The Washington herald., 1912-02-03
FEW CHANCES IN
FOOTBALL RULES
Gridiron SoIons Gather in
Gotham to Shift the
Laws.
THREE SETS PROPOSED
COchems Advocates DOing Away
with All Distance Limitations
and Giving Ball Alternately.

SPECIAL 10 The washington Herzh
New York, Feb. 2-There will be NJ
radical changes in the playing rules o
college football for 1872 That much wa
admitted by one and all Of the soloni
who have the fate Of the game in theil
hands. They assembled in annual con,
ference at the Holland House to-day
the joint committees OF the intercollegi-
ate and football associations-and tool
no pains to suppress such an attitude
when the first days session had ad-
Journed. .-7- ~
A great many changes were suggested
A number of them were exceptionaIlS
radical, and especially those dealing
with freak plays, the forward pass and
the Onside kick. But the radicals met
with little encouragement. The great ma
tority Of the legislative body believed
that the game could be improved only
in better balancing the offense and de-
tense Of the present style of competi-
ton. The idea seems to obtain that the
ofense should be strengthened to meet
the power of the defense.
Ed. Cochems., Of Wisconsin, proposes
the most radical changes ever advanced
for the Improvement of the great col
with all distance limitations, each side
to have, alternately, five chances at
carrying the ball. After each fifth try
the ball would go over TO the opposing
side He believes this would prove con-
ciusively the respective abilities of teams.
The Joint rules committee deliberated
on three different sets of suggestions
The first included a gain of yards IN
lhree downs, instead OF TO- as at present
allowing the forward pass to cross the
goal line and to cut out the on-side kick
The second suggestion was that the dis
tances be kept as at present, except that
within the 25-yard line the offensive team
De required to make but yards, instead
Of 10 yards, on the downs This also
suggested the elimination OF the on-side
kick. The third proposition had as its
ann the addition of one more down for
the required gain of 10 yards-four downs
In all-and also to allow the forward
pass TO be made over the goal line.
Warner Addresses Conference.
Glen Warner. head coach at Carlisle;
Foster Sanford, Yale coach and Ed
Cochems, OF Wisconsin. addressed the
joint rules committee, but the subjects
of their remarks were not made public.
Prior TO the meeting caucus of the
leading lights of Yale. Princeton, and
Harvard was held. At the confab an
agreement was reached as TO Just what
policies these three big schools would IN
doFse. At the meeting were Foster San
lord, "Bo' Olcott, and Carl Flanders,
Yale; Addison Kelly and Bill Edwards,
Princeton, and Ed Cochems, Wisconsin
All the members Of the rules committee
were present except AlonZo Stan, Of Chi
cago, and DR.. II. L. Williams. of Mime
sofa. These men were III and were rep
resented by James Sheldon and William
Morrice. The rest of the committee is
composed Of Walter Camp, Yale; J. w
Beecham, Cornell; Lieut. Paul A Dash
iell, Annapolis; Park H Davis. Prince
ton; Percy D. Haughton, Harvard; Dr.
James A. Babbitt, Harvard; DIR. A. Dud-
ley, Vanderbilt; Lieut.. v. W. Cooper
West Point; E. K. Hall. Dartmouth. and
Prof c. W. Savage, Carnegie Technical.
Princeton and Yale seem to have ef-
fected some sort of an alliance. The
alumni of Old Eli are keeping dark the
desires of the Bulldog in regard tot pro-
posed football changes. Walter Camp
and his cOnfreres evidently figure that a
premature exposure Of Yale's policy
might thwart any plans Of this college. |
The attitude Of the Eastern universities
toward Yale is well known-it Is TO beat |
the Blue at any cost |
The rules committee will continue IN |
session tomorrow. II is believed that
early in the afternoon. The proposed |
Iy discussed. 1t but remains to draft
and indorse the literature necessary to
make them law.