The Detroit times., 1912-09-23
is ALlMENDINGER GOING
TO BE A BEAR-CAT THIS
SEASON OR AN ALMOST?
That is Question That is Worry
ing Coach Yost Just
Now
JUST SLIPPED LAST YEAR
Learned the Game All Right,
But Lacked Pep in Ac-
tual Contests

enschmidt' Allmenoinger going 10 De
a bearcat this year, or is he going to
remain the ranks of the almost
good enough to make the team play
ers? 4
This is question which is worry
ing Coach Yost these days, in spite OF
the fact that already the Wolverine
squad Is large enough TO make glad
the heart OF any coach But Allmend-
niger ought 10 be a real football play
er. and Coach Yost believes that he
has IL In him, although up TO date he
has never been able TO get any OF IL
out of him. Allmendinger wants TO
play football. he Is an earnest, hard-
working player, is shy on that yellow
stun which spoils so many promising
men, has the weight and amoition'
but he lacks that something which
football coaches call pep for want
of a better name, and the result Is
that he is left TO cool his heels on
the bench while less promising play
ers take his place in the line.
Allmendinger Is an Ann Arbor boy,
and In high school he early showed
indication OF becoming star. he
played on the great high school teams
OF '07 and '0S, and put up game
that attracted attention. Graduating
from high school he entered the uni
versity. but did not play football dur
ing his freshman year. He was so
anxious to get-aEeeed start in mis-
studies that he cut out the game dur
ing his first year, but showed up for
practice at Whitmore Lake last fall,
weighing 1870 pounds stripped, and
looking like gladiator.
During the early training at the
lake he seemed to develop as fast as
any of the men who later made good
as members OF the varsity team. He
tackled hard and low, absorbed foot
ball knowledge fast, and remembered
instructions, but when he got into the
game he lacked the pep" that makes
stars OF football players. He played
a mechanical game. following the IN
structions of the coaches to the let
ter, but going no farther. Good-na-
tured to a degree, he never got mad.
II his opponent gave him the knee
he only laughed about IL. and the little
pleasantries which linemen exchange
in an effort to get each others gosts
made no impression upon him. A
lineman who played against him in
one of the early games. remarked that
he could spit in Allmendinger's face
without making him mad. and while
this was perhaps an exaggeration, IL
shows the depth of the local boy 9
calmness In a game.
Yost waited patiently for Allmend-
niger TO get mad some day and tear
the opposing line into small pieces,
but that time never came. Day after
day he played the same careful,
steady game, minus the fight which
the football coach wants to see in
every man on the team, and especial
lv a lineman. Then one day Yost
yanked Allmendinger out and sent
him TO the sidelines, replacing him
with Kaynor. who had been fighting
for a place on the team ever since his
sophomore year Doubtless Yost i'm
agined that this might put the neces-
sarv fight into the big guard. but II
didn't, and Allmendinger was COM
PEELED to see another man in his place
in the big games OF the season.
Now he is back on the team, ready
10 demonstrate that he is real foot
ball player. and Coach Yost Is won
dering IL he will really make good
this season. Experience has demon
strated that men sometimes. develop
into stars in their second or third
wear after playing very mediocre foot
ball. Coach Yost has had several
players OF this sort on his teams at
Michigan. Johnny Garrels. whose
feats on the gridiron and track are
still the toast of Michigan students,
never showed anything remarkable
until his third year For two years
he had been tried by Coach Yost, who
was satisfied that the big fellow had
n in him. It did not come 90 the sur
face. however, and when, just as the
coach was about ready to admit that
he was wrong, Johnny developed into
a world-beater. His brother, Allan,
who played on the team last year,
proved disappointment until the
Cornell game. Up to that time his
playing had been distinct disap-
pointment, but he seemed to find
himself at Ithaca, and played a star
game. Maggie" Magidsohn, dubbed
around at Michigan, playing on class
before Il was discovered that he was
A real football player. He came with
n rush. however, once he got started,
and developed into the best halfback
in the west.
Perhaps "Hackenschmidt" Allmend-
niger. who received his nickname from
his fcllow-players because he Is built
like a battleship and not because OF
the suspicion that he might have a
yellow streak, may come into his own
this year. Yost is satisfied that the
youngster has Il In him, and no doubt
will give him every chance to display
H. Just let AllmendinGer get up
enough enthusiasm 10 set The team
penalized once or twice for charging
before the ball Is passed. and fost
will be happy. No one ever knew OF
him being offsfde for any such offense
as that in the past He has always
been too calm and unrnffed 10 make
such a play. but maybe he has
changed in the past year IL he has,
look out for a candidate Tor All-Amt.'
lean honors at guard, or "Hacken-
schmidt surely will be a bearcat II
Il UWN