When the crowd at Franklin Field saw Bruce Dern in the 4 x 880Y relay, they chanted "Go, Elvis, go!". This set off head coach and monumental disciplinarian Ken Doherty who suspended Bruce unless he shaved his sideburns and cut his hair. Bruce chose full follicular force instead of track and field. Even his dad, a Board of Trustee member of the University of Penn could not dissuade Coach Doherty. Bruce dropped out of college and turned to other endeavors.
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| The King. |
PHILADELPHIA, FEB. 8 -- SIDELINED OVER SIDEBURNS - Bruce Dern, relay runner with the University of Pennsylvania two mile relay team, looks over his clippings after he was ordered sidelined because he refused to shave off his sideburns, ala Elvis Presley style. Dern, 20-year-old son of a University trustee, was ordered benched by Coach Ken Doherty.. Additional Information: Bruce Dern University Pennsulvania
And look where this grooming led him. Did you see his hair in "Nebraska"? Totally unkempt. In truth, Dern looks like he was influenced more by Jerry Lee Lewis than Elvis. Ken Doherty must have been a tyrant. I never detected this in his book. But then most coaches were tyrannical in those days. Dennis Weaver got away with long hair at Oklahoma back in the 1940's, but he was a war veteran and living in the West, hotbed of rugged individualism. Now the tyrants are the NCAA and a few bloggers to be named at a later date. George Brose
ReplyDeleteBruce has looked pretty gnarly for many years. hee hee hee I have heard some stories of Coach Doherty's tyranical side, but I will try to get Coach Groves on the record at the next podcast with him in May. And I hope I don't make that blogger list! Good hearing from you again.
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