Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-11-30

often. would do it again. And so it
turned out not only that year, but
the next and the next.
When the autumn of the third year
came around the Vernon undergradu-
ates felt that something must be done
to break this chain of defeats. \ good
man. Tom Muir. was selected for cap
tain. and he worked hard to get to-
gether an efficient team. He succeeded
far better than was to have been
hoped, but. after all. the team as
whole was too light.
Muir during the early part of Oc
tober succeeded in replacing four play
ers with better men and one of the
freshmen in the scientific school was
discovered TO be not only very strong
and very heavy. but remarkably quick.
In this way Muir brought the team
up to a state of efficiency that began
to awaken an interest in the annual
game. A week before it was to come
off so great had been the change that
the betting which had been five to one
on Kendall. became five to four ON YER
non
But alas for human hopes. One of
Muirs best men was injured in prac-
tee so far as to be eliminated for that
year at least from the team. Another
crack player was taken i'll. A third
was called home on account of a fam
Il LOT TO inn
these men with equally efficient ones
even if it could have been done at all
The Vernon money was all up on the
game and could not be withdrawn.
All hope of breaking in upon the vic
tories OF Kendall was abandoned.
The day before the match Muir as
serted that two of his substitutes had
turned out to be summers and he felt
encouraged. Vernon plucked up cour-
age A more hopeful feeling was wax
ing when the very afternoon before
the match. while practicing. the man
from the scientific school. who had
been relied upon for the principal tao
kler and runner as well. emerged
from a scrimmage with a broken leg
That finished the rising anticipations
IF Vernon, and the game was given up
for lost.
Nevertheless the next afternoon
there was big crowd on the oval 10
witness sEernon's defeat Captain
Muir was walking across the gridiron
with his head hanging in dependency
when man stepped up TO him ac-
coutred for football and said:
I'D like to be i'll this game"
do you know footbaII:"
"Yes"
You're BIG and strong enough ap-
parently 10 do good work. It's pretty
late. but / think can take you on
that is. if you're really in college. l
never saw you before. and | can't &C.
cept you without proof that you're in
college and not professional"
Go ask the registrar. He's over
there in the west stand
Muir did as was suggested. came
back satisfied and accepted the new
conner. placing him in the position Of
rlglt tackle.
This happened not ten minutes be-
fore the teams lined up. When the
game began there were not a dozen
persons on the ground that knew the
Vernon team had got an accession 4
man appeared in their line half Il head
above most Of his fellows whom no
one recognized. He attracted little
attention. however, for every one
knows that bigness is not the only
faculty necessary TO a great football
player. Those most intimate with the
personnel OF the team noticed him as
he took his position in the line and
wondered where he had come from.
Not one of them knew him. 4 mem
Der of the senior class said that his
face was familiar to him. but he
couldn't place him. Some felt a suspi-
cion that he was a semiprofesslonai
who had been showed through the eX-
ans for some special course fer this