New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-24
SIGNALS on THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
WONDERFUL PROGRESS IN THE GAME BY
THE SMALLER COLLEGES,

THE SMALLER COLLEGES.
One thing that exctes the admiration of spectators
at a football game is the coci-like regularity and
mechanical precision with which team sets ont to
defeat It's rival This is what is called L" team work.
and is the result OF and thought on the part OF
the captain and his men, who learn to study situa
tons and to devise means for utilizing them to their
benefit. In order do this series of signals manip
ulated by the captain is adopted. Thus casual
OF advice of ccnsuTc, of annoyance, convey
worlds Of meaning to the football player, while the
spectator is unconscious that these expressions were
signals OF command by the captain to his men. Here
tofOrc words and phrases have generally been used
signals-such as play hard" brace up" "tache
lOw' etc. But last year one Of the colleges got up
system Of signalling by numbers, and this method
has become popular this year. In tire recent Yale
Crescent game mysterious numbers such As "0-1O-2'
or "3-o-1l' were shouted out both by the Yale and
Crescent captains, and many Of the spectators were
puzzled TO know what II all meant But careful
study soon showed them that "0-1o-2' was O com
mand bit Of advice to the players, who. hearing
the suggestive numbers, were able at once to make
the plan of attack defence not the work OF one
man, but Of the whole team This is one OF the
elements that make football of the most scientific
games played in this country.
Football has spread wonderfully during the. last
few years. Now nearly every college in the East
has it's football eleven, and leagues sprngng On
all Sides where heretofore the only league was the
big intercollegiate Football Association. What is moro
remarkable is the marvellous progress which the varf
Gus colleges have made and arc making at the gaIno,
In years gone by Yale used to from 90 10 100
points 10 Wesleyan's nothing this year In two games
YaIes scores have been and "a to nothing for
WESLEYAN. Princeton used TO defeat Rutgers with
great ease and by enormous scores; this year the
orange and black players scored only "a points to
RutGcls's zero. Never before In tho history OF
football has any team excepting those Of Yale and
Harvard been able 10 play tie game with Princeton;
vet the Orange Athletic Club did 1t last Saturday, and
prevented the champions from winning the 800
Tuxedo Cup.
Another striking instance Of this is shown in tho
recent game between Princeton and the eleven from
Franklin and Marshall College, third rate Institution
I'm Pennsylvania. That college last year began to
ret up an interest In football through the exertops
Of an old Princeton varsity player. After few
weeks practice this fall. the team went to Princeton
and to the amazcment Of everybody who s interested in
football matters had comparatively little difficulty in
scoring 10 points against the eleven from Princeton,
where football has been the leading sport for dozen
and half years. Many Princeton eleven has
gone through the whole season without having many
rs 10 points scored against It, and here Is new team
from an obscure college able to three touch
downs in single game. Much Of this success was
due no doubt, to the superior weight OF the Penn
sylvanio players, but their game not without
considerable skin and cevcrness. On last Saturday
this team defeated the Lafayette eleven by Is points
to lO-a remarkable victory when 1t is remembered
that football long been played at Lafayette while
at Franklin and Marshall 1t Is a new sport. this
Improvement becomes as general as It Is rapid. the
larger colleges Harvard. Princeton and Yale with
colleges forming the !nteroolegate Football Assocs
pirants should not be allowed Join the association
and contest for championship honors
The explanation Of this change is simple, and does
not imply weakness on the part Of Yale or Of Prince
ton It Is due to the enormous progress which tho
various colleges outside Of Yale, Harvard and Prince
tom have made In the game Practice makes par
tect" is as true in fooiball as In penmanshtp. 90
excellent games put up By smstear dob; CHA aDa
played close game With Y ~ few Eeeks ~ soS
Club played tie game with Princeton last estuyday
both these teams gre largely made up Of ola eSleee
regulations for ther ability on the neld. 4, g.ns
between these two teams would Be well worth VI VIZ
plays, exciting runs and sdlful eenerashp.