The San Francisco call., 1909-12-29
COLLEGES VOTE TO
MODIFY FOOTBALL.
Rules Committee Instructed to
Revise Game After Long
and Heated Debate

NEW YORK, Dec. 28.-The Inter
collegiate athletic association adopted
and submitted to its rules committee
tonight a resolution calling for a
modification of the football playing
rules to reduce the injury to contest
ants to minimum.
The resolution, which was intro
duced by Prof. Z. K. Hall OF Dart
mouth and adopted after three hours
of acrimonious discussion, follows:
That the football rules committee
of this association be instructed to use
every possible endeavor to bring about
such modification of the rules as in
their judgment shall tend TO reduce
to a minimum the danger of physical
Injury to players and at the same time
retain, as far as possible, the most de-
sirable and wholesome features OF the
game.
only three votes were registered
against the resolution, but nearly
every college in the west had some
thing to say concerning it.
Prof. Alonzo A. Stagg of the Uni
versity of Chicago, made a motion that
would prohibit all officials of foot
ball game, including umpires. referees
and participants, from talking to
newspaperman after the game. Stagg
made a strong appeal for this motion,
saying that he had been grossly mis-
|. quoted at times; but the convention
defeated the motion by an overwhelm-
ing vote.
The revision of the game was or
dered, it is understood, with due con-
sideration of the association of Yale,
Princeton, Pennsylvania, Cornell and
few other institutions that are not
members of the intercollegiate organ
ization.' Harvard has joined the asso-
citation, but its representative let it
be known that his institution would
not be bound by the new football rules
of the association, although it would
recognize its regulation of other minor
sports.
a letter was read from David Starr
Jordan, president of LELAND Stanford
Jr. university. stating that the Ameri
can game had been abandoned there,
and that the English Rugby game had
been found satisfactory, not only to
the students but to the spectators.
West Point submitted set of resolu
tions which called for radical change
in the playing rules but these. with
other resolutions, were substituted by
the resolution offered by Hall of Dart
mouth.
1t became apparent that the larger
colleges were in favor of the present
playing rules, perhaps in modified
were violently opposed to them. The
representatives of nearly every insti-
tuition of higher learning between New
York and San Francisco made an ad-
dress, and many offered motions that
would limit the danger of the present
football game. These offerings be-
came so confused that Halls resolu-
tion was adopted as compromise.
Representatives from Cornell and
other institutions not directly repre-
sented in the association, suggested
that rules minimizing the danger of
the sport would be acceptable. 1t was
the consensus of opinion that rules
regulating mass plays and the running
tackle, otherwise known a s the flying
tackle. and playing through the lines,
would have to be adopted. Represent
.atives of a number of large colleges
expressed themselves not only in favor
OF this, but conveyed the threat that
they would either adopt a modified
form of football or would withdraw
from the association.
officers of the association were elect
ed as follows:
Captain Palmer E. Pierce. L. S. NJ.
A.. West Point. presidents DR.. r. T.
vice president: Prof. #. w. Nicholson,
Wesleyan, Connecticut, secretary and
Executive committee-Prof. F. w.
Marvel. Brown university: w N Cold
en-, Pennsylvania state college: A H
Peterson, University of North Carolina
c. W. Savage. Oberlin, Ohio: G. w.
Boyer, Iowa state college, and c. w
Netherington, University of Missouri
The rules committee, which will un-
dertake the task of bringing about a
revision. follows:
DR.. H. +. Williams. Minnesota: DR..
James A. Babbitt. Haverforu7 Penn
f. K. Hall, Dartmouth college; Lieut.
III. B. Hackett. u. S A. West Point.
Prof O. w. Savage OberIin Ohio
Prof. w. L. Dudley, Vanderbilt. and
DR.. w. A. Lambeth, University of
Pennsylvania
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