Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-10-31
WALTER CAMP WILL RETIRE
Yale Man Announces He WIN No
Longer ACT a. Member Of Inter
collegiate Rules Body.
FEW THINGS CAMP HAS DONE

NEW YORK. Oct sat- . session OF
the intercollegiate foot ball rules com
mittee some time ago Walter Camp OF
Yale announced that with the close OF
the present year be would retire from
membership upon the committee. The
passing OF Mr.. Camp from this committee
marks such an epoch in intercollegiate
foot ball that Il invites special comment
The first game OF foot ball under the
intercollegiate code was played here In
1875. between Harvard and Yale. and the
second game was played In the same city
two weeks later between Princeton and
Yale Both Of these games Yale won.
Upon that original champion Fifteen"
Walter Camp played at halfback. Two
years later he appeared as Yale's dele
gate IN the intercollegiate convention, q
body which corresponded with the present
rules committee.
Mr.. Camp at the time was Yele's cap
tain. From that day to this, q period Of
thirty-seven years. Walter Camp has par
ticipated In every session OF the rules
making body.
II was Mr. Camp who invented the side
OF the eleven" thus breaking away from
the Rugby fifteen" Again Il was Mr..
Camp who devised the dimensions OF the
American field OF play and introduced the
method of an orderly possession Of the
ball by one side, our "scrimmage," thus
doing away with the English serum
mage" and making possible the use of
preconceived plays, tactics and signals.
In HIS senior year at Yale this genius
introduced to the game the safety as
scoring play. Prior thereto the safety
had been regarded as a touchoack 10 to
day. All OF these great inventions Walter
Camp accomplished while still an under
graduate at Yale.
solved blocking Problem.
year or two later II was Walter
Camp who solved the perplexins problem
presented by the block game which
Princeton had invented. by which one
side was able to retain possession OF the
ball throughout an entire half.
J Mr.. Camps solution was the invention
OF fairs and downs" by which one side
was permitted to rstain the ball only
so long as It could advance It at least
| five yards in four downs.
A fair" was q name applied to putting
the ball in play from the side line when
out Of bounds. II was this invention
which gave the final twist to the inter-
1 NthN8ANAo BaAilct WTCHCnAuk II Wholly
away from English Rugby and making
OF It distinctive American style Of play.
| II was also the establishment Of the five
yard gain In four downs that led to the
stripping OF the field with lime. which
has given to 1t the familiar name Of grid
| iron.
In 1888 II was Camps suggestion that
resulted in the numerical system OF scor-
| ing by which values were assign2l the
| scoring plays. Previously Il frequently
occurred that neither team could tell
which had won the game. on account of
the confusion between the relative worth
OF touchdowns. goals from touchdowns
end goals from field.
In 1883 Mr.. Camp originated the very
| institution OF the rules COMMITTEES itself.
presenting to the intercollegiate conven-
ton In that year q comprehensive plan
for such a body, which he styled q gard
uate advisory committee Of rules and ap-
peals.''
This plan the intercollegiate convention
adopted and for four years both bodies
existed together. after which the inter-
collegiate convention. having dwindled
down to Pennsylvania. Princeton and
Yale. finally disappeared.
| Led Mig Rebellion.
| Mr.. Camps Leadership In the rebellion
OF 1885 il still vividly recalled. Harvard
and Pennsylvania at that time had highly
developed the momentum mass play.
Yale and Princeton opposed this style
OF attack. The controversy became 50
fierce that the rules committee broke IN
two and the next year the country had
two sets OF rules.
In 1887, however. . union was effected,
but Mr.. Carp had won. for the mo-
mentum mass plays were not retained.
His latest innovation along the line OF
major achievements with the rules Wal
his Introduction for the offensive team e
batter out the necessary ten yards, thus
restoring the balance between the offenss
and defense which had been disturbed by
the abolition OF interloeked interference
such are the more important features
IN the rules which owe their presence to
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