United labor bulletin., 1910-11-24
LIGHT PLAYERS IN DEMAND
Gridiron Stars Need Not Possess
Great Weight, AZ Agility and Speed
Figure In Contests.

Light. feet-footed backs are In de
mand this year for all the college foot
ball teams. Under the new rules the
light player has at last come into his
own. This does not mean that the
back field can be composed of men In
the lightweight class. But the day of
the ponderous. heavy backs seems to
be thing of the past. A player
Weighing from $50 to 1870 pounds has
the call for the positions this year.
The abolishment of the sturdy, cata-
pult type OF back is due to the change
in the rules dealing with the old style
Of line plunging play. No longer is 1t
legal for the human batteringram to
hurl three or more men as interfer-
ence at an opposing line. Mass play
has been effectually abolished. And
SO the character of the game has un-
dergone a great change from the days
Of the flying wedge.
That the big college teams realize
the futility of playing heavy men In
the back field is shown by the num-
ber of shifts made this year. The
heavy men had their try-outs early In
the season and they failed to make
as much headway as the lighter play
ers. In some cases the experiment
proved rather costly.
Harvard was one of the first to re-
alize the value of light men In. the
back field. Evidence of this was
shown when Minot, an AIl-American
back of last year. was shifted to a
place in the line. Minot's plunges
through opposing lines last season
netted the Crimson many big gains.
but with the restrictions on this style
Of play this season the coaches de-
cided he would be more valuable on
the line.
Later in the year Princeton made a
similar shift Captain Eddie Hart.
reckoned one of the best line plungers
in the country. was taken out of the
back field after the Lafayette game
and placed in the line. In the game
with Carlisle Hart more than won his
spurs as an aggressive line man. He
opened up some big gaps for the backs
to tear through.
Coach Ted Coy Of Yale was another
football director to startle the ex.
perts when he placed Howe In at full
back. Last season Howe was the
choice for quarter back and 1t was ex.
pected he would play that position
this year. He is heavy enough under
the new rules. but he does not meas
ure up in weight by many pounds to
some of the old-time full backs.
Perhaps the forward pass had had
much to do with giving the light men
their opportunity. Surely that, coup.
led with the necessity Of end runs,
has worked big change in the com.
plexion of the attack To be success
full the forward pass must be hurled
and received by a player quick on his
feet. one able to get started with the
ball at top speed. While lacking in
concentration of attack and bit veal
on the defense. Princeton has one OF
the fastest back fields in the coun
try. Sparks. Pendleton and Ballor
make up a combination hard to beat
Pendleton is counted one of the bes,
runners in a broken field of recent
years, and Sparks shows plenty o
dash in his attempts to skirt the ends
Ballou is fast on his feet and at the
same time an able punter. Against
Houser of Carlisle he made an excel
lent showing. outkicking the Indian
by many yards.
Nor are the Tigers without thei'
usual drop kicker. Pendleton has ac
quilted himself well in the early
games and seems capable of dropping
the ball over the cross bar from any
point almost within the 4O-yard line
The list of star Princeton kickers is a
long one Somehow Nassau secures q
good goal kicker almost every year.
While Harvard has been rolling NJ
big scores on its opponents Yale and
Princeton have not been doing Sc
we'll. Yale was scored on by Syra
cuse. beaten by the Army and held
to a no score tie by Vanderbilt
Princeton started OF well enough by
scoring is points on Stevens. but only
managed to score IL on New Yorh
university. Villa Nova was easy for
the Orange and Black. but the Tigers
barely won by a score Of 3 to 0 over
Lafayette. They defeated the Indians,
to o.