The times., 1899-12-03
WEST POINT THE winner
Annapolis Beaten in the Army and
Navy Football Game.
Thousands Of Spectators View the
Contest on Franklin FieId-A Big
Surprise Presented by the Military
Academy Eleven - Splendid Dis
play of Gridiron Field Tactics

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2--As ftting
climax to a football season bristling with
surprising upsets, the West Point Military
Academy eleven conquered the Naval Ca
dets from Annapolis on Franklin Field
this afternoon by score of II to .. The
victory was witnessed by 1000 persons,
in which were many Government officials
together with Army and Navy dignitaries.
Annapolis had been figured as a winner on
form, and the Navy was out in force with
blue and gold banners and brass buttons
galore. The "middies" had made such an
excellent record against various strong
university teams that they came upon the
field pTimed to score a complete success.
But the Army boys had little surprise to
spring on the multitude, and they did it to
the queens taste.
In spite of crushing defeats at the hands
of Harvard, Yale, Princeton. and Columbia
which made the experts believe that West
Point was much inferior TO Annapolis, the
cadets from up the Hudson played a splen-
did game OF football. thereby demonstIat-
ing the truth of the old saying that Its
never too late to mend" BY dint of sheer
perseverance and the most painstaking
coaching on the part of several of the Mill
tary Academy officials the cadets succee l.
ed in developing an eleven that practically
swept the Navy overheard in today's game
The West Point men outplayed Annapolis
at almost every point. In line bucking
and end runs behind invulnerable inter-
ference. they were ahead, despite the fact
that the Navy received instructions from
such clever coaches as Armstrong and De
SaulIes. In quick, consecutive plays. and
in defensive tactics West Point was also
the superior, the 'middies" being com
PEELED on several occasions TO give up the
ball on downs when they were within
striking distance of the Army goal line.
Fumbling and mixed signals were also
oils, together with rather poor generalship
at critical points. Overconfdence may
have been an additional cause for the rOut,
for there is no doubt that West Point
had been held too cheaply. In point of con-
dition the Army had another advantage,
for the eleven, as a whole lasted better.
It was quite a test of the respective train
ing methods OF Jim Robinson, Of Yale,
and Jack McMasters of Harvard, who have
been handling the cadets during the last
week or so.
That West Point played the kind of foot
ball usually characteristic OF Yale's elevens
attack was fast, vigorous and always fierce,
while the tackling was low and deadly
The various formations used were compact
and rapidly put into effective action. Sew
eraI times the punting was done so close
in TO the quarter back that the Navy back
field was completely mixed up, and slim
chase for the ball generally resulted. The
Navy's attack, which was desperate, though
somewhat ragged, was incessant toward the
close of the conflict, and the 'middies'
were enabled to score d hard earned touch
down, which saved them from an ignO-
minious whitewash. 1t was made when
there was only one minute left TO play, and
was the result of heavy massing on the
somewhat tired West Point defence.
Though the West Point boys were with
out the services OF three of their best
players the team worked together like a
well oiled machine, The rush line was not
made up of fat men, but of strong, fast
active hustlers, who were all over the
field. Nearly every one on the eleven took
a hand in advancing the ball, whereas the
Navy confined its attack chiefly to the
players in the back field. In punting it
was stand-off between the full backs
Jackson and Wade, but the former had Il
pair Of rafting ends in Smith and Burnett
who made many brilliant tackles and
dropped the opposing backs for little or no
gain after catches. Long and Berrian, the
Annapolis ends, while fleet OF foot, We're
neatly lodged several times, particularly