The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-02
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal
~ HICAGO, Sept. 1.-The foot.
Il ball team which will repre-
sent the University Of Chi
cago this year will be but a shadow
Of last seasons western champions:
their four years allotment of college
athletics while several others have de-
cided not to return to school this year.
Of last years champions, Bezdek. by
unanimous opinion the star of the 1905
fullbacks of the west; Captain Catlin;
Hitchcock, whose halfback play in the
Thanksgiving Day game with Michi.
gan was one Of the most important
Boone, halfback and tackle, have COM
pleted their four years of play and left
school.
If these were the only losses. Coach
Stages task for the coming season
would be light one. Burt Gale, center;
Badenoch, tackle; "Bubbles'' Hill,
tackle; and Leo De Tray, half back,
have decided not to return to school.
the other absentees have deprived the
maroon coach of seven regulars and one
substitute Of the championship team.
The condition at the Midway school
at the beginning Of the present season
will resemble greatly, the football out
look in the autumn Of 1900 After
winning tbs championship in 1899, most
was forced to build a new; team. Such
will be the case this year. II
No Fears. However.
From all indications, however, Chi
cago Will have good team, team well
adapted to the new football rules. From
last years freshmen eleven. several
men of promise will come and these,
added to the few remaining veterans of
tutes, will give Stage better than aver
age material from which to build
team. Ill.,. - :
Walker, halfback; Russell, guard
and Parry, tackle, are the only regulars
Of last year s team, with the exception
Of Captain Eckersall, who will be back
this fall. Walker was not in shape last
year, owing to bad leg, but it is ex-
pected that he will fill the hole left by
the graduation of Bezdek. Parry and
Russell will be used this year at the
TACKLE positions and around them Stage
will build his line.
Noll, a substitute lineman of last
year, will be used at guard, as will
Watson, another sub on the cham pions.
probably be rewarded with regular
berth this fall, unless some of the faster
recruits from last years freshmen team
nose him out for the position.
:. Merriam. -Steffen, Finger, Kelly, ID
dings and Merrill are the men from the
1905 freshmen team that Stage is
coupling on for varsity material.
one of the. speediest backs that has ever
reported for maroon team. He is the
present 440-yard champion Of the con-
ference colleges. Finger is a fullback
of no little ability. He weighs 1870
pounds and was thoroly tried out last
year against the varsity. He will un-
dt;oubtedly be one Of the regular backs
this year.
Iddings, the varsity pole-vaulter, Il
another heavyweight back. It is not
unlikely that stagg will shift him to
Merrill played end on last years
freshman team. He is light, weighing
but $50 pounds, but he is faster than
any man On the. squad, unless it. is
He is the man on whom Stage is fgur-
ing to fill in at center or one Of the
guard positions.
stefen to Play.
Steffen is the new man on whom
Stage is building his hopes for a cham
pionship team. Heavier than Ecker
sail, he is practically as fast and equal
~ as clever a dodger His open-held
defensive work is also as good as that
Of the little captain, and it is open
field defensive players that will be in
demand under the new rules.
esteeffen viii, perhaps, be used at one
ST the h paH A pG msks him The ,+ open pen
man for a halfback, altho he weighs
less than 160 pounds.
With Captain Eckersall and Steffen
in the backfeld assisted by the new
rules allowing forward passes, the
team opposing the maroons will be a
good one that can stop their offensive
play.
Another new man who may be count
ed on as line possibility is TAYLOR,
200-pounder, who did not play football
last year at Chicago Coach Stage has
been trying out the new rules with .
class Of coaches and high-school. teach
ers during the summer term. unlike
Coach Yost, he is greatly pleased with
"The game will be better than ever,T
said the maroon coach today.
Stage Is Pleased.
"There is no limit to the possibilities
for offensive play. The great problem
to be solved is how to stop the opposing
team from making it's ten yards. De-
Tense and not offense will be the thing
that will worry coaches this fall.
Coach Stagg will spend the month Of
September in Wisconsin, preparing for
the, seasons coaching. The hardest
problem that Stagg has to face this fall
is the lack of time in which to whip
HIS tca,1 in shape for the short season.
According to the conference rules, no
team. can begin practice before the
opening day Of school. The fall quar-
ter at the University Of Chicago does
weeks after the other teams have begun
practice.
In order to overcome this handicap,
Stagg has each of his candidates work
ing at home, .practicing punting and
able to begin hard work the opening
day of school,
Captain Eckersall is at Paw Paw,