The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-02
Personality Of Men Who Will Direct
Football Campaign. g..
THREE STAND IN FOREGROUND
King Of Wisconsin, YOst of Michigan
and DR.. Williams in Battle
Royal.


These three men are Phil King Of Wis |
consin, who according to the latest infor |
nation will help out again at Wisconsin; |
Yost Of Michigan, whose Sensat tiOnal work |
last fall exceeded in brilliancy even that
of DR.. Williams at Minnesota the year be-
fore, and Williams himself, who since
Nov. 16, 1901, has had a blot on his
escutcheon which needs cleansing.
King Is veteran in western football,
the other two comparatively newcomers.
In all the six years the old Princeton
quarter has trained badger elevens, no
Wisconsin team has lost more than one
game in season. Once he has won un
disputed championship; twice he has
brought his team through the season with
Wisconsin's claim has been questioned by
another eleven with as clean a record.
Yost has never coached losing team
Last season was his first trial at Ann Ar
Dor, and his eleven rolled up total Of
points in the season never exceeded or
even equaled in the history of football
in the west-more than 500 points, while
no opposing team scored upon the wolver-
ines. In it's way this was a phenomenal
performance. Yet it must be admitted
that If other coaches had laid the stress
upon high scores which Yost does, this
record would not seem so wonderful.
Nevertheless the grandeur of the
dCuIeNeueuL CduuOL Uo questioned.
DR.. Williams reputation suffered loss
last fall when Minnesota lost to Wis
consin. Not so much because the gophers
did not win the championship, not so
much because it lost game. Phil King
has won but one championship at Wis
consin, and only three years out of six
have his teams escaped defeat. No coach,
however good, can win every game.
There was feeling at the close Of last
season, however, that DR.. Williams had
blundered in becoming over confident. Not
only that, but he had committed the more
serious mistake of letting his men per-
ceive and share in his overconf1dence. It
is generally admitted that this is the only
reasonable explanation of the great re-
men in the Wisconsin game. There is lit
tie doubt, moreover, that. DR.. Williams
himself recognizes this fact.
Since at this time 1t seems probable that
Wisconsin,, Michigan and Minnesota will
again be the principal factors in the
championship contest this fall, the strug-
gle between these three coaches will be
one of intense interest. It will be con-
test of systems as we'll as. of men. King
is Princeton man. His style of play is
characterized by extreme simplicity and
| he eschews almost entirely the tackle and
guard back mass plays brought into vogue
by Princeton and Yale. Speed and perfec-
tion of team work are the two great points
of excellence for which he strives.
Yost comes from Lafayette. His style
of play much resembles that of Wisconsin,
but he has been even more successful than
King in developing speed Of attack. In
general, however, both systems are what
| may be called old-fashioned football, with
perfection Of execution.
Opposed to these two systems is that OF
DR.. Williams, a style Of offense original
/ IL ~
resembles in slight degree the Pennsyl-
vania guards back, the Princeton tandem
| and the Yale tackles back. The plan OF
attack is to mass as much weight as pos
| sible upon the point where the team seeks
to make its gain. In the development OF
| this system at Minnesota, DR.. Williams
has to large degree sacrificed speed to
weight, especially behind the line. In 1906
the system was successful, because the
back field taken as whole was fas,
enough for all purposes and considerably
heavier than the average. In 1901 the
policy of weight was carried to the ex-
treme, notably in the selection Of Thorpe
for halfback.
The system was not entirely successful
last year, and possibly the fetch Of weigh
may be blamed for this, in part at least
Nevertheless the plan cannot be stylet
a failure as yet.
Besides the three coaches named, how
ever, there are others who have reputa
tions to sustain or retrieve. Prominen
among these is Knipe Of Iowa, who de-
veloped the Iowa team from a nonentit,
to position ahead Of Chicago, Michigan
Illinois, and Northwestern, the old leader
in the championship struggles Knipt
suffered a setback last fall chiefly OF
account of the disbarment of williams
the keystone Of the team He too ha!
something to wipe out
A. A. Stage Of Chicago, after keepin,
Chicago in the front of every champion
ship race for five years, has been unable
to develop team which could defeat an,
Of the second raters during the las
two years. No such protracted seaso,
of success has been followed by a NOR,
complete failure than in the case o
Stagg. Another coach with past to for
get, but with the memory of former sue
cesses to spur him On
DR.. Hollister, after bringing the Be-
lott team to a. wonderful degree Of ex
cellence, considering the small amour
of material at his command, went t,
Northwestern to try his hand there. Hi
record has been one of continual de
feats,, and he has never been higher thar
| fourth place in the race. The famous
Hollister tandem, after three years O
trial, has been discarded as a failure.
was never successful ground game
against strong team, but Hollister fa
chung to 1t with remarkable obstinacy
and probably to this more than anything
else can be attributed Northwestern
poor showing. Now: Hollister has bee,
forced to admit that his pet system is
failure, and has announced that 1t will
be discarded this fall. 49,.
Huff Of Illinois has always made cred
liable, never q remarkable, showing. Ye
he, as we'll as Booth Of Nebraska, mus
be reckoned with in forecast Of the sea
sons possibilities.
1t begins to look as If the Universit
of Chicago football team would be win
ner next fall, not because SO much prom
ising new material is expected to ente
the university this fall, but rather be
cause several Of the best players tha
ever wore maroon moleskins will return
4 The, latest good news to reach Coacl
Stagg is from Billy Gardiner, fullbac
on the Chicago teams in the championship
days OF Herschberger. Gardiner has bee
out of college for several years. but ha
decided to enter the medical school mex
4 October. He is eligible to play and viii
be valuable acquisition for Stages bac
s field, which from present prospects vii
4 be made UP largely of one Captain Jane