Albuquerque morning journal., 1913-12-27
MAJORITY FAv0RS
NUMBERING Of
PLAYERS
Canvass of Coaches and Cap
taInS of Leading EIevens
Brings Out Sentiment for
Identification System,

ed opinion among football captains and
coaches Of the east and west is shown
relative TO numbering gridiron war
riors, according to canvass reported
by the Yale Daily News.
While nearly all the universities
who are quoted expressed themselves
favorable to the numbering scheme.
Coach Reilly of Annapolis and Coach
Robinson of Brown are adverse tol
the innovation. Captain Mitchell Of
the Brown eleven, however, favors the
scheme. No Yale representative Is
quoted. Captain Harold Ballin Of
Princeton says:
81 can see no real reason why, if
all the teams 9gree to number their
players it should not be done. It would
undoubtedly add interest TO the game
for the spectators, who are the ones
that make It possible to play. How
ever. do not believe Il would be
fair for one team TO do it and not the
other. for numbering the players
would undoubtedly make 1t easier for
the opposing coaches TO spot the for
nations"
Ex-Captaln Hobart Baker writes:
Il cannot say I like the idea, for
Il seems to me il brings a sort of
professional and business element in
to a sport already too much that way.
There is no getting around the fact
that It would make the game more
interesting to the casual observer and
easier for the reporters and Of course,
these outsiders il you win permit me
to use the word. have to be consid-
cred. In my mind it is consideration
for outsiders against the element of
professionalism II brings IN, and
think consideration for the outsider
wins; in other words ] am In favor
of numbering the men,"
Brown FaVors IL.
Captain Nlitchelrs views, from
Brown are:
Il am decidedly In favor of any in
novation i'm football that will bring
the public into closer touch with the
game and if numbering the players
viii accomplish this purpose, am
convinced that every college should
1 have no hesitancy in granting a re-
quest that appears very reasonable. In
a general way the public understands
the game, but the play moves at times
with much speed and the ball
changes hands so often, that only the
thorough students are able TO follow
inteligently the different moves. For
the layman. too much is left to the
Imagination, and If this guess-work on
the part Of the games patrons can be-
eliminated to any extent by such q
simple little device as numbering
contestants, let's have the numerals.
/ Coach Robinson. from the same
college, reverses the opinion, rs fol-
lows:
Personally, I am not in favor of
having players wear numbers. 1t has
always been my belief and stand that
college players as individuals, ought
to be featured as little as possible, as
IL believe so much notoriety is not con-
duclve to the best interests Of the
players individually and to the inter-
collegiate contests as a whole. There
is too much Of a tendency to adver-
tise unduly the individual rather than
the college ana the team that repre-
sents It, and it seems to me the num-
bering of players would be q step in
the wrong direction. 1t is enough to
see that Yale is playing Harvard and
that a Harvard man or a Yale man
makes a gain or play, without re-
ducing it down to the individuality OF
each member of the team, and the
more we cover up the individuality Of
each member the longer we will 5aye
intercollegiate contests conducted ac-
cording to the best interests Of all
concerned"
Favoring the scheme Captain
Whitney of Dartmouth, is quoted asI
follows:
Il am greatly in favor Of having
the football players numbered. The
plan was partially tried out in the
Dartmouth Carlisle game, when the
Dartmouth players were numbered.
The spectators and those on the side
lines praised the idea and everyone
was united in the opinion that it was
a decided success The coaches could
not see wherein the numbering inter- /
fered with the playing, and !, as a
participant in the game, can only say
that from the players standpoint it
made absolutely no difference. / GER
tainly hope this plan will come into
common usage this coming year, as |
think that it will do much towards
increasing the spectators interest IN
the game, besides making it easier for
them and the press to follow the
play"
Coach James Reilly, Annapolis;
when players are numbered, ii inn /
mediately puts the game in the class
of organized entertainment for every
one If the game were not played for
alumni and friends, numbering the
players would be appealing. There
are very few loyal alumni who do not
know the names VI the players repre-
sentine his university If an alumnus
and undergraduate is following his
team in the proper manner, he knows
/ who is playing. Score cards or lists of
players are distributed at most all
games and this is sufficient. In a few
words: Satisfy the alumni and not the
/ general football enthusiast. The ques-
ton of numbering the players did not
originate from any university, but
from the general football enthusiast
Norgren Booster.
Captain Norgren, Chicago univer-