Evening star., 1912-09-08
EARLIER PRACTICE
May Be Necessary for College
IF CHANGES CONTINUE
Teams Will Have to Begin Work
September ! if Any More Radi-
cal Departures Are Made.
BY EDWARD r. BUSHNELL.

II the college foot ball world Is com
PEELED to digest many more radical
amendments to its code 1t will not be
many years before September will mark
the beginning of the gridron season
Within the last week three OF the biz
universities began practice. They were
Yale Cornell and Lafayette. These three
are now conducting organized practice.
and all their rivals will be doing the
same thing before another week has
ended.
Because it was thought that all kinds
Of preliminary foot bail practice which
began before September 10 had been
branded violation Of intercollegiate
ethics little surprise has been expressed
that universities OF such high standing
as Yale would start work early in Sep
tember. This. however was rendered
necessary by the radical amendment of
the rules. which In many respects will
make foot ball this fall an entirely new
sport. Indeed, there are many things
| to learn and unlearn that no criticism can
be made of those universities which as
semhled their candidates week, even
| two. earlier than usual. On the other
hand, the situation is critical that
some OF the universities which have an-
nouncsd that they will not begin unll
September l6 are likely To regret thelr
tardfness before their championship
games are played.
! With the most umenviable records TO
overcome and the best material this year
with which to do 1t, the Yale authorities
have started on a season which they think
will restore the Els to the front ranks
in American foot bail For two years in
succession the Yale team has been a great
disappointment. Following the record or
Capt. Coys wonderful team In 1:N9, Yais
suffered an awful slump in 1910 and 1911.
At the end of the 1910 season Yale men
encouraged themselves with the thought
that 1t was only an off year and that
1911 would see the Ellis once more on
top. But the last season was almost Is
disappointing as its predecessor
AS result Yale men held a great many
conferences for the purpose of loca tins
the trouble and relieving il. Scores Of
Yale men from all over the country gave
their views OF the situation The con-
sepsus of opinion was that no fault could
be found with the Yale system, but that
the defeat was due in large measure ~
the dearth of good coaches and sofneH hat
mediocre material Likewise Yale men
made no secret of their belief that the
new rules We're not the best suited Tor
their style of game.
Confidence in Coaches.
There is a comfortable buoyant feeling
at New Haven this fall that the problem
will be solved TO the satisfaction of every
ability Of ex-Capt. Howe. who is to act as
head coach All during his college career
Howe had a better foot ball head than
ply ysique. In fact, the writer has always
maintained that ii was Howe's general
ship more than Capt Coy's tndividuai
brilliancy that was responsible Tor laie
tremendous successes III 1902 As neid
general Howe has had few equals, and ne
ought to be eminently suceessful as y
coach.
Then too, Yale has a captain In Spald-
ing who seems well lifted Tor leader
He was d high-cIass player last year, and
has already introduced number OF IN
noyations, at least for a captain. He VAS
mainly responsible for the unusually long
and severe spring practice which the Yale
candidates had last April. That practice
was called very shortly after the an
noGncement OF the new rules. capt.
Spalding's idea WAS that the men should
have the rules thoroughly mastered be-
fore the fall work began. Just what was
accomplished cannot be told until the sea-
son is Well started but all those in au-
thority were enthusiastic over the results
obtained
Yale is abundantly blessed with good
material for this years team. or last
years veterans the Ellis retained Capt.
Spalding. Camp. Dunn anu Freeman Tor
the back field With the exception of eK-
Capt Howe il is practically the same
quartet that wore tie blue last year. in
the line ketcham Is back at center ana
Sheldon ana BOtnRlSler, the TWO veterans,
are back for end. In addition to them
there are two good men in Avery and
GaIlauer. The most serious problem the
coaches will have To solve is that of tind-
ing two competent tackles and guards.
The freshman class. however, Will provide
a number of high-class men, and II is a
notable fact that Yale is never at loss
for big men.
To take ex-Capt Howes place at quar-
terbach the Yale coaches think very high
ly of Cornell, the former Exeter man.
Cornell was probably the best all-around
athlete i'm the freshman class last year.
Besides being a good foot ball player, he
was a ten-second man the track. Par
ticular attention was devoted to him dur
ing the spring practice.
belief prevails at New Haven that
this years rules will be particularly ben
eficial TO Yale; also that the Ellis coaches
will make more out of them than their
rivals This last idea is borne out by the
fact that Yale men have held number or
conferences during the summer the
new rules and the tactics which OUGHT TO
be followed. Tom Shevln, who has given
Yale most of her new plays for the last
three years, has some new ideas which
he thinks will be useful. To that end lie
brought number of Yales leading au-
thorities and Capt. Spalding to his home
mer conferences were held on the subject
New Haven that "A number OF new playa
made possible by the 1912 rules were tried
out in this hastily provised laboratory.