The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
FOOTBALL STILL
POPULAR SPORT
Dangers of Game Fail to Deter Play.
ers or Keep Away the
Spectators.
GOOD SEASON IN SALT LAKE
RECORDS OF UNIVERSITY AND
HIGH SCHOOL.

sport, has had its troubles the past
year. troubles which, if it were not a
great game, would quickly wipe it out
OF existence. From one end Of the
country TO another a cry has gone up
TO stop the game and for every voice
raised against the sport another equal
ly as strong comes forth in defense of
1t. At one time during the season the
president of the United States took a
hand in the universal demand for re-
form or abolition and he, like all 9TH
ers who have made the sport a study,
decided that football as played in the
American colleges today should remain,
but that the rules must be changed to
lessen the chances of death and per-
manent injury among the players.
This year has witnessed the largest
death roll in the history of the game,
some twenty-five young men giving up
their lives while the injured list runs
up into the hundreds the victims of
the students pastime. This has final
ly brought about a demand for the
change In rules which even the rules
committee could not overlook. AS a re-
suit several changes have been recon-
mended for next year. At the present
time every large college in the east
has it's athletic boards trying to devise
ways and means OF altering the game
that It's best features may be kept
without the slaughter of dozens of
players each year. That this viii be
done goes without saying. It will have
20, or laws will be put in force pro-
hibiting the game altogether. The rules
committee realizes that the relief can
therefore be expected as soon as this
body meets In the early spring.
In spite OF the deaths due TO the
game, 1t becomes more popular each
year, and the season just past wit
messed the largest crowds in the his
tory of the sport. Perhaps the great
est contest of the year. one IN which
there was the most interest, was the
Chicago Michigan game at Chicago
which was won by the latter team by
a score OF 2 to O. This struggle is still
fresh in the minds OF the football pub
lie. II VIII long be remembered az the
great game of the year 1908, and the
first game in which the mighty Yost
was ever defeated.
Game Popular in Salt Lake.
Salt Lake and Utah with the east
have grown to like the sport, until
now the big games in the fall are
among the great sporting events Of the
year. Interest naturally centers in the
University of Utah's team, as it is the
strongest team in the state and the
team which has taught the surrounding
states TO fear the name of Utah on n
gridiron. The varsity, under Coach
Maddox. is now recognized as one Of
the big" teams of the intermountain
west and when football championships
are disposed of this team is taken into
consideration.
Utah's season has been a most sue
cessful one, but there is still room for
improvement. During the fall, the best
In the state, the best in Montana. the
best in Wyoming and two of the four
big teams of Colorado learned what it
was TO face the hurry habit OF Mad
dock. In all. eight teams faced the
east bench boys, six OF whom went
down TO defeat. Against the other
two teams Utah was Outweighed by
experienced football men and was
therefore outclassed and lost. In each
game Utah was weakened by the loss
OF some Of its best players. but even
with these men In line, the team would
have gone up against aggregations so
much physically superior that it is
doubtful II the team could have Won
The one great drawback of the team
the past season was the lack of good
material Although repeated warn
ings were given early In the season of
this, apparently no attempt was made
to help Maddox until it was too late.
The lesson learned this season should
and probably will prove a valuable one
to those IN charge Of Utah athletics.
and If 1t is. Utah can hope for an all
western championship team next year.
But in the high school class Utah
walked away with about all the honOrs
there were in sight. It was a Salt Lake
team, and this aggregation can easily
lay claim to the championship Of the
northwest without anyone disputing If.
Along this line IL is satisfying to know
that Its hardest game of the season
was against another Utah team, the
Ogden High school. This aggregation
gave the Salt Lakers the strongest
fight and along the same line OF rea-
soning. while Utah had the best high
school team in the northwest, II also
had the next best.
Perhaps the West Siders' greatest
victory was against the Butte High
school. The latter team tied Spokane
in nothing to nothing game. Spokane
tied Seattle in a nothing to nothing
game. Seattle was the champion of
the Puget Sound country, Spokane of
the inland empire country. and Butte
of Montana. Salt Lake IN one decisive
game slaughtered the Butte team,
WHICH easily gives = the championship
over the entire northwest. Another
team which met an overwhelming de-
feat at the hands of the West Siders
was the Pueblo (Colo.) team. This ag-
gregat1on won the state championship
of Colorado the year before. but fell
before the Colorado Springs team this
year by about the same score it was
defeated by Salt Lake. This game puts
Salt Lake on a par, at least. with the
best team in Colorado, as Colorado
Springs won the championship OF that
state, and there are many who believe
the West Siders could have defeated
this team Lad the occasion presented
itself.
The Salt Lake High school owed its
greatness TO Coach D. A. Callahan, the
father of athletics at the High school.
Some claim that Callahan gave the
High school the greatest team in its
history this season.; but whether this
Is so or not, he at least gave the school
a team strong enough 10 win the high
est honors for Utah that can possibly
be obtained by a body OF Ugh school
students.
With complete change in the rules
for next year it is hard TO say what
the future Of the sport viii be in Utah.
There is no reason TO doubt that this
state will be just as quick 10 grasp the
new con iti-n OF fairs as neighbOring
states, and at the close of next season, !
when il comes time to dish out cham |
in al probability Utah teams /