The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-11-30
Fisk University of Jefferson City
Defeats Lincoln Institute of
Nashville at Handlan's Park.
PLAY PRETTY FAIR FOOTBALL.
Black Men Excel in Tackling Run
nerS. Who Are Surrounded by
Interference-Hard Line Hit
tiers and Good kickers.

TWO and twenty Gu>ky. husky. lusty and
dusty sons of Ham played rugby football
for the Afro-American championship at
liandlan's Park. Grand and Laclede ave-
nues. yesterday afternoon.
The eleven representing Fisk College Of
jefferson City. Mo, defeated the team OF
Lincoln Institute from Nashville, Tenn. IL
10 t. in two thirty-five minute halves.
The teams were composed of big fellows
of good age and weight. They played hard
at times. and some of the men took des-
perate chances. Yet it cannot be SAID that
short of class as local teams are. there is
any great danger of the Caucasian losing
the ST. Louis football championship.
The negroes were slow to get their plays
under way. and did not get on their toes
with them. Half OF them did not actively
set into the play as 4 rule. on the other
hand. those who made a point of getting
there, went in like fiends. Their tackling
was very hard and fierce. They especially
eXceltef AT picking the man with the ball
out of the interferences. Or course, said
interference was not close or hard to get
into. but it was quite as heavy and as fasr
as any seen about st. Louis, and both
teams had Il clever knack of getting the
man who was carrying the ball. and pulling
him cow in the middle of it. ,
In this they far eXceiled any of the white
teams seen about st. Louis this fall.
The Fisk people hit the line hard. huT-
ding and piunSinS head first for .heir own
length being their special method of pay.
Sometimes a big aO-pound negro, with n
head like the front of a locomotive, would
take L frantic leap and dive at the OPP
posing line Another fellow quite as big
wouic meet him with a counter plunge.
The effect of the collision was immense.
There was lots Of fun in the spectators,
of which there were quite i number, most
iy black, but many white. Though neither
team belonged in this vicinity, every negro
and neGress on the field was n partisan.
Fisk ran up IL points in the first half
by continued line bucking, varied with
a quarterback run. The line bucking was
slow. tough work. but 1t was sure. Holt,
the Fisk quarter, was about the best man
in the game. He is a well-lined little chap.
Dixon. the celebrated negro pugiiist.
BY the way. the yellow men We're the best
players; Iney far outshone the black fell
of the pride of blood all he wanted to
had he been there yesterday.
Complained of Professionalism.
When Fisk had the game about won Lin
white people,. and accused Fisk of being
a professional team.
Dem var Tennessee boys hain't no bizi-
Miss foolin' wild dat 'fessional 'sperienced
one who could hear.
Who's 'fessional?' angrily cried a Fisk
negro. You doan't know what yoh talkin'.
gran'pop. You doan' know what .stitutes a
'fessional, anyhow, ole man."
"Cohse l does" was the reply: whats
dem Fisk boys playln' In ST. Luis fob IL
dey haint 'fessionals? All st. Louis players
is 'f~essionais."
No. sub. youse wrong, sub, dald wrong.
,scuse me. but desc boys is amipures. Dey
as gifts muffin for playin' but medals, denis
playln', dem $ 'feSsionals. subj"
"Gwan. nissah," cried the veteran, "Shoh,
youse II want TO tell me Directly dat uein
Washintin 'Vussity boys. Crissian Brudders
and all dem white gemmens is amipures.
Bresh by, nisgHh, bresh by"
Players Liked the Grand stand.
Tn players were nothing If not grand
ISLANDERS. When the young Hegresses on the
stand became ELUSIVE in their applause ev-
cry player on the field would cease work,
straiShten up and wave hands at the dusky
ones In the stand. This would continue for
some minutes before the insistent whistle of
the referee brought them back to play again.
The pet "sranu stand" play was to act In
jured. Whenever q big negro laid fiat and
Iteless OF the earth for some minutes and,
revived by vigorous surgical attention. stood
up with a show of despising assistance and
rushed back to the game. he was sure to get
:; salvu of applause. This playing 'possum'
for the glad hand took up a lot of the play
ing time, but 1t was balm to wounded
hearts.
met in a fierce buck in the line. with a
crash not unlike that of two tree trunks!
IN IL river torrent, there was no need Of a.
bluff about being out. 1t was out for
true.
Line bucking and stopping bucks seemed
to be the forte of both teams. Anything
like a trick play killed either. The play
that won for Fisk was an odd bluff. The
team would mass tackles back for a
buck at center. AS the tackle went into
the line he passed the ball to the quarter
team followed the ball well enough and as
q rule We're punched about the center when
the quarter came out of the melee. This
play was good for yards and yards any
time II was tried.
1t cannot be said that the negro is as
comical on a g%ridiron as he is on a baseball
slight-of-hand work. foxiness and spectacu-
lar tricks with the ball. 1t Is just hammer
and tongs with him as a rule. He is slow
and a good deal inclined to stand and look
on at the play of the men who have pos
session of the ball.
can. and gets funny now and then. He
knows all about the white players of the
game. There is scarcely anything he would
like so well as to play them a game.
Some Good Playing.
There was some playing yesterday worthy
of mention. Marques, the full back of
Fisk. is Il big fellow and hit the line hard
as well as punted eXcellently. Thompson,
the Fisk left tackle. did well. as did SpanI.
the left tackle of Lincoln. Bias was a good
center for Lincoln. and Doughitt made IL
capital guard. Basket played a good end,
but the other ends on both teams were
Ioor.
Lincoln just did manage to score in the
last minute of play. The southerns got
desperate ut the end and put some life into
their work: had they done so carrier in the
game they might have won.
The crowd was large. some 1000 being
present. 1t was an exceedingly well-be-
hayeG crowd. too. Not one angry blow was
struck. nor was a single razor drawn from
its case. The lineup:
Fisk Lincoln
University. Positions. Institute.
eLl 49,. Henderson
~ tackle -.-... ........Spann
Left guard ....... ....Doughitt
Bird. enter ... ..... .......... Bias
Right guard. 80. ......N.ff
Eight tackle 80. ......Watts
iScctett............ Right end -. .... 49,. Mosley
j SESI ~ s.. .... .-.+.