Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-01-21
RULE
MAKERS SOON TO
BE HEARD From
Proposition to Check Substitu.
tons and Move Goal Posts
Back Of the Line

4 NEW YORKSphe intercollegiate
football rales COMMITTEES Will meet in
i New York early in February and for
! the first time in good many years
/ this session promises to consider the
ethics ,of the game rather than
changes In the rules. Some changes
In the playing rules will be proposed.
but for the most part the gridiron
sol0Hs are well satisfied with. the
technical side OF the game. t4ssz
To Prevent Carrying Messages. s6..
1t is now certain that pressure win
be brought to bear upon. the commit
tee, to secure two important reforms.
One is to prevent the abuse of the
rules permitting substitutiens, to put
an end to the present practise OF
sending in Substitutes more to carry
instructions from the coach to the
quarterback or captain than to relieve
exhausted or injured players. The
rules of the game expressly prohibit
side line coaching. yet In all the big
games of the 1914 season coaches sent
a procession Of substitutes, many of
them for no other reason than to carry
messages. ~
Get Around New Rule. ,,.-s.. -. 5
The writer has made close study.
of the evil of side line coaching and
was one of the first to suggest that
coaches be compelled to remain on
the bench. or on the field entirely,
during a game. That suggestion was
incorporated In the rules q year ago
and worked out satisfactorily during
the 1914 season. But the rules COM
mfttee, after closing one door to the
violators of this rule, obligingly left
wide open another which made side
line. coaching even more effective than
it was with the coach ON the side
lines. The coaches adopted the sim
pie expedient of sending in troops of
substitutes for no other reason than
to carry instructions to the field gen.
eral
This was done IN virtually all of the
championship games and the officials.
were powerless to stop it. AS long as
a player is permitted to re-enter the
game after HAWKS once bean taken
out q coach can take great many.
chances to send in messages, and il
be has plenty of substitutes, as most
great many changes without weaken
ing his team
Rules Must BE Changed.
II the fairness of this practise were
put squareiy up to the average COLI
lege coach he would admit that he
was violating the spirit of the rules
and doing an unsportsmanlike act
Since it is evident that the practise
cannot be stopped without legislation,
the rules ought to be amended so that
this evil would be eliminated. The
evil could be abolished by keeping all
members of the coaching stan of the
bench and without the Enclosure dur
ing game, just as has always been
done in track athletics; or, IL this be
considered too drastic, amend the
rules so that a man once taken from
the game either cannot return, as the
rules once provided, or that some
check shall be placed on substitu-
lions.
How to Reform Game.
Most of the coaches, officials and
college authorities have frankly adj
mitted the evil, but not all agree on
the best way to correct it. But the
following suggested changes I'M the
rules regarding substitutes and their
use in making possible side line coach
ing represent a consensus of the best
thought on the subject. Three sug-
gestions are advanced to prevent side
line coaching through the medium of
substitutions:
/. No coach shall be permitted to
sit on the PLAYERS, bench or be within
the Enclosure during a game.
2. Substitutions may be made only
at the request of the captain or the
trainers. or, If by the latter, only after
an examination of the PLAYER who NAV
have been injured or exhausted, and
in which case his substitute must be
selected by the captain.
q 3. Al substitute who enters the
game shall 90 Immediately to his posi-
ton after having received permission
from the referee, and shall not hold.
any conversation with the quarter
back or field genera before engaging
In play AS a penalty for violation