Omaha daily bee., 1915-11-07
CREDIT TO LITTLE FELLOWS
Smaller Colleges Who Trim "Big
Three" Elevens Are Targets for
Spurious SANDER.
SPREAD VICIOUS 'RUMORs"
NJ FRANK q. MENKr.

ny FRANK q. MENKB.
NEW YORK. Nov. 6-Whenever any OF
the so-called smaller elevens commit
the unpardonable sin Of tying or beating
the big college teams those elevens i'm
mediately are made the target for the
slanderous-out carefully guarded
charge that they used ringers" OF en-
ploying truck-drivers. miners. longshore-
men or stevedorcs for gridiron duty.
There still exists a certain class of
persons who feel that Yale. Harvard
and Princeton are invincible in a foot
ball way-that no outside team can tie
or beat them without employing unfair
tactics. And, TO the everlasting shame
OF newspaperdom. IL must be admitted
that few members Of that class have
crept into sport writing jobs and aided
by their little typewriters take an under
handed smash at practically every small
eleven that triumphs over a large one.
But never in our memory has any Of
that class ever come out IN the open
with It's charges OF "ringers;" never has
II printed actual names to back up its
guarded charge that tho smaller colleges
pay their foot bailers. why7 Well
those fellows haven't named specific
instances merely because there are no
specific instances; merely because foot
ball, as a sport. is Just as clean in the
smaller colleges as II Is al Yale or Har-
ward or Princeton.
II Is not the purpose Of this column
TO play any particular favorftes in a
foot bail way--nor in any other branch
Of sport-but II r. the intention of this
column TO give the ''under-dog'' n
chance and to give a square deal 20
everybody. This column admres-and
applauds-the little fellow who can rise
up and whale the big fellows, ana Il
does not think that Il is a square deal
20 the little fellow for some persons TO
attempt to belittie his great achievement
by trying to create the false impression
that the achievement was accomplished
through unsportmanslike tactics.
Charges Against w. ana J.
washington and Jefferson was a per-
fectly nice young college until its foot
balIers got into the habit of beating up
Yale. Ever since tksn Washington and
Jefferson has been the particular target
for tnderhanded charges Lying state
ments-carefully guarded. OF course-have
been made that Washington and Jeffer-
son rose to foot ball power because II
hired iron workers from the Pittsburgh
district TO round out its eleven.
The little Pennsylvania state college
team never was really attacked until Il
practically kicked the waddlng out Of
Harvard last year. And then. why then
It was ''rumored" that Penna State q
eleven was composed Of huskies who
AtArtt ca. a.. foe V.fts
pose than 70 play foot ball.
Not until last year when II began max
Ing huge noise in the foot ball world
was the University OF Pittsburgh at
tackled. Those who couldn't figure out
how Pitt actually could beat Cornell,
Navy, Carlisle and four or five other
eievens in 1914 with its own student body
began insinuatinG that Pitt had combec
the steel district for huskies and had
given them free board and tuition In re.
turn for their foot ball services.
But the Pitt authorities got busy a
once and shattered those charges by Of
fering 10 give anyone who wanted II {
/ complete history OF every player on III
team; a history showed that every playel
was a bona flde student. showed that thu
average age OF its players was younger
than that OF the players on many OF th'
teams It had beaten.
More Vicious "RumorH."
Just as soon as Williams finished tieinI
up Princeton, to I. last year the wis
ones" began asking about "Who did WIN
Jams ring in7" They couldp't get II int
their narrow minds that Williams didn'
do any ringing at all; that William
had held the heavy Princeton team 20
| q "A, hoA
foot bali; because the new rules have re
moved the handicap that the big college
once had and have placed tho smaller
lighter elevens almost on the same basi
with them
Lehigh held Yale TO a 7 to victory thi
year. II outplayed Yale and lost onl
because OF fluke. Those Lehlgh fellow
looked like easy meat for Yale befor
the battle. and therefore everybody wa
led TO believe that the Lehigh team wa
composed Of refined college youths. Bu
after the battle. after Lehigh nearl
frightened Yale into delirium tremens.
was noised around that Lahigh ha
loaded up" for that Yale game. othel
wise, how could It have come 30 near I
beating Yalef
No one rose Up to say an unklnd woS
, about the Virginia eleven until It dole
out to Yale 10 to beating. And no
I tis falsely whispered that virginia plays
: ringers" In that Yale game.
. The Michigan Aggies were n nice CROW
0 OF college youths until they trimm,
Michigan. ~ to o. And now we hear tn
Q the Aggie team that damned Yost's gar
was composed in the main OF heavyweig
d iron ore miners brought down from Il
n upper Michigan district.
Can you beat TIT