The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-02
SMALL COLLEGES TRIUMPH
This YEAR ON GRIDIRONS
YOST TELLS WHY
Players Have Harder Time Be-
coming Big School Stars.
Most GridirOn Stars Not Rich
Mems Sons.
BY FIELDING H. YOsT.

The small college football teams
lave been remarkably successful dur
ing the season just closed Colgate
defeated Yale 16 to 0 and trimmed the
army l 3 to 0. Virginia beat Yale 10
to 0. and w. and J. humbled the Ellis
with a score of 6 to s. The Michigan
Aggies showed remarkable strength
The University of Pit+sburg and
Washington and Lee won their share
of games.
Why is it that small colleges, each
with a mea ger student body. are able
to defeat teams selected from univer-
sites with enrollments of thousands?
have been asked this question
numberless times, and believe L know
the answer.
In the first place. the one-year resi-
dence rule and the three-year playing
limit of the large universities keep
away natural athletes, the husky boys
who are anxious TO make a varsity
team immediately on entering college.
Big Schools Strict.
Add to these facts the secondary
consideration that the large univer-
sites as a rule have higher entrance
requirements and insist upon higher
standard of scholarship. The big uni
Nersities are in the limehght. Even if
they were disposed to be more lenient
toward athletes, their prominence
does not admit of any such Ieniency-
Further. the boy of average means
who has to work for his college course
is apt to feel an easier environment in
a small school, where there is not much
show of wealth or aristocracy. Most
of the good football players have been
poor boys, or boys in very ordinary
circumstances. 1t is natural that boys
of this class should be attracted to the
small colleges, where they can work
their way through and still feel no So
cial disadvantage.
Quicker Recognition.
But the big thing to emphasize is
this: The ambitious, aggressive foot
ball player just out of high school is
attracted to the small college because
he stands a chance of making the var
sity Immediately and playing all of his
four years. He a bit afraid of the
entrance requirements of the big uni
versities-in fact, he often knows that
he couldn't get in without conditions.
He also knows that eligibility rules are
not very strictly observed, sometimes,
in the small schools He knows that
he has a chance to play summer base
ball without being barred. Why? Be
cause nobody takes the trouble to
question the eligibility of the men
from small colleges.
The small colleges are spared the
Hmelight of eligibility inquiry that
floods the big university teams The
past season furnishes plenty of illus
trations. Yale lost LeGore star full
back; Calvin of Wisconsin. another
star fullback, had to drop out, and
Minnesota had to give up Scion, its
fullback and captain, all because they
had played summer baseball. In the
meantime, nobody bothered to inquire
whether any small college men had
played baseball or not
-Four Year ADVANTAGE
A four-year football PLAYER has the
wonderful asset of experience The
team playing four-year men has more
of its old team left over from the pre-
vious season with which to build a
new team than can be the case in the
large universities.
The small colleges usually play
longer schedules, which also helps ma
terfally in training and seasoning
men. The man who gets q chance to
play in a maximum of not over fiji
teen or twenty games in his whole COL
lege career has not the opportunity
for development afforded the man
who plays in eight or ten games every
season for four years.
Briefly, the ambitious preparatory
school football player finds it easier
to stay there, easy to make the team
the first year if he is a star. and easy
to escape too searching inquiry about
his eligibility. He has chance to
play four full years.
My own opinion is that young men
should find it far preferable to master