The sun., 1903-12-20
CAMPS INFLUENCE AT YALE.
IN FOOTBALL HIS NAME IS SY-
NONINOUS WITH SUCCESS.
Probably the Greatest Expert In the Ins
and Outs OF the GridlrGn Game-A
quiet, Retiring Figure. but Determined
An All.rOund Athlete in His Day.

An .tll.rOund Athlete in His Day.
NEW HAVEN, Dec. 19.-A prominent actor
in the football drama of 1908 was Walter
Camp. Yale's veteran football coach The
Vale sentiment is now practically unanimous
that when the advice of Mr.. Camp Is
followed the team meets with it's greatest
success. and it is predicted here that it will
bo long time before Mr.. Camp is again
relegated to the background as he has been
on several occasions in the last ten years.
football enthusiast who has followed the
game as closely as any alumnus except Camp
in the last twenty years said to-day:
Il have watched the thing pretty closely,
and whenever Camps advice has been fol-
lowed in the development of the team
Yale has either secured the championship
or developed a capital team. In nearly every
case it has been n victory for the Blue. This
year, of course, everything was against
Yale, but the work Of the team was nothing
short of marvellous when every hing
Is taken into account. Unbiased critics
will give Camp the credit of being the great
est expert Of the game in the world Ger
'ainly he deserves the title Father of foot
ball
twenty years ago. when Walter Camp
entered Yale from the Hopkins Grammar
school, football at the college as 1t is played
To-Day was unknown. Camp had been a
prominent athlete in his prep. school,
and the alumni who were greatly interested
in the development of the athletic side of the
institution looked to young Camp to do
something. His freshman year in college
was the third season that Yale had met
Harvard in any contest resembling the
now famous game. In the early TOs
Harvard and Yale met in baseball in rowing
and other sports, but there was no game OF
football played by the Blue. The Harvard
officials came to New Haven early in 1874
and suggested that Yale should meet the
Cambridge university in game that they
called Rugby. The Yale men knew nothing
of the game, but said that they we're willing
10 try it. and asked that series Of three
games be arranged. Harvard said no, only
one game. Arrangement was made where
by the two colleges met at Cambridge
that fall. The Harvard men knew their
game and they gave the visitors, who did not
understand the first principles of the con-
test, an awful drubbing. Yalensians then
came back determined the following year
to know more of the game.
When it came time to arrange the second
contest Yale again stood out for the series,
but the Harvard men still hung out for the
one game. Then Yale sent man up to
Cambridge to watch the Crimson athletes at
their practice and with the knowledge they
gained from this they gave Harvard that
year bad beating. At the close Of the game
the Harvard athletes urged another game
that season. but the Yale officials refused
-, change their plans 50 late In the day.
It was then that Camp, who had played the
Rugby game at his prep school, appeared on
the scene as a member Of the Yale team the
following year, and from that time his
influence has been felt in the development
from the old kicking game to the present
plan. His influence on the game was
gradual at first, because through all his
connection with Yale athletics he always
maintained the principle of gradual change.
and his reforms have been conservative in
every case. AS a strategist in the game
he has been admired by Yale men
everywhere because Of his ability to keep
out of bitter contests of all kinds and yet
invariably to have his way in the end.
He was graduated from Yale in 1880, after
having D.en the hest all round athlete the
college had ever known. He was not only
captain of the football team, but captain
of the baseball team as well, the only man
that held both positions here. His base
ball career was an interesting one, for he
was not considered st ong man by the
coaches in the early part OF the game but
chance was given him because OF his at ility
on the gridi, on. At his senior year he had
developed into the Lest man on the diamond
in the unive sity. Hutchinson, the Yale
pitcher. who atterward Lecame PROMINENT
in professional baseball, was the Yale cap
tain just preceding Camp. and when his
term was al out finished he planned SO that
a friend of his secured the captaincy the
following year. The choice was not good
one for the college, and some of the prom,
and asked him to resign quietly, which he
did, and Camp was chosen in his place.
1t was Camp in the famous game with
Princeton who made four home runs
summer Camp was asked to come to Cot
tage City az captain OF summer team. In
telling of his experiences afterward he
said:
Il went down expecting to find the regu-
lar summer team of amateurs, but when
l got there there were two Harvard men
OF great reputation, several professionals
and number OF other. college athletes;
was the youngest man in the bunch, and
felt like the kid that / was, so the first
time the nine got together / said TO the
men There's been some mistake here.
! didn't expect to find nine OF this kind,
and YOU fellows all know more about the
game than do, because you have all had
experience, and ! want 10 get out.
They would not have it, the excuse being
that if any other man was chosen they
would be in fight. SO captained the nine
through the summer
Camps success was so great that the
next year, when he went down there un-
evpectedy to take charge Of one of the
mines. the two teams Of which the town
boosted were lined up for a game when
Camp appeared on the field. When the
captain OF the rival team saw Camp ap-
preaching he threw down his bat exclaim-
Ing
There comes that internal Camp. Now
We won't win thing this season..
After his graduation everybody was
ANXIOUS to know whether Camp would go
into athletics as coach or not. His fame
as an all round athlete had travelled wide.
tor he had been the winner of several five
mile swimming matches as well as mem
her OF his freshman crew. and he was
deemed competent to teach athletics OF
almost any kind. He received many nat
tering offers. but. somewhat to the surprise
Of his friends, entered the Yale medical
school 1t was only by the closest SHAY
that he escaped being doctor, for he had
only one year more to finish when he went
Naw york IN M int n blsineSA During