Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-11-05

Oio W'SCor'Sin WdTTtOT III NidsS Wy
Himself as Toe Artist-Many Fa-
nous Gridders Fail to Receive Proper
Recognition In This Line.
The crack kickers of football have
been few compared to the number Of
players. That isn't because most of
the players haven't the natural ability
to become good kickers If they prac-
tced it, but because the kicking de-
partment of elevens is usually intrust-
ed to one good man. In a word, then.
there are about ten good players to
one good kicker. Nevertheless there
are more men who were first class
kickers than ever got credit for SO be-
ing.
In q few articles printed recently on
the subject mentioned only three boot
ers Of the pigskin were in the great
class. These three were Pat O'Dea Of
Wisconsin, kicker Of wonderful abi.
ity in the late nineties; John Dewitt,
the Princeton guard, and Malcolm Nc
Bride, the Yale fullback and captain
In $780,
1t didn't even take in Frank Butter
worth, Yale's accomplished kicker Of
the early nineties. or George Brooke.
who in his day at Pennsylvania was
kicker Of exceptional prowess. Yet
both of these men were strictly first
class and as proficient as any Of the
three others named. with the possible
exception Of O'Dea, who not only could
drop kick, but punt farther than any.
body before or since. Again there was
Hirschberger Of Chicago. a fine kicker
and the best the west has had except
O'Dea.
Good Kickers Good Players.
1t will be found in going over the
! list Of worthy kickers that with few
exceptions they have been fine players
in other respects Kicking was just
one among other gridiron accomplish
ments.
Cases to prove this are numerous, as
this list will show: Brooke. Butter
worth. Brickley. Curtis. Coy. Cahall.
Burr. Haughton. Mcbride, Hudson
Douglass, Dewitt. Baird, Sharpe, Har.
Ian. Hollenback. Valdez. Hirschberger.
Eckersall. Mount Pleasant. Brewer
| Reid, Veder and Herman. Away back
before the time Of any of these play
ers. however. were kickers quite as
good as those who have played since.
Two Of them were Alexander Moffatt
Of Princeton and Eugene Richards Of
Yale. Both Of these men were star
kickers. Moffatt was drop kicker as
well as punter and had the thing re-
duced as nearly to science as any.
body who has succeeded him. He could
kick equally well with both legs Rich.
ards could hold his own in punting
with any Of the present day kickers.
Mcbride a southhoof.
Mcbride was left footed kicker,
and he and O'Dea measured skill in a
game once. That was in 1899, when
the Wisconsin team, coached by Phil
King, played Yale in New Haven.
O'Dea tried the drop kick, almost from
midfield, which fell short His punts
were not so much better than Nc
Brides that they could keep Yale from
! winning, but they certainly kept down
the score, although they were too long
| for the ends to cover well.
Had O'Dea kicked field goal in this
game he would have won greater
reputation in the east. but 1t is mat
| ter Of record that he kicked such a
goal from the sixty-two yard mark
in 1898, a record only surpassed by ]
T. Haxall's sixty-five yard drop kick for
Princeton against Yale Nov. 80, 1882. =
Bull . Natural Kicker.
Dr. Billy Bull of Yale was natural
kicker and one of the best. There
have been but few since his day who
could drop kick as well and only one
ut Yale who approached him as a
drop kicker. That one was Al Sharpe.
one of the very best in the kicking
hall Of fame. who played against
| Princeton.
II Yale had won that game that kick
Of Sharpes would be remembered more
| wildly than it is, for 1t would have
gone hand In hand with victory, by
which mems ability is often. If some
times unjustly, measured. Certainly
Sharpe's kick was none the less meri-
torious simply because Poe flashed
forth with kick just before the game
was over and made Princeton the win
ner.
AS n specialist at kicking goals from
| placement Northcroft of the Navy
stands out conspicuously. The mid
shipman was good at lifting them over
the bar from distances which made
the feat worthy Of mention.
Great Placement kiekers.
The place kick from scrimmage is
another deserving feat. Balenti and
Thorpe Of the Indians and McCaa of
Lafayette distinguished themselves in
this manner. At both place kicking
and drop kicking Carlisle has produced
more than her share of deft perform
ers and in Mount Pleasant had play
! er who was an able all round toe artist
Was there ever a more strategic
kicker than Harlan Of Princeton in his
own particular line? Not all Of the
O'Deas, DeWitts, Brookes or Butter
worths could worry an opponent more
And how about Walter Eckersall Of
Chicago university as kicker? If ever
there was fine kicker he was one, and
that fact would have stood out more
clearly had not Eckersall been such a
sterling all round player that his abil.