Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-12-28
FOOTBALL RULES
ARE BEST EVER
1912 RULES GIVEN HIGH PRAISE
Al BIG ATHLETIC
CONFERENCE.
NO COLLEGE MEN killed
Rule Changes Made Possible Bcs,
Game Of Football Ever Play
ed by American Colleges

NEW YORK, Dec 27.-Praise for
the 1912 football rules with the state
ment that they made possible the
best game Of football ever played by
American colleges" was expressed by
Henry l.. williams coach of the Uni
verslty Of Minnesota football team in
his report today before the national
Collegiate Athletic Association, as
chairman Of the rules committee. Tho
association. with delegates from near
ly 90 colleges and universities met
here for It's seventh annual session.
Mr.. Wilson told Of the difficulties
which had to be overcome and Of the
many radical changes that were made
all Of which he said proved most for
tunate. For several years back, he
said, The proper balance between Of
fcnsive and defensive with pust the
right equilibrium between these fore
es had been a serious problem. The
advantage he contended, had been on
the side of the defense and it had
been well recognized that as the goal
line was approached the defense be-
came stronger through the drawing in
Of the backs to support the line, SO
that the scoring of touchdowns by
equally balanced teams was exceed
ingly difficult. For these reasons no
said the rules were changed 10 give
four downs in ten yards instead OF
three, a change whic hhe character
lied as the most important and bene-
fetal introduced since the ten yard
rule was adopted.
The elimination Of the on-slde kick
was another change which he said
was most important for the best in
terests of the game and was made
because the committee felt the ad-
vantage Of the attack of defense
might be too great; because Of the
decided danger to the defensive backs
and because of the decided element
Of chance and luck in the play.
After recitng the disadvantages OF
annual changes in the rules, both to
the players and the spectators, Mr..
Williams closed his report with the
statement that now at last we seem
TO have a game that is the most sat
isfactory, popular alike to players and
spectators and coaches where the bal
ance between attack and defense is
nicely adjusted; where n team that is
properly instructed and properly di-
rected upon the field of play ought
always to be able to score unless out
classed and whore the team of SUI
porior ability ana skill almost inyar-
lably wins
George w, Ehrler, director of phys
ical education at the University OF
Wisconsin, rendering report on
football fatalities among college
men, announced that there was no
deaths among college men last sea-
son, but that a schoolboy was killed
MIR Ehrler in discussing the work Of
the committee on amateurism declar-
ed that there was twilight zone"
in which the application of law is not
always simple or clear
THE trouble he said does not
arise so much out of tn, difficulty OF
determining whether an actual vio-
lation of the letter Of the law has oc-
CURED but whether there has been a
violation of the spirit Of the rule"
Lieutenant H. NJ. Nelly of West
Point was the only new member to
the football rules committee. The
nominating committee proposed the
following ticket which was elected:
President, L. r. r. Briggs, Har-
ward; Vice President, Prof. 7. L. Mo-
ran Of Purdue; Secretary
Prof Frank w. Nicholson OF Wesley
an University. For district represen-
tatlves, C. Bloser, Dartmouth; Prof.
Walter Hullihan. University OF The
South; Prof. II. s Paige, University
NJ Minnesota; Prof, W. G. Manley,
University Of Mississippi; Prof Hugh
Bezdek, University OF Arkansas and
Frank Castleman, University Of Colo
RADIO.
The executive committee decided to
hold the next meeting on December
30, 1918. Tho place was not selected.