Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-23
Bv Charles E. Martin.

~ referee blew the last whistle
4 in the Georgia Auburn game
Yesterday afternoon and Robert Lig
non McWhorter walked off the Ponce
DeLeon gridiron, Southern football
saw the passing Of the greatest play
er the University Of Georgia ever
produced and one of the greatest half
backs in the country.
The great Georgia player has play
ed the last college football game of
his career. He has another season
of baseball, but has been cheered the
last time by thousands as he circled
opponents' ends at will or tore off
gains off tackle or right through the
line.
Although Bob has been star ever
since he put on his first. uniform, he
is what coaches term a find so
far as the beginning of his gridiron
career Is concerned. Without ever
attending high school he entered
Gordon Institute direct from gram
mar school, and had never displayed
any ability at either baseball or foot
ball
lie entered Gordon Institute in the
fall of 1907, but when the call
for football candidates was sounded
Bob McWhorter did not respond. All
that he knew of the gridiron game
was that he had watched the Red
and Black teams play few games
in Athens and that his brother, Mar
Gus, had been backfield man on one
of the elevens. He didn't come out
for the team all season. When the
m hnyp GyFla1
Bob was among the first to claim a
suit. for he had always liked baseball
and It was rather easy for him to
land the center field job. While a
prep player at Gordon he raped out
g. total of % home runs during the
season.
WHEN Alex Cunningham, the same
Wv Alex who is coaching Georgia
now, made the second call for foot
ball candidates in the fall of 1903 Bob
decided he would try his hand just
for the fun of it. especially since
Hamp. his elder brother, was playing
a regular end. EJb by this time de-
cided he could do whatever any 9TH
er McWhorter could do or ever had
done, so down to the fieldhouse he
went to report 70 the scrub" squad.
When he got there he found but one
suit, or at least about all that was
left of suit that had been worn by
y 210-pound center, pair of worm
out trousers. But for even these Bob
found strong opposition, for that same
afternoon another recruit decided to
join the squad, and for the uniform
these two matched. Young McWhor-
ter tipped heads and the suit was
mis-. With the assistance of the en-
tire squad he finally managed to get
RECALLED in his first uniform"
THUS uniformed, Bob was assigned
to a guard position on the scrub
team and after the first afternoon OF
scrimmage he was given a position on
the first line, where he remained most
Of the season. He was a terror to
every man who lined up against him
and never was there prep back who
charged the Gordon line that was not
thrown without advancing the ball
by the terror" McWhorter. Before
the season closed he was shifted TO
the backt1eld and then began his ca
reer that has carried him to premier
ship in Southern fOotballdom.
At the close of the season, and
while still a sophomore, he was elect
ed captain of the team, the first
sophomore to ever have the honor
and the next year he was rated the
best prep halfback in the South. He
carried his team to the Southern
championship by scoring the touch
Gown that won for Gordon over
Mooney in 1909. In this game he was
severely injured and, though partly
unconscious, refused to leave the field,
and when he fully regained conscious