The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-21
MICHIGAN ON
JORDAN GRIDDLE
Magazine Writer Tells of Iniquity
of the Athletics at Ann
Arbor.
journal Special Service.

Journal Special Service.
New York, Nov. 21.-Collier's Weekly will
publish the following article this week by Ed
ward S. Jordan: .-.
Football as an amateur sport in the colleges
of the middle west has almost passed out OF
existence. Football business, highly Or
ganized and calculated to derive enormous profits
thru furnishing spectacular entertainment to
the general public, has taken its place. Vic
tory on the gridiron is the aim Of the nine
colleges comprising the intercollegiate conference
athletic association Chicago, Indiana Illinois,
Iowa Mehigan Minnesota Purdue 1thr Northwest est
lege sport, held by the theorzing professor, who
makes the eligibility rules. have been smothered
under gate receipts and an insane desire to win:
Victory has to mean advertising, full
treasures, improved athletic fields, expert coach
es and the satisfying howl Of approval from an
ever growing bleacher crowd. Faculty control
Is myth.
Boast of Yost.
'.Mchigans alumni we'll boasted of her great
law school, Today they boast of 'Hurry-up'
Yost. Money profits have been large. Michi-
gan's glory is great in the mind OF the high
school boy, but the price paid for the glory
was the eclipsng of academic prestige by that
Of coaches and athletes.
Fielding Fl. Iost, Michigan's football coach,
has had unique record. Charlie Baird has
been merely a silent but effective complement
Yost has won partly thru his ability, partly
thru his personality, but mostly thru his ma
| "
campaign for this material. Yost has been
cosmopolitan coach He knows where material
lies, and on his own income travels thousands
of miles every year. Yost had four years Of
gan. winning for Wesleyan in 1897. for Ne
braska in 1898, for Kansas in 1899, for Leland
he won, but honest satisfaction did not come
to the colleges
"Ioyalty' of Alumni
"It is the statement of Henry J. Killilea, the
Milwaukee criminal lawyer, the success of Mich
igan is largely due to the unusual loyalty Of
the alumni On this basis it is easy to trace
the victory making methods Of Yost That this
may not misinterpretatiOn of Mr.. KILL
leas statement. 1 cite the proof that he gave
me. Mr.. Killilea frankly stated that he had
| sent Archie Hahn, the Michigan sprinter, to
college at his own expense after seeing Hahn
| run q fast dash at the state fair in Milwaukee
! four years ago.
| ''Wilie' Heston, of the greatest half
| backs known in football annals, member of the
| ALL American team and the hero of the western
| preparatory schoolboy, was found sent to col
lege, furnished with remunerative but easy en-
ployment and given a coaching position at the
| conclusion of his college thru the instru-
mentality Of the Michigan system
Heston Taken Up.
"He became the backbone of the Michigan
team. He known thruout the middle west,
and the students at Ann ArbOr paid him vert-
able worship A commercial use was imme-
diately made of his popularity thru the versa
| tility of Dan McGuigin, the Michigan guard.
| McGuigin conceived the idea of selling cigars
named after the admired coach Hurry-up Yost,
Heston and Dad Gregory, another California
became known Willie Heston's cigars and
support for three men was made possible, altho
Heston did but little work.
The Bell-Cow Rooter.
'.Murfin is the so-called 'bell-cow rooter, OF
the Michigan football fans, and believes in vic
tory as an advertisement for the college. He
| is a of conservatism, is counsel for the Nc
MILAN corporation interests of Detroit and ad
mits that he took care of Heston while In
college He smiled when mentioned Heston
Then he wrinkled his brow and said: I'n tell
+ YOU about this man Heston. Heston is not
cultured boy. He fixes his napkin when he
I starts to eat as If he going to shave. He
could not associate with educated people much
and I don't suppose he knows much about law
but you ought to see that boy hit the line
'',The business of Heston at Michigan was
hitting the line 1t was not the study Of law
1 asked the big halfback whether he was COINS
to practice law. He smiled broadly, glanced t
| see If the remark serious, and laughlnglJ
said: There's money in it, The Michigan
law school did thing for Heston; it made
him eligible for the team under the conference
code-that is all. He was educated and pre-
pared for a professional coach.
Students Are Partizans.
$50 ardent have the Michigan students bee1
|
lege for athletics alone, that on occasion
President David Starr Jordan Of Leland STANFORD
was publicly denounced as malicious liar
| because he charged Michigan with having sacri
feed her academic standards in proselyting an
retaining the big center rush, Dad Gregory.
''The faculty men who do know about athlet
les are afraid to condemn them. Only on
Michigan professor ever had the hardihood t
question the academic standing of halfback
He barely escaped ostracism from the faculty
t and has never regained in any degree his forme
popularity with the students Professor F. "
Scott Of the department of rhetoric remarke
that he would be forced to exclude Joe Mad
e dock from the game because of academic dc
t fciency-
0 Maddock's Case.
"Maddock was an utter failure as student
having been admitted to graduate work a Mich
gan. when in reality he never finished a cours
! in commerce at Albion college. from which h
y professed to have graduated. The statement
, | Professor Scott published In a Chicag
+ newspaper: All student publications immediatel
- branded him enemy Of the university, til
- | alumni fayed him with tongue lashings and
!. Detroit newspaper demanded his immediate re-
I | ignation. Under stress Of faculty influence 81
| perinduced by players and coaches the profe
n sor compelled to reinstate Maddox in ac.
deTnfc standing.
e michigan has furnished the illustration Of
y man who lived lie that be might participat
d in college baseball. Tom Berry, alias Tom Bir,
" played one year on the Michigan squad, made
e hit in the play given by the comedy club ar
was elected captain Of the team last spring
Y At early practice game he was recognized I
II a man from Butte Mont, as professions
e player from that state newspaper dispatc
IS sent from Butte to Chicago shortly afterwal
d revealed to Michigan the identity of her ca
o tain. Barry left college. signed by tt
d Buffalo team in the Eastern leagu
if and was later sold to Georg
q club. Barry never committed any scriptural
statutory offense. He compelled to d
4 ceive two years that he might play on &C
~ leee team.
, ,e "The part played by Charlie Baird in IL
- Michigan victory king business is that Of IL
,, silent partner: Yost travels wide. Baird spen
IL his summers in the same manner. He on
H. offered hotel clerk in FL Paso. Texas, the o
y portlnity to take a special course at ,Michg;
because he a good athlete. This man h,
less than hieh-school education. Brush
Minnesota tells Of having been pledged to 60
Michigan for three years. Leahy. the Visions
baseball catcher, declared that he had been c
fered good position, which meant little wor
n on condition that he go to Michigan. Lightbo,
Y Of Chicago has been approached by Baird. Fry
L man. Minneapolis hieh-school boy. has enter
Minnesota declaring that he offered adva
tages at Michigan"