The Washington times., 1917-12-30
By SOL METZGER.
coach Washington and Jefferson

lCoach washington ana Jenerson
Eleven.)
Football officiating is no soft snap,
even when you get the hundred dollar
jobs on Saturday afternoons. The
best Of men make mistakes, and the
best officials are no better than the
best of men. Worst Of ali, their mis-
tzkes count pretty heavily at times,
for they have turned the tide from
defeat to victory and cost many =
coach a splendid job. The coaches,
you know, must win mostrof the time
to hold down their positions, hence
the matter of good officiating is Of
paramount importance to them.
recall a game played in when
at college. At one time the score was
GO. According to the rules i made
a touchdown at this stage Of the
game, but the referee, who was then
and who afterward proved to be one
OF the best at the Job ever discovered
in this country, didn't see IL my way
until-well, IL was just ten years later
that talked 1t over with him. He
then admitted that had made the
score; that he had pulled a "boner."
That boner cost US q big game. And
so II goes.
It's a mighty hard job to get a
game OF football properly ofhciated-
In the first place the rules governinE 3
the game are so lengthy and 30 com
plex that venture the assertion that
not over ten per cent OF the players
nor over half OF the coaches know
them. l''"
As for the officials, outside OF a pre-
cious few. there is a lamentable lack
OF knowledge of football rules, and
when that knowledge is perfect II 10
without coming a cropper. So difn-
cult il 1t to see a play correctly and
towatch al OF the twenty-five con-
testants that as many as three off,
cials will differ as to what occurred
at any given time.
Army Player Brilliant.
In the W. & ]. game with the Camp
Sherman team at Toledo this fall
which was one of the hardest played
and cleanest games OF football ever
saw-We had a lead OF points with
but a few minutes to play and we
were being put to the supreme test
on defense to hold our lead and pre-
vent q tie score.
Rupp, q former Dennison player
now in Army Y. N., C. A. work, was
st half back for the soldiers and no.
only was he likely 10, but he did
break loose time after time for long
and thrilling runs. l thought him
one OF the greatest backs ever saw.
That night. my players who had
been up againt DeHart and McLaren
of Pitt, and Rodgers OF West Vir-
Einia, among others, were of the
opinion that these men could be tack
led. but that downing Rupp was the
hardest task they ever had to meet.
Once the bail was inside our fve-
yard line on a fourth down and Rupp
tossed q forward pass 10 one of his
men who was forced to the corner
line all right, but II was q question
as to whether he had gone out Of
bounds first. His cleat marks were
plainly visible, but the officials who
followed the play closely were never
theless at variance. They eventually
ruled the player out OF bounds a few
inches from the goal-line, Il pretty
tough decision for the Camp Sherman
eleven.
Came Close to Penalty.
Another illustration of the trials Of
an official happened in a PennsyI-
game when was coach
ing the Red and Blue. II was during
the days when the coaches were per.
mitted to walk up and down the side
lines. Once, when the play was di.
rectly in front OF US and the cheering
very deafeninE wanted to say some
thing TO one OF my assistants. II was
necessary TO yell at the top of my
voice. Billy Crowell, one OF the Of
and. q splendid one, heard and
saw me and came might near penal
izing my team for my presumed
from the side lines.
onefof the most amusing incidents
that aver happened In officiating Was
In an early season game at Franklin