San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-12-17
FOOTBALL ROUGHNESS.
HOW CAN 1T BE ELIMINATED FROM
THE PLAY.
YALE'S OLD CAPTAIN THINKS THE
GAME NATURALLY AND NEG
CESSARILY A ROUGH ONE.
He Gives Some Suggestions as to
How, in His Opinion the Rough
ness Might be Somewhat
Modified.

NEW HAVEN, Conn.,, Dec. 17.-Frank
A. Hinkey, who has just retired from the
captaincy of the Yale Football club and
has been succeeded by ). b. Thorne, 96,
| informally discussed football yesterday.
He was asked to give his suggestions on
| how to make football less rough and how
| to improve the game; also, whether or
| not this years rules made the game any
| less brutal or dangerous. Mr.. Hinkey
| said that he was not quite prepared to
definitely talk on the aspects OF the game
| without looking into the football rules a
| little more, and just at present he had not
| time to do this, because of the seminar
| nual examinations of the University
| However, in general way he made the
| following observations: Now about
making football less rough. The way |
| look at it, the game as has been said a
| good many times Is naturally rough
hard one. Rou can't make anything else
| out of 1t than rough game. THERE'S a
| limit to the roughness but what that limit
| it is hard to decide. The way to get
rid of the unnecessary roughneSs and foul
| tactics and think there is way, and
the best way, and probably the only way,
that would eliminate 1t, is in coaching
team the players shall be taught, and 1t
should be insisted upon, that all
legitimate football and that they should
restrain their temperS. By this | don't
mean to be understood 10 say that it
necessarily follows that man INDUCES
in roughneSS, but the man should restrain
himself and should be made TO restrain
him self from attempting anything OF the
sort. think it all depends to great ex-
tent. in fact it mostly depends, on the in
dvidual player and himself despite the
coaching and everything else.
Then again there are few points as
regards the rules that might be changed
little or al least insisted upon stronger
than they are, which vii! help TO elImi-
nate the diSagreeable features of the
game. | have not looked through and
through enough to take up all these
points. One of them is in relation to pill
ing on man when thrown. The rule re
QuireS that when a man is tackled and
thrown upon the ground the referee shall
blow his whistle, aud after that any pill
ing on by other men is penalized by tif-
teen yards. The object of this rule, as |
have understood it. is to prevent
any unnecessary .Piling on, and
intention to iujure man. This rule has
worked pretty well this year, in way,
think because 1t has p 'evented good
deal of this piling on when the man Is
thrown, but IL ought to be insisted upon
even more strongly then it has been dur
ing the ldSb year. ulu uOb IHluh Guo IuIe
need change itself, but the umpire and
the referee should be made to enforce il
more strongly.
Then there is one feature of the game
which is diSagreeable to the spectators
and has the appearance Of roughness in
it, that is the interfering with the center
while swapping the ball. The rule this
year says that the center snail nave tuIi
possession of the ball and interference
with the ball by his opponent shall be
penalzed. | think the rule ought TO be
made to read interference with the CEN
ter's swapping of the ball while putting 1t
in the play by any Of the opposing team.
Such change would take III any person
on the opposing team.
with regard to the fair catch. The
rule this year requires that man, to
make fair catch, must raise his hand
and mark the spot with his heel while
catching the ball, and the side making
the fair catch must take a fee kick from
the place where the fair catch Is made.
This puts them, that is the side making
the fair catch, at a disadvantage, because
their ruShers cannot get down under the
ball except a short high kick be made.
Because of this disadvantage 10 max
ing a fair catch the captains this year
have insisted that no fair catch has been
made, and this allows the catchers to be
thrown after catching the ball. Instead
of compelling a side TO make fair catch
IL they be alIo we'd to have the ball down
on the spot and then be compelled to
kick, the disadvantage Of making fair
catch would be gotten rid as the rushers
could not get down under a long punt.
with regard to whether this years
rules made the game any less brutal or
dangerous, In the first place, | consider
that all the brutal play or the getting
rid of 1t, depends on the individuals
themselves. Rules cannot entirely elm
mate it That rule | spoke OF regarding
referee and umpire blowing the whistle,
ought to take out great deal OF the
danger in the game The partial ruling
out Of momentum mass plays as gotten
| rid of a great deal of extra work which
| is not necessary to do in play.
That rule about the fair catch has
worked almost the contrary to what was