Evening star., 1917-12-02
FOOT BALL GROWS IN 1917
IN ESTEEM OF THE PUBLIC
Continued from First Page }

because foot ball in the colleges failed
in some respects to measure up to
former standards that there were no
great p1ayers-just the opposite was
true. Most Of the best teams numbered
In their lineup men of exceptional ca
pabilities; men who would have COM
pared favorably with the best the grid
irons OF other years have known.
there was a halfoack who probably will
be ranked with the games greatest
productions. He IL Strupper. twenty
three years of age. more mature than
the average collegian. weighing nearly
$50 pounds. and endowed with speed and
stamina, he has all the requisites
for a great halfback. Strupper's per-
formances were all the more note
worthy because they outshone one of
the finest players OF year when there
dinary good backs. Guyon. former
Carlisle Indian star. held down the
other halfbacks position as a running
mate for Strupper, and despite his
brilliance, Strupper was the better
player, If reports are true.
Ingram Stands Out.
ever had was a member Of the 1917
oackheld-Ingram. Big, strong. fast
and intelligent. -Ineram ranks with
Douglas, Dalton and some of its other
former stars. Perhaps Ingram is the
once a Colgate player of note. was
little less capable as a member Of the
Navy backneld than Ingram.
.McLaren of Pittsburgh meant no
more to that team than England's navy
to the allies. Brilliant defensive play
er. probably the most powerful line
p1unger in foot ball. McLaren has
proved himself one of Pitts real stars.
While he does not rank with Hastings
q md Ia In rf NJ har
eleven in spectacular performances. no
doubt exists that he has been even
moro valuable to the team this year
than either of those two men was
last. Oliphant of the Army is so we'll
known that 1t is not necessary to dilate
on his capabilities.
Georgetown owed its main strength
on the offensive to the ability of Gill
roy to throw forward passes and to
dodge his way through broken field
and to skirt OF tackle for short but
consistent gains. Gilroy is one of the
best players of the year. Though he
probably will not be ranked as high
as Strupper. McLaren and one or two
about as good
Miller. ono of Pennsylvania's ends.
did some of the best work in his posi-
tion that has ever been accomplished
by . Quaker player. according to COM
petent critics. Notwithstanding that he
seemed to have a style that was pecu-
liarly his own, and which appeared
somewhat not to be good foot ball.
he was mighty seldom fooled on a
play. Miller simply had the foot ball
sense. not frequently found, that made
him able to do what on the face of 1t
was the wrong thing, but which in
reality was right.
Harley Comes Again.
Ohio State is said to have had two
exceptionally good players in Chick"
Harley. halfback. and Bolen. end. Har-
ley was an all-America halfback in
1916, and 1917 he was not less spec
tacular. That Is sufficient to stamp him
as a great performer. West Virginia
University play always was featured
by the work of its fullback, Rodgers.
Not a few critics have laid claim that
Rodgers Is the best fullback in foot
ball. Way at quarterback for Penn
State was q great broken field runner.
Out in the west many players did
splendid work for their teams, far too
many to be taken up here. In fact. in
the east Rutgers. Colgate, Syracuse.
Brown and Dartmouth had more than
one good man in their squads.
Foot ball will not die as early a death
In 1917 as usual, Several Of the COL
leges are to play post-season contests
with service elevens and service teams
winter sets in hard enough to prevent
the games by freezing the ground. AL
in all, foot ball has nothing to regret
1t has no reason to look backward over
it's season with anything but a lively
sense Of real accomplishment.