The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-29
SPORTS
CUT OUT MASS PLAYS
Football Men Predict Great Changes
in Intercollegiate Rules for
Next Season. - ~
University Presidents and Faculty
ts Athletic Authorities Lead in
j. Agitation for Revision. I. ri

Well informed persons say that the in
tercoegiate football rules committee Will
have to abolish mass plays from the grid
iron before the season of 1908 begins.
If the committee does not do SO on It's
own initiative the presidents and athletic
faculty authorities of many of the big
universities will, it is said, take UP the
matter and deal with it in such a way
that the trainers of the rules VIII pc
obliged to legislate against close formas
ton style of attack. whether they want
to or not The president of one OF the
most prominent eastern universities.
whose football team Is cassed among the
big four" made statement to that Ell
feet a. few days ago. and since tnen IL mas
come out that a considerable amount OF
correspondence has taken place among
The college authorities in regard to the
Questionable features in the present Gay
football and that Walter Camp, CHAIR
man of the rules committee, has. written
around to the universities asking for eN-
jpressions Of opinion as to the adVlsaoiil-
,ty of calling a meeting of the committee
II, January for revising the rules w.
Those who run the faculty end of attn
EIetics in the colleges are, 1t is SAID, JUST
about una nimous for Sad1cal aHeIa u;Nn1
wel}-heins of the young men committed to
their charge if nothing else. demands a
,change: that football it is played to-
day has come to be too much contest
involving mere brute force and that The
Injuries sustained in the game now are
too serious and too numerous TO- permit OF
its continuance in its present form.
| Several of the college presidents nave
been severely outspoken in their disfa-
'yor of existing conditions
If the rules committee eliminates mass
plays from the gridiron, it will mean that
Football as it is played to-day, will just
- ra,-ol,1tiopiZod Line Snla Shll2
mass forma tons have gained in popularity
steadily for the last five years and co1lstl-
itute now the chief means OF, advancing
the ball at almost all the big universities
Pe1nsy1vania's guard back and Yale
tackle back formations are the best e1-
a.mples of this style Of attack, and their
PLAYS and numerous variations of them
have been taken UP gradually oy all the
COLLEGES until end runs and other open
PLAYS that have skill and speed more than
weight and strength as, prime requisites
of success. and which add to the spec
tacu1ar interest of the game, have disap-
peared almost entirely,
Yale football officials are, discussing a.
game with western college for next sea
SON Many favor a. contest. but the wise
acres shake their heads, because Yale has
championship games arranged with
Harvard and Princeton, and fear the
strain of another hard game will prove too
much. ..-. w.. &,----
Three years ago Yale tried to meet the
University of Wisconsin in the middle
season. presenting an eleven made up
from the scrubs. as is usual in the prac-
tiee. contests, and. without introducing
any complicated formations, Yale was
hardly able to win 6 to o. Yale has fought
shy Of western games since then. .. d.
No game with a western team can be
arranged by Yale for at least a month.
as no captain or manager has been elected
for next season. The election of a cap
tain has been deferred until after the
question of Edgar Glass eligibility Is set
tied. Until a captain and manager for
next season are picked nothing definite
of next seasons policy can be crystal
lied from the unofficial undergraduate
'senttn 1ent, which now favors game with
the western team. .-'
North Division high school football team
of Chicago took its final practice Saturday
afternoon before leaving for Denver,
where North Division and Boulder will
meet on New Years afternoon to compare
the scholastic football of the far west with
that Of the middle states. -,
''The team is in fine shape. and we
hope to win easily from the Boulder
team" said Captain Walter Steffns. THE
way the fellows work in the cold and snow
shows the spirit of the team. and il
Boulder wins it will be because it Il
a better team, for we will play the limit
and If the climate does not affect us we
will win the game. We have given tbs
back1eld men straps. such as were used
by Northwestern this season, and In
practice we have been able to gain sew
eral yards each down by, means of the
apparatus
The Denver management expects to OBJ
tain Sanford. the ez-Colurnbia Goa CHI and
Hurry-Up' Yost of Michigan as the off
Gals for the game. Sanford Is in bust.
ness at Denver and Yost is in the minine
business at Kansas City.
Chairman Wyer Of the Nebraska uni
versity football team has received an offe,
from Manager George Huff of the Illinois
football team to play in Lincoln mex,
Thanksgiving day. The guaranty asked is
$1,000, with the option Of choosing half the
gate receipts Nebraska had offered
$1,000. An acceptance is assured aI1e
suoh a reply will be wired as soon as the
football committee can act. The guaranty
ts the same given by Nebraska to the
Northwestern university. $500 =" >