The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-05
!. FOOTBALL.
GOPHERS SAY nay
Minnesota Will Not Enter the New
Football League Which Is Pro-
posed by Nebraska.
North Star Eleven Is Not Logically
in That Territory Schedule
i, Already Full.

According to a dispatch from Omaha, a
football league composed of teams from
the universities of number of western
states, will be formed in the near future.
meeting OF the institutions interested
Will be called at once. According to the
omaha dispatch, the members Of the new
league will be teams from the universities
OF Missouri, Nebra ska. Kansas, Colorado.
Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and pos
sloly two other state schools. The league
ID being engineered by Professor Clement,
who went to Chicago from the Nebraska
university to attend the conference Of the
big nine He said: w.. ... ,'....~
Nebraska was disappointed in not get
ting into the big nine, but that only
makes certain the plans which we have
had In progress for some time-that Of
forming league from among the strictly
western universities. We have had the
scheme under consideration for some time,
and were only waiting for the Chicago
conference before announcing IT.. II the
big nine had decided to let the western
universities into their organization, our
plans would never have come to light
But now we must have western league
or quit playing football.
The western universities may arrange
70 participate in some track meet or play
baseball game with some Of the mem
bers of the big nine but football games
are, OF course, out Of the question, with
one or two exceptions ,
Minnesota Declines to Enter.
The new league may go through and
probably Will be a success. but it is hardly
likely that either Minnesota or Iowa will
be included In its membership. DR.. H.
l.. Williams. athletic director of the Uni
versity Of Minnesota, said this morning
in regard to the dispatch from Omaha:
THE report ts without foundation so
far as Minnesota is concerned. AS a
member Of the big nine, Minnesota would
have nothing to gain by entering such a
league. We are not logically in the same
territory as the other universities named,
and our schedule is pretty we'll filed up
as 1t Is.
II do not think that Iowa will enter tho
new league. Iowa also is member of the
big nine. and will prefer to schedule games
with such teams as Illinois, Minnesota
Chicago. Northwestern or Wisconsin.
rather than to take on Kansas, Missouri,
Nebraska and the others
DR.. Williams said that the Minnesota
board Of control had not yet taken formal
action upon Wtsconsin's proposal that the
Minnesota Wisconsin game be played in
Madison Thanksgiving day Of 1908. He
1ntimated. however, that Minnesota would
agree to the date. 1t had been Mime
sofas intention to play Illinois at Cham
pa1gn Thanksgiving day. and in case the
badger game is definitely scheduled for
that date. Illinois will probably be given
the Saturday Of the second week in No
vember. the date originally assigned to
Wisconsin.
There will be professional football next
season on a greater scale than ever before.
Barney Dreyfuss Of Pittsburg, the base
ball magnate. Is to head the movement.
1t is claimed that other magnates In other
cities will take up the game ana put pro-
fessional teams In the field. The football
season does NOT af tIoy
OF the baseball season and there Is
period between the close and Thanksgiv-
Ing when the gate receipts at the parks
are not enough to pay board bills.
It is said that Chicago will be included
in the circuit as will New York, Brooklyn,
has always been an aversion to profess
sional football on the grounds Of brutality
and there has been a special effort to
keep the sport a distinctive college sport
Any movement In the line of professional
Ism has always been criticized and this
new movement will doubtless meet with
the same burst Of disapproval.
College men who read Of this proposed
circuit composed Of professional teams
will doubtless be a unit in fighting the or
ganizaton. Professionalism robbed the
colleges Of their greatest sport, baseball,
and now when the shrewd athletic man
ayers see the amount Of coin to be made
out Of football. the game will doubtless
70 the same road. It will weaken the
college teams, too, for men who are play
ing star games at universities will be
offered flattering inducements to forget
college loyalty and go into the game for
the coin there Is in It.
At a meeting last night Of the football
mon who played in the Princeton
game. John r. Dewitt, 1904, right guard
on the team, was elected to succeed Ralph
Davis, 1904, who was reelected but de-
cined to act captain for another sea-