Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-24

place kicker. Besides, he had the faculty
Of doing things when they counted most.
His work at guard didn't tire him so that
his kicking suffered. He was a better
kicker than guard. but still a good guard.
He drop kicked a goal against Yale from
the f~orty-two-ysrd line in 1909. but Yale
was so much superior in other respects
that Princeton was beaten Just the same.
A year later, however, Dewitt beat Yale
with a place kick following a fair catch.
He was a sure, steady punter and knew
tie value of %punting so that his ends could
get down under the bell. He was reliable
at all times and dependable In a pinch. He
vas a great punter because he made his
work suit the occasion.
A player who never got half the reputa-
ton he deserved was Ledyard Mitchell OF
Yale. In the beautiful accuracy Of his
pUnts it is doubtful IL his equal has ever
been seen. He could stand close to his
line and place the ball nearer to where he
wanted it to go than any other punter
and could do the same when he dropped
back the regulation distance. He could al
most kick the ball into the hands of his
ends, and had he played In these days of
the onside kick would have been invaluable.
AS it was, solely on his kicking ability. he
was pretty nearly that. Superior punting,
pure and simple, seldom has had so much
influence on the result as did Mitchells
kicking on the Yale is to 0 victory over
Harvard in 1903. In height, distance and
accuracy combined he never had a superior.
star of the Tigers.
Was there ever a more strategic kicker
than Harlan of Princeton in his own
particular line? Not all Of the O'Deas,
De Wits, Brookes or Butterworths could
worry an opponent more. The little
Tiger star was the first to make the most
OF the onslde kick provision allowed by
the new rules. His running kick was
very battling and he could shoot a ball
hard and straight to a given point, hav-
ing the art of placing it down fine. He,
too, could kick with consistent effective
ness either from close to the line or back,
standing still or on the move. He and
Veeder of Yale were the best at this
sort of kicking, and, while neither was a
particularly long punter, each was steady
and didn't vary much in the distances
obtained.
And how about Walter Eckersall of
Chicago university as a kicker? If ever
there was a fine kicker he was one, and
that fact would have stood out more
clearly had not Eckersall been such a
sterling all-around player that his ability
to kick was partly obscured in his gen
eral ability as a quarterback. He could
drop kick and punt splendidly. Prince
ton had two first-class kickers in Johnny
Baird and Shep Romans, who would shine
today were they playing. Princeton
would have been smothered worse than
1t was by Yale in 1891 but for Homan's
unvaryingly good drives when kicking
away from the danger zone.
Pennsy's Gifted Punters.
In more recent times Pennsylvania had
two gifted punters in Reynolds and She
bile. Each was a kicker of high class.
Bob Herman of Harvard sent away a
long, vicious punt and was a kicker of
the Mcbride type. Percy Haughton was
a much more finished kicker. Harvard
never had a better. He combined dis
lance and height with such admirable
relationship that his punting was both
effective and a delight to the eye. His
%punting with a wet ball in the Harvard
Yale game of 1898 was as fine a display
of kicking skill as can be found in the
foot ball archives.
Douglass of the Navy must not be
overlooked in listing the great kickers
of the game. His drives scared through
the air beautifully. They had a lift and
a sweep which covered lots of distance
and yet allowed the ends to cover them,
With all Of his distance he placed his
Ficks nicely, and whether hurried or hav-
ing plenty of time he sent away a good
kick. Oil of Cornell was one of the best
punters in the days Of the old game and
a field goal expert as we'll. Kick a goal
Billy Ohl!" was the Cornell slogan in his
cay. Cornell's best punter since his day
was walder, last years captain, who got
away the longest drive OF the season last
fall. Valdez stood on his own goal line
and from that perilous position winged
the oval for siXty-five yards before It hi
the ground. Then the ball rolled, and
the net gain of the tremendous drive was
eighty yards.
Coy, Burr and Hollenback are all punter'
who time the flight of the ball we'll, show
good judgment in placing it and also get
good distance nearly every time. Coy wa,
the most effective punter in the matter o
consistency and distance OF last season. NJ
kicks were blocked on him and he was no
TO be harassed into making a poor kick
A notable thing about his and Hollen
backs kicking last season was that 1t die
not fall off, Notwithstanding the immens,
amount of work they were doing at otheI
times, Not only were they the two hes
rushers OF the year, but tireless defenslv,
players, and Coy in particular punteC
strongly and often.
others Who Are Famous.
Two Harvard kickers of note were Bill
Reid and Charles Brewer. OHrien o
Swarthmore and Vorhis of Pennsylvania
state were tiptop drop kickers. as wa
5 CaDron Of Minnesota. Jack Minds was
! good one at Pennsylvania when ne played
; Tooker of Princeton saved his team from
/ a whitewash by Yale in 1896 by a magnifi
= cent drop kick just before the game ended
l and one such feat goes a long way towart
establishing a foot ball players fame. I
wasn't just chance with Tooker, as witt
Arthur Poe, though the latter is none tn
less deserving of credit. Without prevlou
: practice he arose to the occasion when {
+, arrived. Tooker's feat was. like Kennard'
: the result of unremittlng practice, and n
= was there TO realize on it when the on
, opportunity presented itself.
, Prominent instances of games being woI
: and lost by kicks are frequent. Among tn
| most prominent ones are the Harvard
Yale game OF 1902, In which Mitchell
, kicking cut so much figure; by Poe's dro.
I kick; the Harvard Yale game OF 1905, prac
tically decided by Nichols muff OF
2 kick; the Army-Navy game OF 1908, de
cided by poor handling OF Greble's punt
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