Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-19
COLLEGE FOOT BALL GOSSIP


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According to eastern foot ball authorities.
William r. Reed. Harvard's $1,000 head
coach. who recently made public a state
ment condemning the brutality and lack
OF craftsmanship In foot ball. is the last
man in the world who should try to reform
the game. This conclusion they have
reached as a result of the PeHn-Harvard
game. which the Quakers won 1916. That
game proved beyond doubt that Reid Is
Inconsistent in his views. Throughout the
season he has been condemning the game
because of the close mass plays which in
tereSted few of the spectators and injured
the players. He declared that If the game
could not be opened up it ought to be
abolished. After listening TO Reds words
on the subject the authorities thought that
Harvard, at least, might be expected to
take the initiative in reforming the sport,
at least as far as a more open game was
concerned.
Great, then, was their disappointment
when IL was informed that Reid had taught
his men nothing but the triple tandem at
tack, which he developed in 1901. and
which Is at once the closest of mass forma
lions and the most dangerous of them all.
After Reds public utterances 1t was nat
ural 10 suppose that he wuld spring some
thing new in foot ball-something that
NUuIu correct tNe evils ne cOfnDialleQ OF.
The Harvard team, which outweighed Penn
ten pounds to the man, was almost
laughing stock after it had struck its first
blow and scored a touchdown. After the
Quakers had had time to solve the tam
dem attack in the first half they I'M
masked an attack that must have made
Reid, with his reform ideas. jealous, and
simply toyed with the Crimson giants.
Pennsylvania play was open and fast and
complete vindication of the open game.
The Red and Blue played just the kind of
game that Coach Reid himself and other
reformers said ought to be played. Reid,
however. is not yet disgraced. 1t is limited
that he did not show his entire hand in the
Franklin Field disaster He has yet the
east will be much improved If he can put
his ideas into effect and down the Ellis.
II
The Observation-Disclosures game was the
first exhibition the east has had of how the
officials can correct foul play. offside and
kindred evils. The officials for this game
were w. H. Edwards Princeton, umpire;
Matthew McClung, Lehigh. referee, and A.
c. Whiting, Cornell, linesman. These
three officials met before the game and
outlined a plan for Furnishing every in
fringement OF the rules. The way they
accomplished this was an innovation, and
can be adopted by officials the country over
with profit to themselves and the game.
Because. of the hard feeling which was
known to exist between the two teams the
officials were looking for rough play, and
they determined to stop 1t before 1t was
started. In order than no one official
should be responsible for every offense,
Umpire Edwards agreed to take the word
of the other two officials for Illegal play.
even IL he himself did. not it. In this
way the movement Of every player on the
field was followed and every offense was
quickly punished.
The ruling off of Parker the Harvard
center, for striking an opponent in the first
ten minutes of play put an immediate stop
been misled by the awarding OF so many
penalties into thinking that the game must
have been unnecessarily rough. Umpire
Edwards denied this by explaining that he
had never seen big game in which both
sides were so eager to get into the fray
and that the offenses were more for off,
side and holding than for unnecessary
roughnesS. The impartiality with which
the officials made their rulings pleased
both sides, and even the players who were
penalized said they had never expe-
rleneed peter oficiating. Umpire Ed
wards contends that most of the brutality
which Is charged up to the game Is the
result OF lax officials who do not enforce
the rules. This statement has led to a
sentiment In favor Of the appointment of
an efficient board OF officials to be distrib-
uted for the big championship games, much
as are the American and National League
umpires in base ball. 1t is certain that IL
this were done II would put an end TO
brutal and unfair foot ball.
Coach Warner OF Cornell has taken Wig
orous action in stamping out one Of the
evils which has kept the Ithacans at the
foot of the ladder IN foot ball This he
did by removing from the squad substf-
tute Quarterback Rice. whom he charged
with stirring up dissension among the play
ers toward the coaches. For the last two
years Rice has been one OF the best half
backs Cornell ever had This year Rice
could not make the team because of his
Hghtness. He was then tried at quarter
back, but was later replaced by Pollak. q
new man. Since the Princeton game Rice
it Is said. has been secretly trying to dis
rupt the team by declaring that he was
and given fair show by the coach.
IL is also said that the fraternities have
again been interfering with the work of the
team and are in reality to blame for the
present trouble. Impartial outsiders have
long contended that Cornell's countless fra
Ierhlties nave been responsible for the
lthaeans' poor success on the grfdron At
Cornell. unlike the other universities OF the
east. the fraternities all powerful II is
declared that they try to elect the can
tains of the different teams. the manaeers
and assistant managers. They have also
been accused OF selecting the foot ball and
base bali teams, and in so doing have kept
better teams on the benches than were on
the field. When Warner took charge he
declared that fraternity influences must
stop. but apparently he has not succeeded
very well.
None OF the other eastern universities
would tolerate the activity of the fraterni-
ties such as Cornell does. Said famous
Cornell athlete to the writer:
"Fraternities more than anything else are
responsible for Cornelfs sorry showing In
athletics. With the exception of the crew
and track teams q man must almost be
fraternity man to win a place. Alumni OF
Cornell sincerely hope that Coach Warner
VIII succeed In breaking up this fraternity
interference. even II he has to Are half the
team. Fraternities are for social purposes