The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-11-29
FORWARD PASS IS
NOT WELL LIKED
Never Has Been Popular
with Elevens on the Other
Side of Alleghanies.
(By J.. II. Ritchie in Minneapolis
JOurnal.)

Football for 1913 had its finals
THURSDAY. all save the arrnN-naNN
game, and rs that function is about
as much OF a society 'rassle as it is
r. football game. the season may be
said to be over. The interest of the
next meeting of the rules committee
and it will not be surprising to see
some radical changes in the rules.
The ast is dissatisfied with the
rules as they stand at present. The
forward pass has never been accept
able to the big schools Of h east,
Penn being about the only one of
the big institutions to give the pass
a dual tryout. Penn uses it as a
ground gaining play while the schools
Of the baked bean and oyster bed dis
tricts regard 1t apparently as merely
a play to weaken or dispense the
rivals defensive formations.
Throughout the east is said to be
q current of opposition to the rules
Harvard are said to be in favor Of
rules made TO suit the big schools
and oppose some of the move made
since the rules committee was taken
ont of the hands of a few favored
sons and amalgamated with the inter-
collegiate committee. In fact the
larger rules committee has been re-
SpOibObpIS lol thS S1loll6SS Ill lIl0
present game. The old rules commit
tee was a bunch of hide-bound stand
patters who ran things to suit them
selves. The opposition to football
reached such proportions. though. that
the stand patterS a I pen up their
tight little society and amalgamate
with the rules committee of the In
do it to save the game. AT that time,
or shortly prior thereto. all the wild
eyed reformers were jumping up
and down on old Friend Football
every time they thought a reporter
was close enough to drag their
names into the newspapers, that be-
ing. Imogene, the inspiration for
much of the noise made by a lot of
these alteration tailors who would
shape the whole world to fit their
own little door-yards.
The enlargement of the rules COM
mittee brought new rules. It gave us
the diabolical adoption of basketball
the ten yards and four downs abortion
and the greatest sin Of all. the forbid
ding Of the helping Of the man who
carries the ball. 1t brought the in.
! kick and a half dozen other de.
Nious rulings. most of which were de-
rogatory to the game. The larger rules
gave us a game in which
SoA OOCG IOl ALWAYS WIN,
They made it possible for prep school
teams to beat universities and provid.
ed a code so complex that the bic
n slow-developing major teams are
constantly menaced during the pre-.
paratory and practice games with de.
leat by some collection of little whip.
per.mappers who with all to win and
nothing to lose turn the game into
what looks to be funEo practice he.
fore a baseball game.
The east is said to be tired and sick
OF all this. They zee a return t.
Fundamental football in which the biz
., a mas an opportunity to win or
The shape Of the football provide.
enough Of the element of chance II
its handling without increasing tina,
element until big games are decided
more on luck and chance than ~
the merits of the strength and coach.
ing of the teams.
The old rules we're devised for in.
tefcollegiate and interuniversity play
They are not designed primarily fol
putting college against university Of
preparatory school teams against col
iege teams There is a growing san.
t1ment against sending the smallc,
school teams against the major team.
ana It should increase. Football is no
game for immature boys and II il
questionable II it should even b,
played In high schools unless the h;gi
sohoo1 team candidates are sifted on
thoroughly by medical examiners an,
then coached by competent men
frep should never be pittet
against the heavier, harder playin,
ana mature university or col
lege teams. Teams should play i,
their class and not go. either abov,
or below the class for practice games
II the rule makers can bring thi,
shout in some manner they VIII hav,
maae the greatest advance in year
IN the game. The rules certainly meet
a lot Of correction as they have bee,
q laboratory ~~reriinent now for ahon
two years too long. and as the rule,
stand today they are not satisfactor,