The herald., 1895-01-01
qaoGRtSS ON THE COAST.
Football Is Now the Leading
Amateur Sport.
Manager Hicks of Stanford on the
Great Game.
strength OF the Athletic Club Team
Compared With College Teams.
Today'a Game In This City.

Ever eince the opening of Stanford
university, in the fall of 1891, football
has occupied the most prominent posi-
sion in amateur sports on the Pacific
coast.
Up to that time q few teams had been
organized in the neighborhood OF San
Francisco and played occasional games,
but none of them had gone into syste-
mstio training, and there were few men
In the west who knew anything about
the game, as played by eastern colleges.
Bat when Stanford university opened,
preparations were, Immediately begun
to form q creditable team to go against
the University of California. which up
to that time had ruled supreme on the
football field.
Very few of the men who entered col
lege that fell knew anything about the
game, but there were one or two who
had played in eastern teams, and with
these men as coaches, and by a diligent
study Of Walter Camps book on the
game, a fairly good team was devel-
oped. and in the spring of 1892 the first
intercollegiate game of football was
pldyoO UotWoou but OUltoEblty VI Ohii-
fornia and Stanford university in San
Francisco. To the surprise OF every
body, and especially to the Stanford
team, the game resulted in victory for
the latter university by score of 10
to IA.
This game marked the beginning Of
the strong rivalry which now exists bes
tween the two institutions. The Berke-
ley contingency went home with the
dissemination to wipe out their defeat
ut the next annual game, while the
Stanford people, elsted with their euc-
cess, did not forget that they would have
to work harder than ever to sustain
their reputation the next year.
With the opening of the two colleges
in the fall of 1892 hard work YVES inns
medistely begun by the football men Of
each institution, for tire date of ths
game was changed from spring to win-
ter and agreements were made to play
it in December of that year.
The Stanford team realized that they
could make comparatively little progress
without the aid of someone who UNDER
stood the game thoroughly, and they
conceived tthe idea of securing an
eastern coach. Correspondence was
opened with Mr.. Walter Camp OF Yale,
the most famous football man in Amer
ica, and when telegram was received
from him one evening saying that he
himself would come to the coast, the
enthusiasm of the students knew no
bounda.
The university of California were not
to be outdone, however, and they inn
mediately made arrangements with Mr..
McOlung, another famous Yale player,
80 come west and teach them the fine
points of the game.
With the arrival of these two famous
men the INTEREST," in the teams. which had
hitherto been confined to students, was
now transmitted TO the general public,
and on the 22d of December 1872 over
10000 people came out to see one of the
most interesting games ever played on
the coast. Honors were evenly divided.
however. and the game resulted in tie,
the score being 10 to TO-
The next year Mr.. O. d. Bliss of Yale
was engaged to coach the Stanford
team, and Mr.. Heffslfnger, also OF Yale,
wac brought out by the university of
California. People were again disap-
pointed, as the game, which was
played on Thanksgiving day of that
year, resulted in another tie, to g.
Each side became determined to spare
no effort to win victory for their college
this year. and Stanford was fortunate
enough to induce Mr.. Camp to come out
again from New Haven, Conn.,, to coach
the team, while Mr.. Gill, another ex-
Yale player, was engaged by the univer-
sity OF California. Training began the
first week in September, and was kept
up rigidly by both teams until Thauks-
giving day.
Stanford had the good fortune to win
this game by score of 6 to O.. So the
intercollegiate record of the coast now
stands with two victories for Stanford
and TWO tie games.
The past season has been a remsrks-
BILE one in one respect and that is in the
strong team which the Reliance Athletic
club Of Oakland has put in the field.
None of the athletic clubs have befor Q
had team which has been a match fol
either university, but this fall the ath-
letic people of Oakland worked hard
with their football teams, and The result
was that they lost only one game, that
ne being the last game which they
'lsyed with Stanford eleven. which re-
suited in a score of 20 to 0 in favor of
the college IL.
An innovation in football this year
has been the bringing together of the
teams representing the two youngest
universities in the United States, Chi
csgo and Stanford.
1t 10 the first time people have
been given the opportunity to Judge the
respective merits of eastern and western
teams and has shown the general pub.
lie that California produces as good
players as the Mississippi valley, ii not
better.
The game has always resulted well in
financial way in San Francisco and
the gate receipts have been large enough
to defray the heavy expenses which
the university team have been obliged
to incur in preparation for their annual
games.
1t cost each college about $4,000 a
year for football, and this year the gate
receipts have been little in excess of
that figure. The last intercollegiate game
in San Francisco drew q $4,000 gate,
whish was equally divided between the
two athletic associstions of the uniyer-
sties.
1t has been season free from acci-
dents, and no one has been seriously in.
iured, although over 200 PLAYERS have
been practicing regularly all the fall.
FOOTBALL TODAY,
Ths Players Who Will Play aud tho