The Detroit times., 1909-12-28
FOOTBALL ON TRIAL
FOR ITS LIFE IN
NEW YORK
Professors Gathered for Annual Meet
ing Of intercollegiate Assooia,
tion Play Both Game and
Coaches.
Twelve New Members Admitted To
Conference, Though Yale and
Princeton Are Still Out.

NEW YORK. Dec. 28.-Football Is
On trial for It's life To-Day at the fourth
annual session OF the intercollegiate
Athletic association. which convened
at the Murray Hill hotel.
Following the radical recommenda.
tions presented in committee last
night by the athletic council OF the
United States military academy, West
Point. calling for modification OF mass
plays. the abolition OF the neutral zone
and limited forward pass. the con-
ference Is expected to make sweeping
modifying recommendations before II
adjourus.
The sixty-nine colleges and univer-
stiles represented In the conference
was this morning augmented by the
reception of membership of twelve in
stitutions. Bitter feeling prevails
among western institutions against
what is termed the "snobbishness" OF
Yale and Princeton. who have not
Joined the conference. Harvard heads
the IL last colleges to join.
Arraigns the Coaches.
Prof. Thomas F. Moran, OF Purdue
university, cut loose today with
slashing arraignment Of football
coaches.
THE coaches" he said. "are guilty
OF nullfying the rules and returning
by dint Of strategy to practically what
is called football. There are but few
coaches In the country who not en-
tirely lack the instincts Of courtesy
nd rfCx, oh III IN halr
players up and down the fields. dope
them to keep them In the game, urge
them to lie to keep from being de-
clared ineligible and encourage them
to play dirty ball. The coach works
under the pressure of disordered
public opinion. He Is called upon for
a winning team. Even college presi
dents. with the advertising bee in their
bonnets, join the clamor forvictory.
Therefore transient coaches, with q
loose system Of morals to begin with
resort to unsportsmanlik
extremes. II Is the sport and the
roughneck who is trying to block the
movement of football reform. These
types like the slugging game. Person
ally, am in favor OF no coach at all,
save the captain Of the team. would
make football a game instead OF bat
tie"
The speakers statements was re-
garded as an indirect reference to
Coach Speik, recently released from
Purdue university for falling to turn
out a winning team.
Chancellor Day on Deck.
Chancellor ]. r. Day. Of Syracuse
said: I'D rather never
have another game OF football at Syra-
cuse university than to have even one
man killed In half n century. I'M
proved rules have made the game
more deadly. Unless the game can be
rendered safe, we must adopt Rugby
or association, or the state legislation
will abolish 1t for us. Athletics seem
to be chiefly designed to advertise the
than to educate the students.
Players are being bribed and proselyt-
ed by the various institutions. colleges
are billed like circuses. men advertised
as stars and men are held up as molly
coddles who place brain ahead OF
Drawn. Students are sacrificed for the
OF colleges. Coaches are
paid more than college presidents.
Unless students are scheduled for
some form OF competitive athletics.
there is no Justification for the huge
OF athletic departments.
Lives must no longer be sacrificed for
sports.
Unless the rules can be so modified
as to eliminate the danger OF loss OF
life. the game should be quickly abol-
shed. The killing OF one man In a
football season is toll that cannot
Justify all the good that ever came out
Of the game. The game must hence
forth be played more with the brain
and less with the smashing and pound
Ing. If this conference does not make
over the game to the extent that the
surgeon need no longer be kept on the
held, we shall have to exclude It from
Dur colleges"