The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-12-29
BIG Man IN Ills DAY
count" VILLA WHO ONCE PLAY.
ED FAMOUS TACKLE FOR
MICHIGAN.
Former President of Walla WaIIa the
Subject of Story by Portland
Newspaper Man.

Although records may stand as mon
uments to the ability of sportsmen, re-
putations go and come. The hero of
| today is forgotten tomorrow, and some
| new god has risen to temporary re-
| cognitiOn in his place. The way of
of the successful athlete is harder, for
while he is in the heydey of his glory
he owns the world and when the hour
of his triumph has passed he is only
| forced down from the throne and out
| into the cold, but he is expected to
| help in the proclamation of his success
scr and assist in strewing roses in his
path, says the Portland Telegram.
| Thus it has been with Count
| Frank Villa, now a resident of Seattle
| hcials at the Christmas game between
| Multonomah club and Al-Oregon
| team. Than Frank Villa, known as
| Count because of his Italian ances-
try, there was never more famous
! football player in the middle west
Whether or not Villa really has the
blue blood of Sunny Italy's nobility
coursing through his veins has never
| been officially announced, but his faith
| er owns and operates a large vegetable
garden on the suburbs of Walla Wal
| la, Wash, and it was as a vegetable
! peddler that young Villa earned suffi-
cient money to pay his tuition at Whit
man college Here he played center
! rsf.n 81 the first football team orga-
nized in the northwest and established
reputation that extended over enc
! whole county.
| That year Frank Villa graduated.
! He wanted to be Il physician and this
ambition led him to register with the
University of Michigan. His first term
proved him to be the best football man
| they had and in his second year he
outplayed a western tackle who was
admitted by experts to have more than
| cared for the All-American choice.
who happened that season to be a
| member of the Cornell team.
| In order not to leave football and
glory too soon Villa transferred his at
| tention from physiology and medicine
| to law and oratOry and continued to
| be the particular tower of strength of
| the Wolverine team. His reputation
extended all over the United States
and he was sought by eastern colleges
with records to maintain or that de-
sired to make new ones. But Villa re-
manned true to Michigan and in his
final year was acting captain of the
team during the annual Michigan
Chicago game. In that contest he was
opposed to Allen, now coaching at
Whitman college, where Villa first
learned the game. Villas club lost
by a close score due to the superior
kicking OF Herschberger who that sea-
son was the first to introduce place
kicking from the field for goal
At the conclusion of his college ca
reer Villa went to the far north and
mined for gold, but when he returned
to civilization three years later his
cargo was composed chiefly of ex
perience Since that time. until u
few months ago. he has made his home
in Walla Walla. Wash, having about |
a year and half ago married the sis
ter of Joseph McCabe, president and
general manager of the Washington
&. Columbia River railroad, a feeder of
the Northern Pacific in Eastern Wash
ington.
At odd times Villa has played foot |
ball on athletic club teams and has
often donated his services as coach
TO high school eleVens. once he
iourneyed to Portland to play tackle
for Multnomah against invaders from
outside points.
In person Frank Villa is the shape |
of an immense pumpkin. His weight
goes we'll above the compound mark,
and his legs are as short as they well
can be. leaving his great bulk close to
the ground He is as active as cat
and could run under II seconds when
in training.
Although hero that has been de-
nosed. Villa is one of the best-natured
mon in the northwest, and was never
known TO lose his temper in game.