The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-11-29
LESS SLUCGING.
Western Teams to Change Pres
ent Football Rules.
Seven Western Universities
Unite in the Movement.
ABOLISH MASS PLAY.
Will Act Independently of the
Eastern Committees.
To Make Their Own Rules
ABOLISH MASS PLAY.
To Make Their Own Rules
Open Game Planned.

Chicago, Nov. 29.-SIugban in the
middle west is a thing of the past. Sat
urday afternoon at the Chicago Beach
hotel faculty representatives of the
seven leading universities of the middle
west held a conference and decided that
their teams should play the game in its
present form no more.
The west will introduce a new game
Independent of the east, from whence
come all football traditions. Its experts
will meet, make a new game, draft new
rules, and begin teaching a modified
form of the game of football which will
be devoid of its brutal characteristics.
There will be no mass plays where five
or six men mass their strength upon
one Individual. There will be no fierce
tackling as heretofore, where a man
was risking life and limb. but a sport
which shall retain all the spectacular
and exciting features of the present
game without its brutality VIII be seen
on western gridirOnS next fall.
The faculty representatives of the
universities of Michigan, Chicago, Wis
cOnsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwest
ern, and Purdue took this radical step
yesterdays step which will startle
the whole football world. 1t violates
all traditions and presidents, for the
east has owned the game from its be-
ginning, has sent its men to the four
quarters of the United States to teach
it, and has been regarded as the one
place where the game as it should be
played could be seen.
These seven institutions decided yes
terday they would have none of it.They
passed the above resolution, saying
football was too rough, and in its pres
ent form could no longer be tolerated.
I'VE cannot force the new game on
others, but We can see that the seven
Institutions here represented do play
it This was the expression of the
conference. There were in this notable
gathering which made history in west
ern college athletics yesterday after
noon: A. AlOnzO Stage, University OF
Chicago; J. G. KnOwltOn, University of
Michigan; J. E. Woodbridge, University
of Minnesota; H. H. Everett Universe
ty of Illinois; J. c. Elsom, University
of Wisconsin; c. A. Waldo, Purdue
University; and J. Scott Clark of North
western University.
These men met at the call of Profess
sOr Stage in annual conference. They
are the men who have purified western
college sport by the rules that they
have adopted in the last few years, and
the good of sport is their aim now They
took the greatest step ever taken by a
college meeting in doing away with the
present style of football, and the result
will be watched with the greatest in
terest all over the United States wher-
ever the game of Walter Camp is
played.
The west, as represented by these
seven universities, has an abundance
of experts and Skillful football tao
ticians who can draft the plan of the
new game. Staff Huff, King, Ferbert,
Henninger. jerry McCauley, Ward.and
other experts who are now engaged in
teaching the game are well qualified to
make the new game, and it is likely all
viii have a part in the work.
The conference was so earnest in it's
endeavor to rid the game of its rough
ness that it went to work at once to
make the new rules. Different plays
We're brought up and discussed. The
scheme has not been sprung all at
once All have fOreseen the necessity
and were ready to meet it and had sug-
gestions and plays to show. Here are
a few of the changes which will prob
ably be made in the present game in
changing to the new style
There will be no more bringing men
back of the line to mass against one as
a tackle, which is such a common play.
Each man must play in the line if he
be line man. There is to be no more
of guards back formations, which bring
the heaviest men into a play to gain a
terrible momentum with which to crash
through one single opponent.
The one thing above all others which
will receive attention will be to make
the game open. This will make it even
more spectacular than at present. The
tackling of a full back on a catch will
receive attention. Blocking kicks as it
is now done will be changed in some
way. There will be a reValuatiOn of
points in the game, as it is the opinion
of the conference that the valuation is
unequal at present.
AS members of the conference said,
The game must be modified or abol-
ished-"
1T is the most spectacular, most ex-