Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-11
BROKE UP THEIR TEAM
Manhattan's Famous Football Eleven
Retire From the Field.
THE EFFECTS OF A VERY BAD RULE.
Some Rattling Good Practice Work by the
Leading University Aggregations.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF TIE DAY

NEW YORK, Nov. 10.-[Special THE
famous football team of the Manhattan Ath-
letic Club, which has made such brilliant
record, disbanded for the season last night.
Never before was an amateur athletic
organization able to get together such q
crack eleven as the Manhattans turned out
this fall, and some football authorities even
went so far as to predict that, with little
practice, it would beat any team in the
country.
That it was rattling good one was shown
in the way in which it defeated the Columbia
College eleven in such hollow style and the
wonderfully fine game it played against the
Crescents
When the Manhattans Joined the Ameri-
can Football Union and entered their eleven
it was thought by many good judges that
the championship emblem would be seen
floating from the cherry diamonds club
house at the end of the season.
Passed q Bad Rule.
The Manhattan men felt confident it
would and backed their opinion with their
money. The action of the union, however,
"a hours before the first game in passing
rule prohibiting the Manhattan's best play
ers from competing knocked all the calcula-
tions out, for the M. A. G. officials, believ-
ing that their eliminates had been unfairly
treated, sent in the clubs resignation from
the union.
The action of the union greatly discour-
aged the men and if it hadn't been for the
objectionable rule the team would still be
playing in the union series. The unions
position in the matter has been severely
criticised. The rule which made the Man
haitian men angry compelled every player
on team in the championship games to re-
side within 100 miles Of the club which he
represented. This shuts out Ames, the
famous full back, and 'Spor" Donnelly,
Cash and Lilly, of Princeton's champion
eleven, who reside in Chicago, and whom
the Manhattans depended upon for the best
of their playing.
Many who admitted that the rule itself
was good one thought that the union acted
very unfairly in passing it on such short
notice and after the Manhattans stated that
the players mentioned would be on its
team.
Harvard Would't Play.
The Manhattans must have believed they
had a rattling good team, for Immediately
after the club withdrew from the union a
challenge was sent to the Harvard football
eleven to play them for a cup of the value
of $3.50. The Manhattan eleven went into
active training under the care of "Jim,"
Robinson for the proposed game with the
Cambridge men. Practice games were
played on Manhattan field under the cleo
trio light, and the boys had got down to
good, steady team work. "Jim" Robinson
was very much pleased with the way in
which his men were playing and felt conf
dent of their ability to whip Harvard
Jim and his players were very much
crestfallen yesterday when they were in
formed that the Harvard was unable to
arrange the game and, having no more i'm
portant games on hand, they decided to dis
band.
"Jim" said last night that he will
turn out two teams next season that will
make a great record. He will see to it that
the first II of the club will be on the field
early and in first-class condition when the
big games begin.