The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-06
CLEAN ATHLETICS
IS -
The State Agricultural College
Makes Wonderful Progress.
Past Season Has Shown Marked
Development by Students.
RIOTERS "A FEATURE.
Had Mems Club =of 200 and a
WOmen's Jolly Crowd Of $50.
The Work Of Coach Ahern Has
Been of Highest Order.

manhattan, Kan. Dec. 6.-The re-
lj aTAaDIe progress made of late in
athletles at the State Agricultural col
Iege deserves more than mere passing
notlce InteFestTfn such matters was
80 low thatSlt s2gas scarcely possible to.
set out cQNp oral guard of students.
70 atlend aI74int erco Negiate game AT
me recent football contest with K u
s4ully one Thousand students were on
the preachers and a many otherf peo-,
p4e: BESIDES. much concerted singing
legitimate roofing for the home team
at the recent K. U. contest, there was a
young mems rootef club of 200 men,
Ders ana a young sWon1en's rooter club
e. eleven every minute they played. A
number of Tnerr~ who had witnessed
many of the big eastern games pro-
nounced 1t the best exhibition of loyal
support they had ever seen given on
the football field.
A feature of this excellent work of
supporting the home players was the
splendid discipline under which the
rooterS were held. The clubs met and
practiced their. songs and yells made
especially for the occasion. There was
throughout a commendable lack of
coarse and unbecoming conduct on the
part or the members. So far as is
known this club was lthe first of it's
kind ever connected. with a college, al
though many institutions are now TAX
ing up with the idea. The credit for
"A.
106, of Shawnee county, and J. r.
Coxen. '07, of Wabaunsee county.
These two students with the assistance
of Prof. J. o: Hannf1ton rnatured the
plans for the clubSii It's present form. ~-sl
Another feature Tof tfIis club work.
is that there is irregular programme
to be carried QUIZ When the visiting
team first appears''Hpo the field they
are greeted with n ELF own college yell.
This little courfAs9 tends to bespeak
only honorable playing on their part
After the hang, Instead of h0Oting and
jeering at the yistters the members of
the rooterS' clpbS-giVe them recep-
ton and show them every form of
courtesy due to- perfect gentlemen. Let
the reader contrast this form Of treat
ment with that of mObbing and other
wise maItreatingl the visitors-a pFac-
tice that -some institutions have not
wholly discarded even yetZand he will
understand in some measure how the
Kansas Agricultural Athletic assocta-
ton has won over to its side the facul-
ty and the Christian Organizations OF
the college and town. sss-.,--
But a story of the splendid Growth.
of the~#rue athlsffcsspirits al this college
to the coach. NJ. Fss Aherns or Miro,
as he Is affectionately called by the
boys. During his two years work here
as coach, Mr.. Aherp has cOuntenanced
nothing but clean athletics choosing
rather to see his team go down in de-
feat than to win by any d1shonoraD pie
means The significant feature OF his
work asAcDach is that he is regularly |
EMPLOYED as instructor in the college. |
Coach Ahern gained a thorough knoWl- |
edge Of athletic sports at Amherst,
where he was a star both at baseball |
and football. He can come as nearly |
pIavine in three or four different posi- |
lions at once as any other athlete the
writer has ever seen. He has the FAC
ulty Of instilling into his men a SPLEEN
did form of courage and manllness. TO
!, else
excellent scoring record made during
the past wear by the various athfetfc
teams here. In addition to- these fae7
tors. his untiring enthusiasm ana m
teresting personality nave doOeu iAuedi
to the value of his work
On the next morning after the VIC
tory over K u. and a half hour De1ore
chapel time, there was assem- pled IN
singing triumphant songs. Wnen
lima Mater was begun the entire
audience, faculty and all, arose as one
man and joined in the strains OF the
exultation over a yanquished zoe put
one of loyalty ana I'M
in behalf of the college,
suitable introduction to the deVotlonal
exercises that followed.
Now on account Of the brutalizing-E
and DANGEROUS elements of the cider
style of playing football and the 'tena-
encv to professionalism in both IootDaIl
and baseball In the past, tne W w,
confesses to having been a bit cold on
the subject of college atnletics- But
III these Objectionable features be-
come more and more eliminated, as IS
the case in the state coIiege' ne call
observe an increasing value in these
sD0rts as means of engineering a
democratic spirit and of unifying col
lege sentiment in the interest OF the
greater puTpose for Mn1eh a II HN1ss
WILLIAM A McKEEV Err.