The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-09-29
FOOTBALL PRACTICE AT
UNIVERSITY HAS STARTED

Norman, Okla. Sept 23.-Driying
the pigskin about old Boyd field with a
blisterng midsummer sun playing
upon them, Bennie Owens veteran
warriors are settling down with grim
determination to the long battle which
will condition them to try to vanquish
the great football machines that Texas
Kansas and Missouri will put forth
this year. While desultory practice
has been the order on the old battle
ground for several days past, training
did not begin in earnest until Monday
afternoon, when sixty men marched
on to the field and Fullback Claude
Reeds inaugurated the season with a
long punt,
Never before has the football ma
terial appeared as good as it does this
year Among the candidates already
arrived are all of last years stellar
aggregation except Capt. Thompson,
Jimmie Rogers, Mort Woods and
Coots. While these men form a quar-
tet of gridironers that might we'll do
battle for any school and were un-
deniably of the very cream of last
years combination, their loss will not
be fatal or even damaging because of
the return of all the remaining vets
and the plethora of first-class yanni-
gans hiking Norman-ward to try for
places on the team.
For the first time in her history Ok
lahoma will have a coaching retinue
thet is really adequate. In the past
Coach Owen has been compelled to
handle the large number of aspirants
alone. This year the Sooners will be
ably managed by Bennie Owen, Jack
Alley and Charles Wantland. With
Owen, the protege of Kennedy of Kan
sas and disciple of Yost of Michigan, in
supreme command a successful team
| is a foregone conclusion. In all the
years that the fighting Welshman has
coached the crimson and cream he has
tneyer failed to make good with a
strong eleven. His signal ability has
made him the best known coach in all
the southwest and drawn men from
everywhere to learn the game under
his tutelage.
For the first time a student coach
will be employed. The choice for this
position is Charles Wantland, who will
be remembered as the halfback of the
'09 aggregation, whose speed and ag-
.gressiveness made him a terror for all
opposing eeyents. Wantand has
every qualification to make him a sue
cessful coach and will be an invaluable
assistant.
Piloted by these three men, there is |
little doubt but that mediocre mater
ial would be made winning team, but
the large enrolment that seems Ger
tain this year, the number of huskies |
already in war togs and the do-or-die
spirit that dominates the school fore
shadow by far the best team that has
ever battled for the big Oklahoma edu-
cational institution
Among the recruits already in who
look especially promising, Floyd Trib-
hey of Maud is proving the biggest
He weights 224 pounds,
stands six feet four inches and is
brother of the great Tom Tribbey, who
Is never-ti-be-forgotten football hero {
of the school Another brother, John {
rribbey, also has played on the
Varsity.
Another giant here for the first time
S Beecham, who halls from Weather
ord, and played on Southwestern last '
year. He has a good record and care f
ul coaching should make him a very t
capable man.
Cross and Neal arrived from Tonka- {
va Monday. Cross was at half and
neal at quarter in the University Pre- c
'aratory School last season. Both i
Weigh well and are whirlwind players. t
ieorge Hughes of Ryan is a dapper a
ad of 200 weight who is expected soon. I
ieorge writes that he is uncultured in i
he ways of the game. but extremely L
ambitious, O
The first game will be played with r
'entral Normal at Norman on Septem- i
'er % This is regarded as practice
oust, but rumor is out that the willy J
ormals have a number of pretentious S
urprise packages and will journey to +
anticipating victory The a
chedule is an unusually stiff one this r
ear, since Kansas. Missouri and Texas a
re all to be bearded in their own bail c
wicks, but present indications are that f
or the first time in southwestern foot I
all history Oklahoma has a magnifi- a
ent chance to snatch the dusty and o
Iedraggled wreath c,f cridiron cpnra n