The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-11-16
ANNUAL THANKSGIVING CLASSIC At
.FARMONT TOATTRACT THOUSANDS
UNlVERSlTY-WESLEYAN GAME is
ANOTHER "YAlE-HARVARD"
AFFAIR.
West Virginia Has Apparently the
Best of the Dope-Game is TWO
Weeks From Today.

To those football fans who belonged
10 the older generation. and who. too.
have become attached to this newer ana
younger generation that annually
whoops Its collectiva head off about
Vest Virginia or about Wesleyan around
! Thanksgiving time, t.lr History ol
football in West Virginia FROM its be-
ginning to the present IfEnc quite nat
uraly divides itself into three cpu'IlS.
The first IF thes" epochs was one IN
which there WAS no statewide interest
for the very good reason that the press
OF the state did not carry SO muGh
football gossip "r US many reports or
games III It's columns and quite naturally
the interest that attached WAS dissrmin-
ated very largely through the made
quite channels OF personal cummunict-
ton. The period of time covered by
this epoch extends from back In the
curly uiueticS when tho present great
College gridiron game was adopted at
West Virginia. University at Morgan
town and extends 10 along about 1908 at.
or about. which time the great machines
, that had previously been built up ut
West Virginia were allowed TO disinte-
Erntc and approach the state OF medic
, Gritty.
The second epoch Ut which l write.
us l have alretdy indicated. WAS one in
which the football exhibited by West
Virginia University dcterioratcd 10 the
/; level III that which had previously been
played 10y Wesleyan, Bethany and the
other institutions of the state, and In
stead OF playing the Navy, PENN, ana
other strong teams 10 the closest kind
"f scores. West Virginia was soundly
and unmercifully truunCcd an dcvcntual-
~ WAS cut off the schedules OF inStitu-
tons OF this class.
The third epoch Of which I write is
The one in which We live Ut the present
tune. III the fall of 1912 Wesleyan pro-
, duced what up to that time was III"
best team that she had ever had and
one that compared we'll with any team
West Virginia had produced even in her
palniy days between 1885 and 1909. The
". V. L. team Of that year was little
, il any better than those IF 1910 ami
! 1911. and while her team al the carly
stage Of the season ut which the game
. was played WAS much further advanced
III football than NcSlcyanS incXp"rtrnc-
ed eleven, still Wesleyan through In"
individual play Of Greasy" Neal: and
some others came OUT the victor by the
score or 1914. This game was II crucial
, one in more wa?S than in It's mere re-
, suit so FAR as the scoring was con-
cerned.
70 every West Eirg1n-an tho w. y
l.-WcSlcyan game has come to DE the
ic-llarvard" game nf West Virginia
and TO the scene of the conflict there
, Hooks each year u ConcuurS* Of people
fully twice rs large as any crowd that
witnesses any other game in the state
during tho season. Ana tnIS crowd. too.
Is distinctly Il West Virginia crowd.
Although the game has finally settled
it seems. in FairmOnt us the best situat-
ed town for staging IL. the crowd is not
Il FAirmont crowd. or u Clarkshurs
crowd. or Murgantown crowd or one
made up Of Euckhannon people. but on
the contrary they flock from every nook
OF the states rambling borders and It
would be a good SAFE hot that Thanks
giving day OF this yrav vii see every
one of tho ilfty-tive counties OF the
! state represented by at least five of It's
citizens III the stands and every town
! within the borders of the state that
boasts 4 population Of two hundred or
! more by ono or more OF its citizens.
81. SO tnr as furnishing football las
been concerned. it was L mighty good
| thing that Wesleyan did beat ". Y. L. in
l9l&. ". Y. L. has "srTuccd up
In l"l6 hcr schedule shows that she
is playing West Virginia. W. e. j.. Penn
sylvanIu University. Pennsylvania state.
Georgetown. and other teams of that
high class. Scholarship has not suffered
; al either institution. II you doubt this
statement Investigate the scholastic
work Of Rodgers. Hit". Curry, Chene-
we,h, Bailey. OF Brannon ut West Vir-
ginia, or that Of Rock. Miller, Shumaker,
Morrison. Alien. Calac. Fisher. Blake Or
any other Of thns" whose names weekly
, appear in III" ltn"ups Of these two lead
, ing football icamS in tn" state and who
; are their stars. Eligibility rules havo
! never been the subject of serious rric-
! ton and, nil told. tho relations het1r cen
! tho two institutions are Of the most
| pleasant character.
OF course. however. their football
! teams lose no sleep loving each other. and
cr to every West Virginia fan that in
Inst two weeks from today tho eIavens
will meet Mt South Side Park in Fair
mont to test their metal West VIZ
Etnia apparently has the conside ra b e
edge-but No will discuss thai aspect Of
the question In another article