The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1917-12-06
Unusual Football
Season Closes

New York, Dec. 3.-A most pccu-
liar and unusual college football sea-
son came to close with playing of
number of games on Thanksgiving
Day and the paraphernalia of the
gridiron game has been laid away for
another year or possibly for a longer
period, depending upon the events of
the next twelve months. In the east
the season was marked by the abb
sence of teams representing three of
the oldest, largest and most re-
nowned universities of the section.
Other institutions, although many
of their veteran players were lost
to the elevens due to enlistment in
various forms of war service, devel-
o. d teams Of remarkable strength.
n, outstanding this handicap. An
other feature was the appearance
of military and naval cantonment
teams, several of which came nearer
to being All-American combinations
than any eleven ever seen on the
gridiron heretofore. In the middle
west the colleges adhered to their
original schedules and there was far
less of the cancellation of games and
make-shift contests that were a part
of the Atlantic coast football program
Viewing the east and the south as
whole, six teams stand out as COM
binations of remarkable power an.
ability when the various handicaps
and limitations under which the sport
was conducted, are taken into con-
sideration. Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech,
Pennsylvania, Navy, Syracuse and
Rutgers while not all undefeated
played football which in one or more
respects entitled them to a higher
classification than that accorded the
majority of the teams of the section
The University of Pittsburgh eleven
and the team representing Georgia
Tech. went through the season with
out defeat but this was no new eX-
perience for either college, as both
have had clean states for the past
three years. During this n"riod the
clevens of Gcorn.a Tc~h. h"-.o rolled
up total of 1,129 points &m..nst op-
ponents' Sd; playing twenty-five
games, of which twenty-three were
won and two tied. Pittsburgh in the
same three seasons played twenty
six games winning all and accumula-
ting a total of TAI points against
her opponents 50. Georgia Tech.
holds the honor of amassing the larg-
est number of points during the 1917
season with 491 while the Navy is
second with 442. The Sailors eleven
under the coaching of Gil Dobie lost
but one game and ran up heavy
scores against opponents throughout
the entire Autumn.
Rutgars, although defeated by Svr-
acuse, and held to tie by West
Virginia. proved to be an eleven which
improved with every game. It's show
ing against the team representing the
Newport Naval Reserves, headed by
former Captain Black of Yale, which
came as near to being an All-Amcri-
ca nteam than any combination on the
field in yers, entities the New
Brunswick boys to a high place of
honor in the final ranking of the sea-
son.
Pennsylvania chief claim to dis
tinction lies in the splendid fighting
spirit developed among the compara-
lively gree nan inexperienced Qua
ker players. This determination to win
against great odds proved too much
for Michigan. Dartmout hand Cornell
while even Pittsburgh and GEORGIA
Tech, found the Philadelphian col
legians worthy opponents. Syracuse
bowed to Pittsburgh alone and was
the best of the Eastern representa-
tives in the annual intersectional
games of the year, winning from
bot Nebraska and Michigan Aggies.
AS an Offset to this Notre Dame
won from both are Army and Wash
ington and Jefferon.