Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-12-09
CRIDIRON HEROES.
Ones Who Never Win Places In
the Football Hall of Fame.
AND THEY WEAR NO LETTER

These Practically Unknown Men Are
the Scrubs" Who Help to Keep the
Varsity Team on Edse-They Play
the Game For the Games Sake.
There is no royal road to thorough
knowledge OF American college foot
ball. The preparation OF the varsity
eleven Is long and hard. The mills Of
the coaches grind slowly. and they
grind exceedingly fine. There IL moth
ing In store for much of the good ma
teriai that I'm the end must be reie-
gated to the side line. These men,
wrapped In gray blankets. who line
the low fence surrounding the field
on the day or the big game. are the
scrubs. or second team men.
There is a paradox IN their Situation
their only chance for personal glory
lies In the defeat of the varsity eleven
There comes a time IN many big game
when a coach, realizing that the day Is
lost. that his varsity men have done
their utmost to no purpose and are be-
ing swept steadily down the field. Will
throw into the game scrub after
cNa0hs hVBihk uE4inSl uOpC htldI LDeSe
men will play better than they really
have right TO and so turn the tide
And even ten seconds In the big game
give the scrub bis letter
So 1t is In after years that one may
point out many a wearer OF the letter
who was not nearly so good a football
player as many scrubs. 1t has hap
pened, too. that a man has fought for
years in the hope OF making the eleven.
has improved slowly. IL surely, has
been sent into the big game as for
lorn hope and has played n game the
like of which has not been seen on the
field that season.
Even scrubs take their triumphs
and their dissppointments differently.
There are not a few who are proud to
have been on the second team In the
year that the first eleven swept all
before II. They have no varsity let
ter, but the discriminating know that
they were better players than some
OF the varsity men of other years
There are other scrubs who bemoan
the fact that they were not In college
when the general average OF the play
ers was low and they would have
been almost certain 10 make the first
team. Be 1t said. however, for the
honor of the second team that In
stances Of the latter type are raro.
A scrub player learns the lesson OF
self sacrifice. 1t II his but TO be walk
ed over daily by the varsity. while
most OF the instruction and encourage
ment are lavished on said varsity.
AS rule, however, there comes at
least one week In the senson when the
scrubs are pampered and petted and
made much Of. The varsity Is In the
throes OF a slump" Is tagging, dis
pirited and sullen. 1t is then that the
scrub team suddenly finds that It
Is being taught to play the game just
as II IL were TO take the field as the
first choice against. the foe. There Is
coach for almost every man. there
are words Of encouragement, much
valuable instruction and a new esprit
de corps. Under the new inspiration
the second team sweeps the tagging
varsity Off Its feet, humiliates the first
string players 90 the uttermost. while
the coaches cheer the scrub and jeer
the varsity. At least once a season 1t
Is very good to be scrub. for at
least once season the scrub de-
feats and humiliates the team that
has proved perhaps a terror to all It's
outside rivals. Nothing has such q
salutary effect on the varsity as the
eating OF humble pie once In awhile.
In late years the scrub Is getting
more consideration than lin the old
days. Yet the men play principally
for the love OF the game and In order
to make the going as hard as possible
for the varsity. Sheer loyalty and the
thrill OF battle keep them at 1T year
after year. They learn football from
the ground up. They see the big
games from the side lines and, know
ing the signals. have q peculiar advan-
tage over any other spectator. With
a knowledge OF the signals one may
criticise the handling OF the big team
In the big game-may more readily
understand the strategy or coach and
Quarterback
1t Il this opportunity TO analyze the
big games, coupled with the chance to
get practically as good coaching as the
varsity, that makes excellent coaches
out or many scrub players. Some Of
these scrubs have gone back to college
and turned ont freshman teams that
have been able to eight the varsity to
q stsndstiil and no have astonished the
very coaches who taught them. There
have been instances OF this at near
iy every big institution IN the east.
Sometimes the services Of these ex-
scrubs have been eagerly sought by the
veteran varsity coaches, and many
man without field reputation has
proved to be no mean strntegist
II is really these ex-scrub men who
keep mp the high average OF interest
in the game. They are turned out
yearly at the rste OF Eve or more to
every varsity player. The varsity man
may lose interest in the game in after
years. but the scrub practically never
IL Is they who are the backbone Of
the piigrimages to West Point. and Il
81 they who talk football far into the
night In the club and chop house.
The scrubs. In a word, all nnhonored
and unsung as they are. are the back
bone OF the game In the colleges and
out OF them. They play the game and
they watch 1t for the games sake
New York Post.