The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-24
AUBURN AND
 HER SPIRIT Is Cause of Football
 Success. CLASS GAME HARD FOUGHT Championship Battle This Year Fails to Bring Out Winner. The Class of 1905 Played in the Final Contest Each Year, Never
 Having Won or Lost

During the last football campaign critics marveled at the team which the Alabama Polytechnic Institute at Au burn sent onto the gridiron. These critics looked around for a cause for the success of the Auburnites and fin- ally gave credit to the splendid series Of class games which feature the win ter.
 Auburn shows more spirit in her class games than In contests with oth- CT colleges and as a result at the be- ginning of each football season Coach Donahue knows what to expect of his material.
 The official football season closed Thanksgiving Day. At most institu- tions the students returned to their studies. dropping athletics until the time to report next spring, but such was not the case at Auburn, as the men started to plan for. the class games and immediately after examination ing diligently each day for the honor or representing their class in the games.
 Players & on the. the Varsity team are are turn to coaching. As a result each class has half dozen men who work as coaches, developing the raw mate rial of the class. These coaches are filled with the spirit of their class and 1t Is common to hear one of them say he would rather play IT. the decisive game for his class than to gain his letter as a member of Auburn's var- sity team.
 The great success of Auburn's team against other colleges last fall has even increased the enthusiasm in foot ball at the school and as a result the games this year have been the hardest fought of any of those in recent years. | The preliminary games brought the Freshmen and Sophomores against each other and the Seniors and Juniors fought it out for the privilege of meet ing the winner of the other contest. These first games were bitterly fought the Sophomores winning from the Freshmen by score of 50 and the Seniors trounced the Junors by sim 1 liar score. This brought the Sopho- mores and Seniors forward as the op- ponents in the last game.
 The Seniors. explained by Hubbard 1 of Montgomery, have had an eventful | career in football The first year the class of 1909. as Freshmen. waded into the Sophomores of that time and had the honor of meeting the winner of undefeated in the final game. but had themselves been unable to score, al though Hubbard's men did carry the ball over the line once on a huke toins existing and after bitterly fought game the Sophomores had failed to win from their opponents in the final Washington's birthday contest. A and still there was no score. Last year the 1909 team was again the contest ants in the final battle and as in the two former years failed to score and also failed to be scored against and for the third year in succession the class championship was in dispute.
 On Monday, Washington's birthday, the Seniors entered the game deter mined to close their college football ca reer with a victory. The Sophomores had shown good form with raw ma terial, but still the coaches of the Se- nior class were determined to carry of the honors on this occasion. How ever. the eagerness of one of the Se- nior coaches cost the Seniors the game, and 1t happened Tn a most peculiar manner. One of the backs of the Soph- omore team barely touched a punt as it passed over his head. and when the ball rolled near the sJal line the Se- nlor coach shouted to him to carry # over the line for a touchback. This the player did and the Seniors quickly bounced upon hAm. claiming that they had scored a safety. There was a slight discussion but because of the coaching from the sidelines the play the Sophomores was saved.
 Several times during the game the Seniors had the ball within the twenty yard line of the sophomores and once or twice was dangerously near the ten yard line. The Seniors tried two drop kicks and one goal from placement, but missed in each instance. The Sophomoree were never In danger of scoring. playing on the defensive fought, much blood being shed from cuts Inflicted by the hard and deadly teckling.
 There Is a probability of Shis game being played nver.
 It Is this class spirit which makes things hum at Auburn. year after year. Each of these games show men in the ! rough who will later pc moulded into 1 Varsity material Other colleges haVo class games. but there Hs no institu- ton in the South who goes into the | game with the Auburn spirit.