New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-09
SWEENEY STARTS
HOUSEKEEPING
WITH YALE MEN
New Athletic Adviser Be
gins Task with COOpera-
ton as His Motto.

New Haven, Conn, April e.-Michael
+. Sweeney, Yale's new athletic adviser,
has already begun the task Of reor-
ganizng Yale athletics. Mr.. Sweeney
has spent the week at Yale sizing up
the situation and has come 70 the CON
clusion that the performance OF the
task will take full year, the time he
has allotted to il. After numerous con-
ferences in New York and much other
preliminary work. Mr.. Sweeney Is now
on the ground getting hrst-hand infor-
nation about prevailing conditions. -.
In speaking of the task before him,
the new athletic adviser puts il this
way: "If we wish quickly TO win back
our former standing and confidence in
the eyes Of the college athletic world
our efforts must not be confined 70
athletics alone, nor to the management
direct, but must come from every cor
ner Of university life.
yale has had some severe shocks
within the last six or eight years. and
it is only by the most intelligent, united
effort that she can restore herself. The
two main weaknesses which | see In
Yale athletics are the lack OF sound,
mature organization and the attitude of
the student body. Unless these weak
nesses are considerably improved,
Ysle's troubles will continue indef-
nitely.
AT present Yale is about the only
university in the East encouraging ath-
letics that does not fully appreciate the
direct value 10 athletics of the intelh-
gent cooperation of the student body.
From the standpoint OF athletics, |
know that a team loses at least 20 per
cent through the loss of this coopers-
ton. There has been considerable i'm
provement in the attitude OF the stu
dents during the last few months In
this respect, but something more def
mite must be done to bring them to-
gether in an organized way, and con-
crete suggestions must be made 20
show how they may more fully realize
their influence and responsibility"
The fruits of such cooperation were
shown yesterday and to-day at Yale
Field in . striking manner. Until this
week there had been far too few candi-
dates for the Yale track team. Captain
W. VI. Oler. jr., engineered a track
smoker, which was held this week.
Every student in the university was in
yited, and more than four hundred of
them accepted and crowded the Palm
Room in the Taft Hotel to capacity.
An appeal for more candidates and
more cooperation on the part of the
undergraduates in general was made.
John Fitzpatrick, a former Yale track
captain, a member Of two all-America
football teams and member OF the
new Yale football committee which
has in charge the reorganization of
Yale football under Sweeney's direc-
ton, spoke.
lie laid great stress upon co0pera-
ton among the students As direct
result Of the track smoker held this
week the Yale track squad doubled in
numbers yesterday when the men re-
ported at Yale Field for the first out
door work of the season. Two hundred
and thirty-fve candidates appeared for
the varsity and freshman teams. This
breaks all records at Yale.
Cooperation among the different
branches of Yale sport will be aided
by change in the Office arrangements
IN the Yale ticket department. For
merry the captains of the various
teams have had separate Offices with
their managers. Hereafter, if a plan
now being considered works out. the
captains OF the various teams will all
have an Office together. thus throwing
them into more direct contact.