Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-03-14
Gas House Maffit.
Now He Got ON to
the Eo0tball Team
by DARLINGTON KIDD.

"Did ever tell you" asked the un-
dergraduate. about the time Carl Maj.
fit got on the football team by smoking
n cigaretteT
NO" said Storrow, you didn't, and
YOU needn't tell us, either, unless it's a
good story"
The undergraduate chuckled. "Oh,
it's good story all right enough, but
I ought to have a picture OF old Gas
House to 20 with It.
"A picture of old whoT'
"Old Gas House Maffit. That's. what
they used TO call him on account Of his
size. He played center rush after he
broke training"
81 don't see how he ever could have
made football man." said Storrow.
That's exactly what Bill Connors
told him" continued the undergradu-
ate. Il remember the first afternoon
we got Carl to come out to the field and
play on the scrub side. He moved
around something like road roller. He
must have been up to $50 pounds. Con
nors, the trainer, threw up both hands
and swore Blessed day he shouted,
AN office building! Carl turned red,
but sailed In.
well, they made a monkey out Of
him. Every time the ball was snapped
they pushed him down and climbed
over him, and then the play went on
10 or 20 yards beyond, and old Carl
would come numbering up just in seit
son to get the same treatment on tle
next Agnal. a.
"But after awhile the coaches begaa
to notice thas every time Matfit went
down four or five other men went down
with him, ana the fellows who happen
ed to be underneath We're rather disin-
terested in the next few scrlmmages.
And they observed that Carl, although
he was being used as punching bag
and everybody was laughing ut him,
never lost heart. but pufied and grinned
and went mt il as If he was having the
time of his life.
Between the halves Jack Perkins.
who was coaching the center men, TOOK
Carl one side and gave him few
points about keeping his feet. Now,
Carl's feet looked like dry goods boxes
and moved about as easily. He didn't
know where to plant them, that was
all Well when the two teams lined
up again the varsity had the ball. and
the first signal was for Brant to go
through the center. The famous half
back tucked the ball In the pit of his
stomach and dashed forward with his
familiar cannon shot rush straight fer
his hole. But the hole was missing,
Carl was there instead. Brant bound
ed back, and Gas House fell over on
him. When they got up. Brant looked
white, and Connors took him out of
the practice. Carl was awfully scared
and began to be afraid he'd hurt some
body else so he was worse than use
less for the rest OF the afternoon
"The next day he turned up again,
smiling, and they had some moro fun
with him. But once in awhile a coach
would take pity on him and give him
little tip, and Gas House would
scratch his head and grin his thanks.
BY and by it was remarked that the
scrub was stiffening ON center plays.
The scrub guards were two disap-
pointed candidates for the varsity.
They knew they had no chance to get
on the team and had been playing list
lessly until Maffit came out.
'Look-a here be said to them bash
fully, 1 hate this dang game as much
as you do, but now we're out here we
might as well get to them They amt
so much
The husky scrub trio certainly did
get TO EN- in great shape After
fortnight Carl. instead of being a Joke.
began TO be serious proposition. The
two big guards would boost him, AMI
War; the little scrub quarter. would
push him and pinch him in the legs TO
make him mad and old Gas House
would snort and lurch through the vet
Gran varsity center like an OK break
Ing through q snCwdrft. He wag slow,
but ne was almighty sure.
But this slowness was a fatal fault
as FAR rs getting or the team ives con-
cerned- We had been licked the year
before because our line had been over
weight, ana the coaches were determin-
ed that It shouldn't happen again Bill
tonporS couldn't take pound of Carl
to save his life. The big fellow would
get ~ the scales after every practice
with confident look. only TO he disap-
pointed at seeing that be hadn't lost an
oulee. II we could only make BE-
girningr Bill would say desperately.
So Nafit kept on. hoping against hope
an training faithfully until certain
utful night
TT happened after the fall boat races.
on class crew had won for the first
tiIl in its history and 2 few OF us
sto~ted out - have a celebration. Aft
or e1Hpe. W. bought lot OF fireworks
Al farted in under the mistaken In
r. IN tbat we owsed the campus.
b. ne police wouldn't stand for thar