital,” says Cliff. ‘‘The second week I wasn’t sure I could take the training they dished out any longer. The third week' I started to get in shape and the final week I enjoyed it.

“However, I was appalled at what lies ahead of us in getting those aviators in good physical condition.”

WILL GET THE AVIATORS IN SHAPE

The aviators will spend three months at the Navy conditioning schools, being required to take instruction in wrestling, swimming, gymnastics and boxing. Seasonal instruction also will be given in football, basketball, baseball and soccer.

Keen, a lieutenant senior grade, will be in charge of the wrestling program at the Georgia school. He will report at Athens, Ga., April 23. He will have seven assistants, including Merle Thrush and Butch Jordan, former members of his mat squad. Thrush has been wrestling coach at the New York A. C. for several years. Another of Keen’s, assistants will be Guy Lookabaugh, former Grinnell grid coach, who will be in charge of the rough and tumble branch of wrestling in which the naval aviators will be taught how to take care of themselves in hand-to-hand combat without weapons.

ED GEORGE WILL TEACH ROUGH AND TUMBLE

Ed George, former Michigan heavyweight and world’s professional champion, will be in charge of the rough and tumble group at the North Carolina school.

There is a strong possibility that Keen’s Navy wrestlers at the Georgia school may engage Michigan in a dual meet next winter. Keen’s varsity team will have a minimum of six dual meets with collegiate and other teams.

As head of the wrestling program at Georgia, Keen will have a constant varsity squad of 192 grapplers from January to March and in addition will instruct 270 others 45 minutes each day in wrestling, during the entire year.