The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-05
CONFERENCE OF
VESTS COLLEGES
Coach Walker Suggests Pc
To Make This State Great
Athletic Center.

Coach Fred Walker of the Asricu
tural college of Logan was In the 81
yesterday, and found a few minutes
talk over athletic matters. Althouf
Walker has been a resident of the sta
scarcely six months. he has become
great booster for greater Utah athle
les, and has plan which he discusse
and which looks like the best thir
that has ever been proposed for the III
lifting of Utah school athletics.
Walker believes, and his belief
backed up by good, sound argument
that the entire west, from the Rock
mountains to the Pacific coast, shou
have a yearly conference of college
Similar to the western conference {
Chicago and The eastern conference {
New York Salt Lake is the MATURE
center of the schools in this section
the country, and Salt Lake should
the place i'm which this confereno
should be held. Each year this cOnfel
ence, after being duly organized wit
a set of just eligibility rules, shOul
hold a track and field meet, WhiC
wOuld equal in Importance any NEE
of this kind ever held in the Unite
States. Such a meet would each yea
decide the west srn championships
q manner that would be effective an
would bring a class of athletics not
he excelled in the world. This WOul
bring the western colleges before II
country in a better amer than an
movement that could be made.
Colorado Already in Line.
Walker is familiar with the work
ings of the western conference, an
says such a conference as propose
would be a success without doubt. 1
his recent trip to Chicago, Wake
stopped over in Denver on his wa
home and had a talk with Coach ELS
worth of the Colorado School of Mine
end Coach Koehler Of the Denver uni
versity, and both of these men fell +
line with the ideas, saying there wOUl
be but little trouble in getting tn
Colorado schools in line. Such a con
ference would be much larger in il
scope than the present neglected Rock
mountain conference, which is he'll
practically alone between the COlOrad
schools.
The question Of money matters wa
'
and those present, and it was suggeste
that a fund could be easily raised L
pay a part of the expenses of the visit
ing teams. It was suggested that tn
University of Utah could afford 10 ad
a sum of money TO this fund each yea
out of its athletic fund as the Uni
versity of Utah would receive the mos
advertising out of the meet held on it
campus. The A. c. of Logan, B. Y. I
of Logan, 3. Y. L. of Provo and j.. L
S. Z. of Salt Lake. all of which woul
be greatly benefited by being able {
enter teams. and also in bringing sue
a meet to Utah as an advertisement o
the states school athletics, could ais
afford to help out. A meet of this kin
in a city as large as Salt Lake woul
be sure to draw an immense crowd
which would bring quite sum O
money for use by the conference com
mittee.
Pay Part of Expenses.
Such fund could be prorated anon
the visiting teams, giving those VIII
Travelled the farthest the larger por
ton. In this way a squad Of athlete
could be brought to Utah each yea
equal to any in the world.
In such a conference the schools an
universities OF California Ol6gOI
Washington, Nevada, Idaho. Montana
Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. woul
be brought together and In all ten [
twenty schools would be represented
The proposition may look like a bi
one, but Walker thinks there IS moth
ing too big for the schools of this stat
to undertake The movement shOul
be handled by all the schools of p
state, who for the good of the school
at large and the benefit of the athletic
of the state at large, should get tOgeth
er and work as a unit. If this is don
Coach Walker. as we'll as others VIII
have heard the plan, believes that
can be carried through and its success
would make Salt Lake and Utah tn
center of western school athletics.