Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-22
NEBRASKA IN CONFERENCE?
Manager Eager Gets Hurry Up Call
to Attend Meeting.
MAY TAKE MICH1GAN's PLACE
Athletic Board Ready TO Join and
Make Union the "Big Nine"-
staEg Thought to He
Favorable.

LINCOLN, Dec. a.-(Speclal)-Is the Uni
versity OF Nebraska's Christmas gift to be
a membership in the Western intercollegiate
conference? Have the schools of the So
called big Eight" tired of keeping an open
door for the return of their hayward ex-
member. Michigan, and are they ready to
let Nebraska take the place Of the Wolver-
Ines, as they once limited they were only
two years ago7
These questions became rife today with
the departure OF Manager Earl Eager for
Chicago as a representative of the Unlver-
sity Of Nebraska at a meeting of all the
Chicago conference managers on Thursday.
Besides Phil Bartelem Of the University of
Michigan, Manager Eager will be the only
nonconference representative present at the
meeting.
Ostensibly he goes to arrange foot ball
dates with Minnesota and Michigan, but
there are strong grounds for believing that
his mission is Ear more important than the
fixing of gridiron games. The circumstances
attendant upon his sudden departure have
created a suspicion that Nebraska 10 to be
invited to join the big western conference.
The Chicago meeting was announced over
three weeks ago, but Nebraska's repre-
sentative had no thought of going until
NIu . NiAG ht AONtANNN a
ton from Chicago. The contents of that
message have been kept a secret from all
but a few of the faculty members of the
athletic board. 1t undoubtedly contained
something very important, for as soon as
It came a decision to hurry Manager Eager
to Chicago was made, and he left today
two lays before the date of the meeting.
Among local university athletic authori-
ties It is limited the communication was
from Coach Stagg of the University Of Chi
cago, and that 1t was an urgent request
for Nebraska to send a representative to
the meeting in the Windy City on Thursday
to discuss the expansion of the Big Eight
into the big Nine"
1t Is known now that Stage has set him
self against the return of Michigan to the
field, and that question is admitted to bt
a dead issue for this year. But has Stagl
decided to pass Michigan for good and IL
he going to try and get Nebraska into the
conference so that there will be no place
for the Wolverines? That is just the con
clusion local mentors have reached.
Stage, as the man who forms the Uni
versity Of Chicago's athletic policies, has
announced that he is through with any at
tempt to reconcl Michigan, and that ne.
gotlations between the Ann Arbor schoo
and the conference are at an end. He ha'
stated positively that the Wolverines will
not get into the big Eight" this year.
The Midway director and his school have
always been friendly toward the C%ornhusk-
ers and only two years ago tried to gel
the Nebraska institution into the confer
ence. Now 1t is thought that Stage, him
self, has become thoroughly disguised witt
Michigan and that he is decided on a policy
toward the Ann Arbor people. to the carry
ing out of which the first move will bt
to fill the vacancy in the conference by
voting Nebraska to membership in the pres
ent big Eight"
Putting the Cornhuskers into the confer
ence as the ninth member would be a di
rect slap at the Wolverines, who hav'
limited they might take up a seat in tina
body again II they were allowed certain
concessions. When Michigan withdrew Ne
braska was mentioned as its successor
but the time apparently was not ripe TO
getting the Cornhuskers into the highe
company. although Chicago and Minnesota
wanted them In then.
The Cornhuskers are ready to join tn
conference, and the local athletic boarC
is willing to ratify the action of its mana
ger at Chicago. In case Nebraska joins tn
big Eight, ;" Chicago will probably TAX
Michigan's place on the Cornhusker foo
ball schedule.