The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1911-12-01
CR|D|RON STARS
ON MINOR TEAMS
PLAYERS NOT ON BIG ELEVENS
WHO MADE 1911 HISTORY.
sPRAcKLlNe is BROWNS STAR
Quarterback Of Providence Boys One
Of Best H. Position-Miller Of Penn
State Another-Thorpe of Carlisle
One OF the Greatest Of Halfba5ks.

state announcer noTpe OF SNllS'S
One OF the Greatest Of Halfbacks.
Few minor league baseball players
are known beyond their own small cir
cults until grabbed up by the majors,
when. if even for short time. they
jump into almost national prominence.
in which respect they have it on" any
number of footballiSts, who, however
great they may be, seldom attract II
great deal of attention from the mass
rs unless they are fortunate enough to
be on team that manages to whip II
member of the big four"
There are RATS OF players unknown
to the general run of football fans, but
who If given the chance probably
would make good with any of the
group from which the champion elev
ems are invariably drawn.
There isn't doubt that Sprackling,
quarterback and captain Of Brown,
could grab any quarterback position
in the east, with two possible eXcep-
tions. Yale, with Howe, and Penn
State, with Miller, might think long
time before assigning Sprackling to
the position, yet ut Yale the appear
result in Howe being shifted to one of
the halfbaCk positions.
Miller of Penn State occupies almost
as high rank. Unfortunately Penn
State does not travel in such polite So
ciety as Brown. But in the Penn
game Miller was revelation. He not
only proved himself a master field gen
eral, but his running both from posi-
ton and in carrying back punts equal
ed anything seen on Franklin field in
years.
Both are great field generals; both
get every last ounce OF power out of
their teams; both are deadly accurate
In hurting forward passes about;
both can kick and both are sure
death on punts, with speed and
lodging ability enough to run their
backs yards farther than the average
quarter.
1t is something of a coincidence that
Brown and Penn State with two Of
the greatest quarterbacks in the coun-
try should also have two Of the
very best ends Ashbaugh of Brown
IS almost as greatly responsible as
Sprackling for the success Brown has
achieved with the forward pass, and
Captain Very of Penn State works al
most as we'll with Miller. These two.
Ike their teammates, could grab regu
lar positions on any team.
Two other Quarterbacks of more
than average abilty-Captain Fogg of
Syracuse and Welsh OF Carlisle-have
been playing considerable football this
year. Welsh ran something like 100
yards for touchdown in the Penn
Carlisle game recently and was so
successful in picking the weak spots
in the Penn defense that he was never
once forced to reveal the full strength
of his teams attack.
Fogg earned his spurs against Mich
igan few weeks ago. his general
ship going long way toward enabling
Syracuse to hold a better football
team to tie score. He is not as
artful a runner as Sprackling, Miller
or Welsh on a broken field, but his is
n sturdier line punger, running from
his position.
Halfback Thorpe, the mainStay OF
the Carlisle Indians, is rated one of
the best halfbacks in the country.
Some critics have labeled him the
greatest of the year as an all round
performer. j. Weelock, his running
mate, is almost as effective If any
thing he is a harder man to play on
an end run. but does not hit the line
as heavily as Thorpe and Is nothing
like so good a kicker.
4 substitute halfback on the VIII
lams team, Ainslee by name, is on
record as having made the longest
run of the year in a game against a
big eleven. In the Cornell Williams
clash he grabbed up kickoff on his
own five yard line and ran 105 yards
to a touchdown. Only once in the
history Of football has that run been
equaled at Cornell and not this year
ut all on any gridiron.
Lafayette has two candidates, Tackle
Kelly and Halfback Spiegel. Compe,
tent critics think highly Of both. Kel
ly, giant of a man with m elevation
in excess Of six feet, Is not only a rare
good tackle, but one of the best punters
in the country as we'll
Larry in the year Kelly got in kicks
ranging from fifty-tive to siXty-6ve
yards in every game. Spiegcl, his
teammate, Is another Sprackling in
going down an open field.
Still another is floating around who
would be welcomed by the Harvard
coaches like million dollars If he
were eligible to play for the Crimson
varsity. Unfortunately this young man,
one Brickley, is but n freshman. He
recently kicked four field goals in one
game.
There are many more. West Point
and Annapolis anyhow could hardly
be classed with the minors" Both
Army and Navy, though outside the
classic ring. are both fairly loaded
down with nigh class football players
who mover can hope to achieve the
fame that would be theirs If they were
playing with Yale, Harvard, Princeton
or Pennsylvania.
Twas Ever Thus.