New-York tribune., 1914-12-13
Tigers Seeking Cure
for Football ILLS

Princetonisn" that he intends To mai.
certain suggestions TO the athls,,s
board Of control, and, therefore 49,
not care to discuss them at uressn.
He puts himself, however, souarsl-
behind the one-man system. His lst.
ter, in part, follows:
"As is customary after a losin.
year, criticism is broadcast Our ss,'
son has proven 70 be most unsati..
factory, and | am very sorry 10 a..
Captain Ballin's team 20 on reeorS
with the Harvard and Yale defeats. We
are well aware of the fact that Prince.
ton had excellent material this year.
Whether or not the present coach.
ing system at Princeton shall contiuus
is entirely up TO the Athletic Board az
Control. 0tr present system has NOT
produced results. IL was hoped 70 be-
the ideal system. We have an athletic
committee, consisting of representative
members of the faculty, graduates and
undergraduates who are without doubt
giving this matter serious considera.
tion, and If thev are anxious for
change in policy. their committee slons
can make it possible. Therefore, all
suggestions should be sent to the Ath.
letic Board of Control.
81 am not in favor Of discussing
here in a letter all my views on the
Princeton football situation, as / shall
take these matters up with the Ath.
letic Board of Control, but | DO, how
ever, desire to state that / believe sb-
solutely in the one-man system. Foot.
ball has become a regular business.
and, as in any regular business, one
man must stand at the head. There
should never be considered at any time
any man but a Princeton football man
for the position.
princeton has numerous men who
can handle this job successfully, but
when such a man is chosen he must
! make football his regular business and
give his entire time TO this work. Such
a man must be well paid, and this man
should, believe, have entire selection
Of the coaches under him"
Dillon Attacks Old Scheme.
Edward Dillon writes that he has
always been a believer in the one-man
coaching system, and declares that the
old scheme of things is certainly dead.
He suggests a committee of graduates
and the 1915 captain be formed in order
to pick a coach. Dillon's letter fol-
lows:
81 am Fastening 70 answer the foot
ball letter which you sent out, because
| am deeply interested in the situa-
ton, and feel that we cannot waste
any time in discarding a system which
to my mind is obsolete and out OF date.
| am and always have been an ardent
advocate of the responsible one-msn
system of coaching, which has so sue
cessfully been used at Harvard through
the agency of Mr. Haughton. But no
system will be successful without the
right man at the head, and the process
of selection should be slow and by
gradual elimination.
81 would suggest shat committee OF
five men be appointed to select this
head coach, and that such commit
tee should include such practical men
as William Roper, Bill Church, EDDIE
Hart and Arthur Poe, men who have
been in personal touch with all the
possibilities for the last twenty years,
and to these four | would add the cap
tain of the 1915 football team.
"If you are looking for criticism OF
the old system and reasons for this,
feel confident that could furnish many
and from personal experience with the
regime lust concluded, but ! feel 1t
wiser and safer to merely declare that
the old system is dead, never to be
iesurrected.'
Fielding II. Yost, perhaps the most
absolute monarch the gridiron has
known. declares himself unhesitatingly
in favor of the one-man system. His
letter follows:
"I want to state first that ! have AZ
ways been intensely interested IN the
Princetonian football team. | was
coached in 1895 by Doggy Trencnard
and in 1896 by Parke Davis, and nave
known and been in touch with grea.
number Of Princeton football men, ana
Princeton men in general, since tns'
time. -.
an answer 10 your questions, wlth'
out going much into detail, would say
that I heartily believe in what Is
termed the 'one-man system; ina, 49,
q system where one man has the aoso;,
lutte charge and the final say IN REGARD
to all matters pertaining TO the cosen'
ing and developing Of football team
100 Many Cooks
"Ths old saying, Too many COOKS
snoil the broth is applicable, espe--
cially TO developing a football team. l
do not mean to say by this that |
believe one man should attempt 70 az
all the coaching, but that he snoulSi
have absolute control OF II. go0S
man, given this responsibility, Will iesl re-.
it keenly, knowing that he is perSohS"'
responsible for success or failure.
al worked nine years with heeh'
Fitzpatrick, know his worth as a msn'
and the aid and encouragement ne Co..
give to a coach. A team with the spii's
that the Princeton team always 10
certainly deserves to win, ard WIZ VIZ
but should be made to feel its onens.s
strength and not depend so mucs tss
victory on the weakness and mi''''''
of opponents" -, M
]. L. Cooney, Of the class Oh, Of " ~
is not certain that salvation VIII n ~
found in the one-man system
writes: .,o,
"May not the situation at PrlnGe'os
be dominated by one man as Iui'y .,
that at Cambridge? A committee no'
be influenced, and oftentimes is' az oTs
ly by the views and theories OF h".t v.t
man. and that is usually so II the NJ NJ
share of the work is done oy ,." 'nS,
same one man. Hasn't Princeton Os,s "a
through the one-man system ,.si..
hasn't she, or has she, found II sS"'
fsctory?"