Bo Closes Final Practice Session

BO CLOSES FINAL PRACTICE SESSION

By Wayne DeNeff

PASADENA, Calif.—Coach Bo Schembechler Monday night ordered Michigan’s last two football practices (today and Wednesday) “closed to everyone” and said the Wolverines would spend their last two nights preceding Thursday’s Rose Bowl game at Passionist Fathers Retreat House.

Schembechler hasn’t held a “closed to everyone” practice since the Saturday preceding the opener with Vanderbilt.

At that time, he sought to keep the final full game scrimmage from being scouted.

Now Schembechler has closed practice to allow the Wolverines complete concentration on the game with Southern California which is only hours away.

Michigan held its last two-hour practice Monday afternoon and it was a spirited workout which ended with goal line offensive drills and rehearsal of kickoff procedures.

Fullback Garvie Craw, who has been bothered by a charley horse, seemed much better Monday.

Michigan’s final practice at the East Los Angeles Junior College stadium was scheduled for this afternoon and it would last one hour. After today’s practice and dinner at the Huntington Hotel, the team will go to the retreat house at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in the Sierra Madre where quiet is guaranteed.

They’ll return to the Huntington tomorrow before they hold their final practice at Brookside Park.

Brookside Park is right across the street from the Rose Bowl and the Wolverines will loosen up for about 30 minutes after taking a look inside the bowl.

No practice is allowed inside the Rose Bowl and this is disturbing to Schembechler, who would like his men to get the feel of the playing surface and the sidelines.

Following the brief practice Wednesday, the Wolverines will return to the retreat house to spend the night.

On Thursday, they’ll leave for the game at about 11:30 a.m. and will use back streets to get to the bowl because of the heavy traffic congestion in connection with the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Yesterday noon, Schembechler talked briefly at a sportswriters’ luncheon and he was the featured speaker at the gala Big Ten dinner in the Hollywood Palladium where about 3,000 gathered to honor the Wolverines.

Michigan President Robben Fleming and Athletic Director Don Canham were among the speakers.

One of the largest Midwest delegations to see a Rose Bowl game and attend the parade has dropped in on the Los Angeles area, and the freeways are more crowded than ever.

The thundering herd which includes Michigan students and fans, out-of-town USC alumni, boosters and other assorted fanatics have gobbled up all the available rental cars—an estimated 10,000. When they turn the cars back on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2, it will be one of the greatest mob scenes ever imagined.

Most fans are making elaborate plans. The combined game (starts at 2 p.m. here) and the parade (starts at 8:45 a.m.) traffic moving into Pasadena will be tremendous.

Once in the city, traffic movement becomes almost impossible. Most fans just park their cars somewhere near the Rose Bowl and parade route to be within reasonable walking distance.

All concessions will do a great business and thousands will pack their own lunches.

Shortly after nightfall, the whole big outing will be over and Pasadena will start an overwhelming clean-up job.