Brooks Receives Coaching Award

Harvard swimming coach Bill Brooks was awarded a plaque Wednesday night in Provo. Utah, for the "fellowship to young men he has coached during his last 40 years as a college coach."

The award was presented by the College Coaches Association of America at a banquet on the night preceding the start of the NCAA swimming championships, but Brooks was not there and will consequently receive the plaque by mail.

Brooks, who coached the Bermuda team at three Olympic Games, spent his first collegiate coaching years at Rider College and the University of Detroit. He came to Harvard in 1946 and became head coach after the 1959 season. Brooks was a swimmer and diver before he began coaching.

He was not at the banquet because no Harvard swimmers went to the Nationals, and he felt the trip would not be worth-while for him if no one on his team was entered.

"The reason that no one went," captain Mike Cahalan said. "was that we were a little disillusioned with our performance at the Easterns, and second, that it has been such a long season."

"We need one guy to swim yery, very well at the Easterns to get us to send a group to the Nationals," Cahalan continued. "I couldn't just say, 'Let's go, let's go; we'll do better there.' "

There members of the team qualified for the Nationals: John Munk in the 200-fly, Dan Kogick in the 100-back, and Steve Krause in the 400-LM. Krause failed to qualify for the 1650-free.

If the Crimson had gone, its representatives would have worn blue buttons expressing sympathy for Yale, which has been banned from NCAA competition for two years. Cahalan said that the Ivy League schools which attend will probably agree to wear them, but he expects no response from the non-log athletes.

"All a school like Indiana cares about is winning the national championship," Cahalan said. "Their swimmers don't care if Yale comes."

One Harvard swimmer, freshman Henry Watson, will compete in the AAU Championships in April at Cincinnati. Watson, who swims distance freestyles, is now in Florida working out and getting extra rest. "Henry's doctor says he needs about 12 hours of sleep a night to swim well," Cahalan said.