Kenny Sailors Named Player of the Year
and Phillips '66' Team of 1944 by International News Service.

by Harold Heroux

A top-flight coach who brought a national championship to Wyoming, but who isn't a resident any more of the Cowboy state, Saturday night was named by International News Service as the "coach of the year" in the Rockies

He is Ev Shelton, who led the Wyoming university Cowboys into the national title of the N.C.A.A.

Shelton, long one of the nation's leading cage coaches, is now operating out of Midland, Mich., where he is mentor of the Dow Chemical five, a team that is expected to be a serious contender for the 1944 A.A.U. national title in Denver next March. He moved into Midland after Wyoming officials decided to give up intercollegiate basketball for the duration.

Runner-up to Shelton for the top honor was Harold A. White, Colorado College's football coach, who led his naval-marine Tigers thru an undefeated and untied season to win the 1943 pigskin title of the Rockies.

In third place was Frank Potts of the University of Colorado, who produced a track and field team that copped the Rockies title. Like White's football team, Potts' track squad was undefeated in this region.

Honorable mention went to two brave coaches, Ike Armstrong of Utah U., and Mark Duncan of Denver U. Both Ike and Mark went thru the 1943 football season with all-civilian teams, which was quite a handicap. Both stuck it out for the entire season, despite many humbling defeats . . . and credit goes to each for keeping football alive at Utah and Denver despite their many burdens.

Player of the year in the Rockies was Kenny Sailors, the sparkplug of Wyoming's championship basketball team.

Sailors, now a lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, was an all-American, not only in intercollegiate circles but also in the "big time" of the A.A.U.

Sailors closest rivals for individual honors were Bob Hall, Colorado College's outstanding end, and John Kraft, the little "golfing corporal" from Denver.

While national selectors of all-American teams seem to skip the Rockies almost annually when they come out with their picks, Hall nevertheless was able to win at least honorable mention or a second team rating on most teams.

Kraft made a comeback in golf by winning the Colorado State Amateur title after dropping his Broadmoor Invitational crown. The three-times-winner "jinx" which says no golfer can win the Broadmoor thrice struck Kraft as he sought his third in the Colorado Springs classic.