Alma record., 1914-01-01

| Tribune on its sporting page had the
following items of interest to our cit
izens. Jesse {. Harper was former
coach at Alma college and was coach
ing the college baseball nine when
they defeated the u. of Nj. nine on
Davis Field. Mr.. Harper's friends in
Alma will be pleased to know of his
success in his chosen work.
The News Tribune said:
From West Point, n. Y, to Aus
tin, Texas, is a considerable change of
scenery for a football eleven in quest
of worthy opponents, but that is only
part of the program which Coach
Jesse c. Harper found necessary to
secure foemen for the Notre Dame
football team this fall, says Harvey
| /. Woodruff in the Chicago Tribune
| Visits TO Penn state and ST. Louis
are sandwiched in between, and still
the coach and his charges are clamor-
| ing for more action, offering TO play
post season contest with the Uni
versity of Nebraska, which jumped
into prominence by an early defeat of
the University of Minnesota eleven,
one of the strongest in the Big Nine
When Harper left his berth at Wa
bash where his coaching had raised
the Little Giants to a high plane in
baseball, football, and minor sports,
to become athletic director at Notre
Dame, he found it was not fashion
able for the leading colleges of the
west to meet Notre Dame in athletic
contests. Games in the nearby terri
tory were impossible to secure, SO
Harper went out and accepted dates
with strong elevens wherever they
could be found
The new coach declared at the out
set that hereafter the excuse of eli
gibility would not hold as reason
for refusing to meet Notre Dame. He
proposed a standard of scholarship
and eligibility at Notre Dame similar
to that prevailing among the confer
ence colleges and others claiming
athletic purity in the west.
Whether Justly or not, Notre Dame
has been looked at askance by what
would seem its natural rivals and in
uendoes concerning its players have
brought heated replies from the ath-
letic authorities at the Catholic insti-
tuition. The conference colleges have
annual fixtures enough without seek
ING as hard foe as Notre Dame,
while Michigan broke off athletic re-
lations several years ago by cancel
ing a football game following dis
-, ,Tr1,t Af ntr
Dame players to compete against the
Wolverines.
As a result, Notre Dame has been
compelled to be satisfied, or more cor
rectly speaking, dissatisfied, with
what solace could be CLEANED from
occasional selections of its players
for places on the honorary all-western
elevens. Coach Harper asserts he
has started a campaign which will
bring rightful respect to the college
he certainly has started a campaign
which will bring the respect accord
ed to victors.
The young man who thinks he has
an athletic mission to perform for
Notre Dame is just 80 years old He
was born on farm in DeKailb coun-
ty, H., where his family lived until
he was ten years old, when the house
hold lares and penates were removed
to Mason. la There Jesse attended
the public schools and took part in
the athletic activities.
In his boyhood days young Harper
was much the same type as during
his later college career. never sturdy
or rugged in appearance, but rather
of the wiry type, with great powers
Of endurance and the fierce intense
ness OF the nervous temperament.
When Jesse was old enough for