The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-12

bletics alone. These men would make a | fabby backbone for q State> Faculty men in every college tell mel that ''in their college" this evil, for it Is dan gerous evil. does not exist. They are either blind, fearful for their positions or deceive themselves pitifully. Coaches and managers have told me that the greatest evil in colleges today | Is the prostitution of academic ideals | in the pursuit of athletic prestige. Coach George Hun. of the University | of Illinois, one of the oldest and best coaches in the West, told mepthat there
 were more liars and hypocrites than amateurs made through the efforts of colleges to keep within the boundaries of the Conference rules.~ He added | that he had seen but few college ath- | letes of any ability who were willing to study. and do honest work to sus- | tain themselves in college after posi- tion on the team had been assured. and he asserted further that victory in the
 west today depended upon the ability
 of the colleges to sustain men by de-
 vious means. Coach Walter MacCor-
 mack and Manager Frank O. Smith, of the North western team, both agree in
 the asser e)n that "the campaign for
 men carried on by the friends of unt-
 versailles has made grafter of every
 athlete of ability In the Vest" If these statements are well based-and one would suppose them to be, coming from men directly interested in the campaign for men--then faculties would prove their honesty by "sitting up and taking notice," putting up the bars against what even coaches call graft ers.' and fulfilling their duty to the commonwealth.
 The conviction that these statements are only too true will follow a com prehension of the methods that have been used to get the best athletes in the West into universities. In this campaign no university in the Intercol legiate Conference has been without taint."
 Mir. Jordan discusses at length the eligibility of individual players, and brings forth such interesting and shameful examples of athletie%methods as thls:
 Tn the pursuit of one of the Chicago players, on the charge of profession alism, the University of Illinois was dragged into a pugiiist's feud, born of a victory scored by this Chicago player over "Buok" Montgomery. the champion ring fighter of the stockyards district. Montgomery, upon the request of the authorities of the University of Illi- nois. made an affidavit stating that the Chicago player received money as a reward for the fight. which. if true. would CldSS Hlil dS a anu make him ineligible under college rules. Montgomery afterward gave a dinner to some friends and boasted that it was paid for with the money given him for the aff1davit. Professor Bar ton, of the Illinois Athletic Board. told me that he wished ito null over the case" He dislikes to speak of it. It is reasonably certain that Illinois paid we'll for the affidavit. and Chicago went to great expense to cover up the record of her man." Referring to the stu dents demand for victory makers, Mir. Jordan says:
 ''Professor Stagg, who is perhaps as clean and conscientious a man as ever conducted the athletic interests of a college, had prior to 1901, refused to solicit football players for the Univer- sity of Chicago. At the close of the football season of that year Chicago saw her adversaries gaining in the prestire of victory. Stagg was told that he must so out and find better players: he must solicit thems Rro-