The Washington times., 1903-11-27
PLAYER IS PARALYZED
IN A FOOTBALL GAME
Indignant Comment Over
High School Contest.
THIRTY-FIVE MINUTE HALVES
Technical Forced Central Into Long
Period of Play With Serious
Consequences.

l. Two players in the championship
football game between c, htral and
Technical High SCHOOLS last Tuesday
We're severely injured, one of them to
the exent of being paralyzed tempo
rarily. Indignant comment has been call
ed forth from those who take an in
terest in school and college athletics, and
those who protest against football being
carried to the exent of rowdyism-
ITO win at any cost" It is asserted,
was the spirit manifested In the contest
Of last Tuesday. and to this spirit. so
regrettable when introduced into col
lege athletics. was due the fact that
Logan Cunningham and J. c. Scott were
hurt so badly.
These boys. both of them members Of
the Central High School team, were
called on TO exert efforts far beyond
what could be expected from youths Of
ti.sir age and endurance, and under
the cruel strain of thirty-five minutes Of
play for each half o. the game, they
were taxed too severely.
other players on the Central High
School team, which was lighter than the
opposing eleven. also suffered from the
forced to endure on account Of the
management having increased the
length of the halves. Why were these
two teams Of mere striplings allowed
70 play game .long drawn out and
as severe as that which only trained
athletes can undergo, is now the ques-
/ ton which is being asked by those
who feel that a wrong has been done.
PLAY Limit Too Long.
IN spite Of the fact that the school
football games have always been con-
pressed .nto halves Of not more than
30 and % minutes duration. in spite OF
the fact that it was against the better
] judgment Of the faculty athletic advis-
er. The Technical school demanded tnaJ
| the halves in Tuesdays game be thirty
FIVE minutes or else the game be forfeit
ed 70 them.
| Add to this the fact that the Technical
/ School team outweighed the Central
team many pounds and therefore could
stand the pounding Of 35-minute halves
better than lighter opponents. and that
! the Central team was admittedly faster
while its strength lasted. and the de-
mand for 35-minute halves has a look
| that augurs i'll for the purity of ath-
ietics in the schools.
Mr.. Madden. the faculty atnleuc ad-
wiser OF the Technical School. admitted
a few days before the game that to
submit school boys 20 the strain Of 81
minute halves was unwise; yet he yield
ed 10 the demand of Coach Hecox- Such
| a course puts school football on the
same basis as that of colleges course
particularly condemned by such men as
/ Trainer Nike Murphy. OF Yale, who re-
Gently made "a statement to that effect
/ 1t is beyond reason TO suppose thai
growing boys can stand a strain &c
which varsity teams are submitted only
/ once or twice a season. after a Ions
and hard training. Only twice dc
Yale Harvard. and Princeton play
games of 35-minute halves.
Few Injuries Recorded
1t has been pointed out that in the
past ten years inter-high school foot
ball has been played in Washington
without any serious injuries TO the
players. And If It is continued on the
proper basis there is no reason why the
! injuries should not remain equally few
and far between
| As a matter Of fact, the scoring done
/ By the Technical School occurred in the
/ last few minutes Of play. when the
| Central team was physically unfit to
stand on a football field. After the
game the men were not in a condition
TO leave the dressing room for over two
hours