Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
COLLEGE FOOT BALL
SEASON At HAND
Big Colleges Start Early Train
ing-Large Squad on
All Fields.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

1
on Monday of the past week, when the
Yale and Harvard squads began their pre-
liminary practice. Tley were quickly fol-
lowed by the University Of Pennsylvania
and Princeton. The West Point cadets
! likewise made this the occasion for their
start, though they were thus a little be-
hind Annapolis, whose candidates had
been called together the week previous
The Cornell eleven is not scheduled to be-
gin work until the coming week. though
several candidates for the 1thacans' team
have been in training. The minor col
| leges whose scholastic year opened this
week got under way without delay and
most of them will have started their
scheduled games within the coming week
Probably the team whose practice attract
| ed the most attention of the week was
| Harvard. It Is true that the Crimson In
variably starts off with reports of "splen-
did, material and prospects which are not
always realized when the championship
games roll around. But at the same time
| there seems to be more real basis for this
optimism than heretofore. Coaches
Haughton and DAILY are practical foot ball
men and both wore the Crimson when
| Harvard showed the same sort of 1901
ball pluck for which Yale is noted The
| fighting spirit is the thing for which Har-
Nolu As WI hiAi6 NiiAo io'A.
Yale and Harvard Lead.
In the number of candidates to report
for the first week Harvard leads all the
| other colleges. On the second day the
Crimson had some sixty-five men on the
gridiron. and there are now close to loo
in training on Soldiers Field. The list
of veterans retained from 1907 Is not an
| imposing one by any means, but the pres,
| ence ef some unusually good materl 81
| from last years freshman team mas haoe
| the coaches more cheerful.
That the Yale coaches do not intend 10
| let the grass grow under their rect is evil
| denced from the fact that Walter Camp
has been pressed into service from .ne
| very start and is expected to remain
| with the team all season. In previous
wears Camp has reported as rule only
before the big games for the purpose o!
| giving the Ellis some new plays WIN
| which to bewilder their opponents. On the
| first day Yale had out some thirty-hve
! men. but this list has been increased IN
| size until now the squad is the equal OF
| Haryard's. Yale's problem is undoubtedly
| the building up of strong line. Inc
| loss of both ends. one tackle. guard ana
| the center rush. not to mention Jones. the
quarterback. will naturally leave some
pretty big gaps in the lineup. But II
| should not be forgotten that yale still
| continues to be the magnet that draws
| the very best scholastic material from all
| over the United States. Consequently
| Yale is always ready to make good the
| loss of any man, no matter how brilliant
| he NAV be.
Penna. in Mourning.
| At the University of Pennsylvania the
coaches are mourning the sudden loss OF
Pauxtis who promised this year to be
| really first-class man. With him gone
| the coaches have six positions to fll-an
| end, two guards, a center and both half-
backs. Not in many years have the
| Quakers been so badly in need of first
| class line men and substitutes, while they
| will be In sore straits to replace Greene
! and Folwell. the two men who have been
running mates in the halfback positions
| for four years
| The Princeton candidates were a bit
| later getting down to real gridiron work
| than is usually the case at Tigertown
| But Princeton has light schedule this
| fall with only one championship game.
| The failure to schedule a game with Cor
| nell and the cancellation of the Swath-
| more contest have possibly lightened the
| burdens Of the coaches, though at first
| cost Of the financial returns.
| Cornell in not starting her practice I'M
| til the coming week is trying an expert
ment which has for its aim a victory over
Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving day. The
lthacans have no hard contest on their
schedule until the game with Chicago No
vember "a This will permit them to con-
dition the team by gradual stages.
Coaching Stats.
In considering the prospects Of the diff
ferent teams the ability Of the, many
coaches employed is quite as important
as the available material itself. Not one
member of the big five" has any reason
20 feel pessimistic over the coaching out
| look. At Yale there is splendid col
lection, with eX-Capt. Biglow and Tad
| Jones IN charge. With them is associa ed
| Walter Camp. whom Yale men regard as
| the father of American foot bal" The
| Ellis were always fortunate in the selec-
! ton of their coaches The two field
| coaches. always picked from the team of
| the previous year. are nominally en
charge, but, as a matter of fact, they
merely carry out the will Of the coaching
| board which has Walter Camp for Its
chairman and anywhere from ten to
| twenty famous players of former days
| for its members. In this connection Yale
has such a long list of men who have
made good on the field of play that it
is not necessary to experiment with un-
| tried tutors.
| The Princeton coaching system is
| tirely different and less satisfactory as
well. At Tigert own one man is supreme.
| This year It is William Roper, the man
| who has guided the destinies of the
| Orange and Black for the last three
years. In response to a general demand
| the part Oh OlneT
| players will have more to do with the
| coaching Of the team this year than for
| several seasons past. 1t is we'll understood
| that the system Is on final trial this fall,
and II Princeton closes her season with
defeat by Yale there Will be a radical
| change in 1909
At Pennsylvania the same system which
has been SO successful for the last four OF
five years is being employed. Sol Metz
ger, the captain Of the 1903 eleven, Is field
coach. But he is only one spoke in the
/ wheel Associated with him is the
strongest collection of Red and Blue stars
that ever gathered on Franklin Field.
w. n. Morice. a halfback of a decade
ago. Is chairman of the advisory board Of
coaches. relinquisned last year by Dir.
Carl Williams. who Is responsible for the
system. Dr. Williams is still considered
an honorary member of the coaching
staff, and a matter of fact has been
aiding in the preliminary coaching of the
team. Another man who should contrib
ute much to the success of the eleven Is
George II. Brooke, whose services are
tinuance of foot ball at Swarthmore.
where he has been coach for several
years.
Harvard is trying a system this year
which while not new is to be operated by
entirely new blood. Percy D. Haughton,
who wore the Crimson when Harvard
turned out winning teams, has succeeded
Joshua Crane. whose coaching did not
result successfully last year: Associated
with Haughton is Charles Baly. the IA
nous Harvard and West Point quarter
back. Those two men have associated
with them half dozen or more practi-
a. 49, .~xA