The Washington herald., 1913-12-25
BIG COLLEGES TO
NUMBER PLAYERS
All the Prominent Eastern
University Elevens in
Favor Of Plan.
EITZ STILL LOOKS COED
Fight Experts Figur. that "Grand Old
Man" Could Give Present. Stable
of "White Hopes" a Lacing.

New York, Dec. 24.-In keeping with
the Yuletide spirit. most of the big col
leges in the country came along today
with most acceptable gift for the
football enthusiasts-the announcement
that next season they would number
their football gladiators.
In The East Princeton. Pennsyl-
vania, Brown, Cornell. Dartmouth. and
Carlisle came out in favor of the plan.
So have Holy Cross, University OF
Maine, Colgate. and number of smaller
colleges Washington and jefferson Col
lege has numbered its players for two
years. The Army officials declared they
would number their men If the Navy
did; the Navy said it would number its
men if the Army did. So it seems GER
tain that both these institutions also VIII
fall into line
In the West the conference colleges
have announced that they would number
their players next year. The smaller
Western colleges have followed the
larger ones in approving the plan.
This leaves only Harvard and Yale
among the big institutions in the entire
country that have not openly favored the
plan. However il is said that the Off
cials at both these colleges have changed
their recent views on the subject and
that when 1914 rolls around they will not
large flock of persons in this land
of the free and home of the brave read
lily agree with Bob Fitzsimmons in his
statement today that, as old as he is, he
could go into the ring now and punch
into oblivion about 40 per cent of the
persons who appear and take the pub
lies money under the false pretense OF
fighting.
Fitzsimmons is over fifty He is out of
training His wind isn't as good as it
used to be and he is a bit flabby here
and there. But after watching the
antics of Carl Morris Jim Flynn. George
Rodel. Jim Coffey, Soldier Kerns, Jess
Willard and Iegions OF other longshore-
men. street car conductors and railroad
firemen, thinly disguised as liable
hopes" we're willing to wager our
money or Fitzsimmons against the field
and give big odds as well.
What is wrong with the white race of
the present day that it has not, in more
than three years of constant effort,
brought to the fore one real human
fighting machine? Since Johnson ham
mered Jeffries into unconsciousness on
July T. 1910, perhaps 200 men. each
giant physically. has been brought into
the limelight the future champion
of the world
Given the benefit of expert training.
taught all the tricks the old masters
knew. Groomed and conditioned as no
other men have been in the history of
pugiIism. what have they amounted to?
Nothing-absoutely nothing.
OF all the "'able hopes who are i'm
posing upon the public today Gunboat
Smith undoubtedly is the best-fighter.
not imposer. But a fighter, compared
with Sullivan. Corbett, Fitzsimmons,
Sharley. Jeffries. and Ruhlin, in their
prime. he is Il third rater.
Perhaps some day there will rise man
who can take the place of any one of
that seXtette. But that man is not Wis
ible just now along the pugilistic horizon.
And SO the fight fan must content him
self for q year or two more with watch
ing the smaller men battling with each
other Or else watch the aforementioned
longshOre stevedores. &C, wallow around
in a ring, giving a good imitation of
toothless sea lions at play or a Carabao
dinner.