The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-23
REPLY TO BADGERS
Dr.. Williams Refutes Charges of
Rough Play Against the Min
nesota Team.
Says No Threats Were Made Against
Gophers by the Wisconsin
Management.

Inclined at first to ignore the
charges of rough play made against
the Minnesota football team by ad-
herents of Michigan and Wisconsin
universities, Dr.. H. L. Williams, coach
of the gopher team, now feels it due
to the friends of Minnesota to make
a statement. He expresses his belief
that the athletic authorities of Michi-
gan and Wisconsin are not RESPONSE
Bile for the attacks on Minnesota and
thinks that irresponsible correspond
ents are to blame. His statement toll
lows:
Since the Minnesota Michigan game,
played on Oct 81, a number Of articles
have appeared in the papers from time
to time char ging Minnesota with I'M
sportsmanlille conduct, with dirty rough
playing and the like, which have had
tendency to poison the minds of the gen.
eral public against the Minnesota players,
belittle their football team and besnirch
the good name of the university.
| Up to the present time Minnesota has
| remained silent and has given no reply
| to these attacks, preferring to allow the
| work of the team upon the field in the
| various games to speak for itself. But of
| late some of the dispatches coming from
Madison and Detroit have been SO mali
| cous and untrue that silence no longer
seems a virtue.
! Within the past few days dispatches
| from Madison have been printed in the
| Minneapolis papers stating that 'Wlscon-
sin and Minnesota were at lOggerheadS
| over the officials and that Wisconsin had
| threatened to cancel the game unless Min
/ nesota at once agreed to good men,; that
| "the authorities at Madison had written
to the authorities at Minnesota threaten
! ing that if Minnesota played dirty foot
ball on Thanksgiving Day Wisconsin
! -n1,1I for, q
with Minnesota" that Michigan would
hereafter drop Minnesota from her sched-
ule and that Michigan and Wisconsin had
formed a compact to boycott Minnesota
and shut her out from games with teams
of the big nine
Statements Are False.
In regard to the statements relating to
the officials and threats having been re-
ceived from Madison, know them to be
absolutely false.
In regard to the other statements, here
at Minnesota we do not hold the Wiscon-
sin or Michigan authorities in any way
responsible for them, nor do We believe
them to be true.
Such articles are doubtless the work OF
irresponsible correspondents, who are pos
sibly sore over some fancied slight OF
neglect and seek to belittle Minnesota anC
injure her reputation by fomenting trouble
and causing bad blood and hard feeling
against her among her sister universities
Minnesota has occupied and does nov
occupy, a, high and honorable position il
the western football world. The men upor
her team are gentlemen, every one O.
them, and they do not stoop to dishonor
able or unspOrtSmanlike methods. Blu
, they play a clean, hard, strenuous game
If any NAV has been used up or bruised
, In any game in which he has played
against Minnesota, it has been because h,
hoe MA a har ri coY foY al
in him against men who played hard ant
play hard all the time.
The game between Minnesota and Mich
igan was one of the hardest fought con
tests ever saw and also one of the clean
est. The testimony Of the officials, O
: Fudge Heffelfinger, who witnessed tn
1 game from the side lines and of othe
! competent judges, bears me out in thi
. statement.
:, During the first half Michigan mad
: first down only four times by rushing tn
| ball from scrimmage, while Minnesot
rushed the ball for first down fourtee
times. Does any one who knows anythin
about football think that this could b
;, accomplished without the fiercest, hardes
u kind Of football, or that Heston, who wa
doing the best work for Michigan, both O
e offense and defense, playing without
a. headgear, should not show at all the wea
f and tear Of the game?
$ Testimony Of Speed.
= To my mind, the following quotatio
: from Kellogg Speed, captain and cente
I, of the Chicago team of 1900 which wa
= written to me three days after the game
= states the case in a nutshell and will eS
:, onerate Minnesota from any charges {
:, unnecessary roughness with all faI,
:, minded persons Speed said: II neve
; saw better game, nor such an exhibitio
OF defensive work. 1t is too bad to rails
all this fuss eli