The Washington times., 1906-12-09
SCHOOL FOR BLIND
/. HAS STRONG ELEVEN
Wonderful Development Of
Sightless Boys Into Pow
erful Football Machine.

LOUISVILLE. Ky, Dec. s.-The most
wonderful football teams OF the country
are those turned out al the Kentucky
Institute for the Blind
This institute placed its first football
team In the field last year. At first
il was marveled at that blind boys could
play football at ALL Then they met boys
OF their own weight with good eyes, ask
ing no concessions from them. and held
them 70 such close scores that every
one was amazed
Good Record This Year.
But this year the blind boys are so
football crazy that = has been found
necessary 10 place a second team IN the
field They are playing all around their
opponents with good eyes. The FIRST
team, which has played The elevens of
the tTo high schools here, has not been
scored against. though It has not been
able 10 cross the goal line of its op-
pOnents. II has held them 10 a tie I'm
both games The second team, on the
other hand. has won both its games.
shutting out the opposing teams. They
bore the Broadway Stars down TO defeat
II 10 o.
a majority OF the players on those
can see at all have such imperfect vision
that It cannot be OF the slightest help
to them In the strenuous game into
which they have entered But the senses
OF touch and hearing and that subtle
added sense OF the blind are brought
into play IN such a manner that one
seeing the blind boys on the gridiron is
not aware they are handicapped. The
only concession they ask their opponents
is that they call out pass when the
ball Is put in play.
Have Great Confidence.
Prof. John D. Gregory. athletic in
structor of the blind school, to whom is
due much Of the credit for the students
athletic development. attributes their
prowess to the great seIf-confidenee
which is developed in them by their in
trinity. He also says the blind boys.
seeing nothing, fear nothing. When UP
against line they do not Quaver at the
superior size or formidable appearance
or their opponents. Instead they plunge
into them, thinking OF nothing except
10 Gemolish their ranks. Ar / in most
Cases they do.
The work OF the blinc boys on the
football field sounds beyond belief, and
only those who see them play will credit
all they do. It seems increditabIe that
an eleven composed in the main of to
tally blind boys, and with only two
players who possess any degree of sight,
should contest in a game that makes
such demands on every mental faculty
as football, but this is what they are
doing
The blind, OF course. always strive to
make every other sense cOmDensata as
far as possible for the loss OF sight"
said Prof. Gregory. They display this
In many ways, but / do not think IL has
ever been so strikingly illustrated as in
the game Of football which is being
played by our teams
Insight Is Uncanny.
1T is hard to explain how they do
manage to follow the ball. They follow
the whistle most intently They know
the signals perfectly. and there is never
the slightest mistake by a blind player
In this respect. They can tell by the
sound of the ball striking the ground
just where II is, and can estimate the
distance unerringly. They can tell by
the shifting OF their opponents feet
which way the play is going They
seem TO possess a most uncanny added
sense Of just knowing
las an example OF what our elevens
are doing, we are using the tandem
play as developed by Pennsylvania sew
eral years ago"