New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-27
Alumni and Old Gridiron
Stars Rallying to Sup
port of Head Coach.
QUARTERBACK POST
CAUSES MOST WORRY
Calder and Kornsand Expected
TO Show Up Well at End
Four Punters in Squad.

Although the brand Of football which
Columbia is likely to play this fall will
probably not be Of the highest. the
production of team Of any kind from
nothing at all will probably satisfy
most Columbia men. AS a result Of
the first three days Of practice. Nelson
Metcalfe. the head coach. and his adj
visers have at least knowledge Of the
actual size and quality OF the candi-
dates from among whom the eleven
will be chosen. Heretofore all their
calculations have been based on guess
work.
All of the threatened friction which
rumor said had been aroused among
Columbia alumni over the naming Of
Metcalfe, an Oberlin man, IN prefer
ence to some former Columbia player.
has already vanished into thin air. and
Metcalfe has the assurance that he will
have the assistance of as many OF Co
lumbia's old players as he wishes TO
call upon.
That he will not neglect the oppor-
tunity is manifest by the fact that he
has already assigned Tom Thorpe TO
work and will get Harold Weeses and
the others who report busy as soon as
they reach Mornlngs,de Heights. The
UNDERGRADUATE body is behind Metcalfe
to a man.
As to the number and quality OF the
players with whom Metcalte Is work
ing, a fair line has already been OBJ
tanned. Although only forty-three men
have reported as yet. it Is believed
that there will be between sixty and
seventy in the squad when the uni
versitv gets under way and things be-
gin 10 work more smoothly
Metcalfe is convinced that he can
omit nothing in the way of funda-
mentals in drilling his squad. The
greatest weakness, "a a whole, seems
10 be the mems inability to handle the
ball. Working with a pigskin is either
q new or a lost art with nine out OF
every ten men on the squad. There Is
a great Willingness to work hard. how
ever, and that is making up In meas
ure for the crudeness of the effort put
forth.
Ii is early to single out individual
for attention, but the coaches agree
/ that the greatest difficulty in the build
ing of a team will be the selection OF
quarterback. The only man who ha'
reported so far who has more than or
binary football knowledge is Gallagher
who was substitute quarterback at ives
Point last year. Gallagher is small al
most to the point of being understood
He does, however, possess keen foot
ball sense, and he handles the ball ano
drop-kicks better than any other mar
on the squad.
Calder and Kornsand, at the ends
have already received notice. CALDER
plaved at st. Lawrence three years ago
while Kornsand has had experience In
school football. Both have played var
sitv basketball and have the athletic
instinct. They are fast, suretooted ana
fearless For tackles, Wilbur ana
Healev. another basketball pair, are
commanding attention. They are heav-
ily built and are a good football type
Wilbur played on the Cornell freshman
team a season or two back ana knows
something of the game.
So far the coaches have been unable
70 get a line on prospective guards ana
centres, but there is no dearth OF
backs. There are four punters, Yho'
with no special coaching, have been
averaging more than thirty yards from
what would be the line Of scrlmmage'
while there are half a dozen likely
looking plunging backs. Slmonds ana
Cochrane. two crew men, are the most
promising Of the punters. Both are
natural kickers and deliver a ball ina,
is difficult to handle. Cochrane ana
Donoho, another pair Of Jim RICE
oarsmen, also are in the reckoning as
hunters. Mansbach, who was one OF
POLY Props star backs two seasons
back. is one of the most promising
Looking men for the backheld
Hard work will begin this week, and
nv Saturday there probably will be a
scrimmage. 1t is Metcalfe's plan %
break the monotony of month with,
out A game by having a scrub contest
of full length on the second and third
SATURDAYS of October. The freshmen
viii get on the field at the end. OF the
week and probably one Of the VARSITY
squads practice contests Will be WIN
the cubs.