The Adair County news., 1911-12-20
CRIDIRON STORIES
Football Games That Were Won
by a Tongue Lashing.
A TALK THAT BEAT HARVARD.


peal to Penn, and the Red and Blue
Rose to the Occasion and to Victory.
A Dog Won Game For Columbia.
Writing on football in the American
Magazine, Edward Lyell Fox tells Of
football defeats that were turned into
victories by tongue flashing. He says:
There are instances whereby coach
es have won games all unbeknown to
been faced in the dressing room be-
tween the halves. with the team
stretched out dirty and bruised. Lash
ed by coaches tongues or stirred by
the appeal personal, an apparently dis
organized and defeated rabble often
unit.
I'm 1905 Pennsylvania went to their
dressing room after playing, to 6
first half with Harvard. The tie score
was misleading. Harvard had played
the better football. They had ripped
the red and blue line to tatters. And
Harvard would have crushed Pennsyl
vania if Mike Murphy. the veteran
trainer, had not jumped upon a table
and talked three minutes to the team.
Murphy, like Antony. was no orator.
"'Do you want lot of bean eaters
up there in Boston to crow over the
hash their team made of you? cried
he. They'll turn that city inside out
and on good Penn money at that.
Your friends III be courtin' free lunch
counters for weeks if you let those
dubs get away with this! Myself-it
almost made me cry to see those big
stiffs walk all over you Gle gulped
noticeably) Because l know how
good you are. You weren't right that
half You'll kill 'em now. You've got
to. Think of the crowd. And say. fell
lows, if there's no mother. father. sis
ter or girl up there wat0hin', just
think of me. fellows Think of me.
that takes care Of you all. For I've
got the "con," boys
HE coughed, brushed his eyes with
the back of his hand and faltered on:
81 won't be with you very much
1OHSeI, anu want you " VIII thi
game
"He finished speaking and stole away
without a word. There was no cheer
ing; the men were thinking too hard
The next half Harvard found a differ
ent Pennsylvania team, team whose
emotions were keyed up to such pitch
that their fierce football has never
since been seen on Franklin field. Har-
yard was dazed. swept away and beat
en-because a man spoke.
Another remarkable turning Of a
! game between the halves occurred az
| Ithaca in 1905. Cornell led Columbia
| by to 0 when the teams returned to
/ the dressing rooms. Columbia had not
| recovered from a wearing game with
| Princeton the week before. Many Of
| the men were overturned. There was
distinct feeling of the hopelessness
of it all when the players lay down
| upon the floor and benches. Only Bill.
white bull terrier mascot. showed
signs Of liveliness 1t was cold in the
/ dressing room, and a trainer shook the
| ashes in the stove. He used a poker.
| the end of which became red hot.
When finally he laid down the metal
rod the red whitened. but the heat re-
NAMED. Bill. deciding that the poker
was to be played with like a stick.
caught the heated end in his mouth.
Instantly his lips scared and turned
black. Bill only shook the poker hard
er. Two men grabbed him and tried
to force him to open his mouth. But
Bill fought back. and finally they had
to choke him before he would loosen
his grip. 1t was then that Coach Nor
ley nudged Captain Fisher and point
ed to the dog Catching the idea. Fish
er sprang to his feet and built up a
speech around Bill. He compared Bills
nerve to the teams and asked the
men if they were not ashamed of them
selves. His closing sentence was,
Just play for Bill. Bill, Bill
when Columbia returned to the field.
Bill. yelping furiously, led the way
All through the half the team heard
him barking from the side lines. Said
Won Saltza, the big tackle. after the
game. We heard every yelp. and it
simply drove US
ALSO Bills yelping was so good that
Columbia won out. IL to c.
Very often. Mr.. Fox declares. the
| ability of one man to kick has. deter
mined the outcome of the game. He
writes:
"In 1907 Minnesota and Wisconsin,
played II to IT, The match has been
ballyhooed the most sensational ever
seem That it ended in a tie was be-
cause Of Capron. He saved Minneso-
ia. He kicked three gos1s from the
field. The game began with Devil
dering series of rushes. end runs and
triple forward passes. The score leap
ed to Wisconsin II. Minnesota 5. Here
Capron began to kick. Standing on
the thirty yard line. he drove the ball
between, the posts Wisconsin's lead
was reduced to three points Again.
this time from the forty-five yard line.
| Capron sent the ball sailing true. Min
nesota led 10 to II. The first half
ended, however. with. Wisconsin swing