Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-20
WHAT IS DOING IN
COLLEGE ATHLETICS
Amendments to Foot Ball
Rules to Be Made Public
This Week.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

made to the playing rules of foot ball Will
he determined definitely Friday and Sat
urday, when the national intercollegiate
foot ball rules committee holds its post
poned session in New York Ever since
the preliminary meeting in February the
gridiron solons have been considering the
suggestions made then. Several OF the
more progressive legislators have had
some of the suggestions actually tried
out between two teams and will present
their findings to the committee. All have
made a careful study of the various prop
ostions, and it is expected that the COM
mittee will get down to the actual bust
ness Of amending the code without delay.
They can do this, since they eliminated
much of the dead wood at their first
meeting.
1t is likely that some people will be dis
appointed at what the committee actually
does, for it will be surprise II more
than a small proportion of the sugges-
tons made at the last meeting are enact
ed into foot ball law. There Is good rea-
son for this belief 1t is fact that the
practical foot bail men of the committee
are not very keen to make radlcal
changes. Indeed many of the sugges-
tons they have actually made were forced
from them by the severity OF the public
criticisms against the roughness OF the
game. They feel that many OF the de-
mands are made by men who know little
about foot ball and less about the actual
causes which produced the fatal accidents
of last fall. This attitude is we'll repre-
scented by ex-Capt. Ted Coy OF Yale, who
alternated with Mr.. Camp as Yale,s rep
resentative at the last meeting. Here Is
how he treats the interference OF this ele-
ment:
such pressure has been brought to
bear upon the authorities and rule makers
that they feel forced against their Will
and better judgment to make changes,
when in absolute sincerity they think
there is no need. Then, too. they think
they will be compelled. because of the
public demand. to spoil the greatest game
ever played. Why should they be forced
TO act SO. and by powers who are In no
respect acquainted with even the ruoF
ments of the game?
But even the most ardent supporters OF
the game are willing to admit Re"
changes could be made with success,
for we do not wish to continue
game in which a human life Is at stake
But we do plead for chance, and we
are sure that If the powers controiins
the colleges will only intrust the revision
without restriction to men who know the
game from beginning to end all will be
better satisfied
This statement certainly represents the
real attitude of the majority OF the mem
bers of the committee. And 1t Is quite
final revision some of these conservatives
will assert themselves and refuse to pass
amendments which they consider vision
airy and harmful to the best interests OF
the game. 1t should be remembered,
though, that the foot ball committee con-
tains a number of men who are not close
students of the game, men who represent
the aeitators. They are certain TO insist
upon the passage of radical rules, put
whether they can secure their adoption
is another question. At the preliminary
meeting every man was allowed to have
his say. but the writer Is renaoly IN
formed that some of the suggestions ad-
vanced at that meeting Will be mercliess-
~ dealt with this time:
In order to better understand Just what
problems the committee must Wrestie
with at the coming meeting the following
resume is given Of the suggestions ad-
yanced at that time and which then
seemed to have the fullest support:
1. Have seven men on the line Of scrim-
mage al all times.
q Prohibit both the diving tackle ana
the diving interference.
3. Eliminate the neutral zone.
A. Reduce in some way the distance to
be gained In three downs from ten yards
to seven and one-haf or five yards out
side the twenty-hve-yard lines.
B. Provide a protection zone for the
man receiving punts.
g. Remove the five-yard restriction for
both the forward pass and the quarter
back run
{. Either eliminate the forward pass or
limit it to behind the line of scrimmage.
s. Eliminate the onside kick.
.. Prohibit pushing or pulling the man
with the ball.
These embody the principal sugges-
lions which the committee will consider.
OF course no one expects all OF them
to be passed for some are merely al
ternatives While the members of the
committee have not been saying much,
they have been comforting with each
other to some extent. The chances are
that the conservative element In the
committee will make itself felt more
BY preventing legislation than by spring
ing new ideas of its own.
To Legislate for Schoolboys.
The representatives Of secondary edu-
cation are deeply interested in the plans
or recommendations to be made by
committee of which A. A. Stage OF Chi
cago is chairman, looking to some les
played by the schooIboys. The commit
tee. as whole, felt that the schoolboys
needed changes In the game more than
the college men. In fact, 1t was more
in their interest than that of the col
legians that the suggestion was made for
division of the playing time into
four periods of fifteen minutes each.
MIR. Stagg and the other members OF
the committee will probably present some
other suggestions at this time, and then
ask the general committee to indOrSe
them as their suggestion to the many
preparatory schools of the country. There
will then be less opportunity for the ad-
vocates of foot ball to declare that
the dangers Of the game are confned