Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-04
MYSTERY OF CR|D|RON
COMEBACK OF MAULBETSCH
LISTED IN UNEXPLAINABlES
Ercnt Michigan iinif Back Again Rim
ping Opponents to Tatters After
f1ifrerfn- During 1915 season.

! Johnny Maulbctsch starred again
this year. The Human Shrapncr was
the sensation Of 1914 football. and one
Of the biggest nivvcrs of them all in
1918. And then. in his final year at
| Michigan. the Wolverine captain began
| tearing lines to tattcrs like he did In
! those days when first he flashed into
| varsity view.
| Maulbctsch's case is a strange ono
No Wcstcrncr ever created half the
when his team battlcd The great Iiur-
ward eleven of 1914 Mau,bctsch alone
;hin"d more ground in that game
human lun.;cs at the crimson line than
did any other four half backs that
batlcd the Bricklcy- Nathan IIardwicll
| machine.
| Maulbc,sch played no favoritcs in
| 1914. What he did to Harvard he did
10 every other team that he faced
Times without number in every game
mat he played. Human Shrapncr
| split asundcr the cncmy's ranks No
team ever stopped Maulbrtsch In 1914
Ills peculiar battling style or attack
backed by phenomenal strength. almost
always earned FOR Linn gains OF from
hNn |" twenty yards every time he WAS
allied uoon To cary the ball.
And IN 1919. when every one expected
able feats. this wolverine half back
Skiddcd from the heights of greatness
To the level Of the mediocre. He was
Inc rna! "bloomer' of the football year
! Tn" lines that hr had crumpled like
ttESholis u year before stood M under
ms charges. often dumping him back
| for losses. Th" once "uns,oppable''
Manlhetsch not only was stopped. but
forced TO retreat.
Wha, had happened? No one could
| say WIN certuiniy. Many ohered ex-
p.ana,"ns: SOME saio Johnny was sick
pthcrs-and they were in the majority
-claim"d that the opposition had cir
cumvcnted hts three legged" mode Of
attack
Very good: if Maulbetsch had failed
again this year. that explanation would
nave seemed plausible. But the great
Michigander, using the same method
OF attack. repeatedly broke to frag-
ments this year the lines that ho
couldn't dent in l?15-aud which he
split W It'll ease in 1914. SO the 1915
slip-hack OF Maulbctsch must bc cata-
OF the gridron.
Harvard sewers Athletic Rc,ntlon..
klEht after that 1914 battle. Harvard
severed athletic relations with Nirhi
gan. And the reason. undoubtedly. was
Maulhctsch. 1t had been tentatively
agreed that Harvard and Michigan we're
-, =, meet annually after that; Hu, when
~ that first CLASH. IL decided It cared
10 Sc" no more Of him. lie was too
rough; And so Harvard answered
1918 game
The miraculous playing OF Maulbctsch
would have won that game had 1t no,
neeh Tor concrete" work by the Michi-
gan quarterback.
Michisan went into that battle out
iassed IN practically every depart
menu. It's team was green" its line
weak and its ends still weaker.
against this combination was pitted
me peerless Crimson inachin.--proh.
ably the greatest that IIaughton ever
10y only TO o score.
Mauih"tsch. without Il real line 10
MP MN. played Harvard off it's feet
through for tremendous gains. Ills
n."n"inS never has been caualcd on an
Eastern gridiron. Oficntirncs Harvard
rev IN ITS ends and used them with
w" Of the half backs TO form "A strong
secondary line. And Maulbe;sch era shed
through both walls Of human frames
as though they were stalks Of waving
something like 800 yards@three time.
M, Me-, i@msth OF the field; why didn',
Ills actions were too mystifvinr fo,
IN" spectators 20 figure out
ouiN on" man on the whole Michigan
team could gain on Harvard And that
was M"ulbetsch. who gained every time
he got The ball On three or four oc
.,aS!onS he carried the ball--unaidcd-
20 w'.nim me shadows of the Harvard
Soh! posls' And thcn. amazing as i,
may seem. the Michigan quarter elect,
"a to let the other backs try for tho
I"nchd"wn; he chose men who had
iaiicd ana failed and failed. and refused
20 permit Maulbetsch TO try for the
%'"rF OF crossing the Crimson line
AnH every time those other backs did
exactly what every one expected they
w"uiu do-lost the ball on a tumble or
.pS' II on downs by failing to cut
,nrou@h the Harvard defenses. And
a. IN" while there was the unstoppnhlc
Mau!nctSch waiting-'n vain-for tho
chanc" 10 hurl himself and the bah
through to victory