Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-11-21
new RULES TO
HELP CROWD AT
Fno!TBALLC GAME
Many Important Changes
Being Planned by Mem
bers Of. Committee.
Coach H. L. Williams in Fa-
.vor Of Some Scheme to
Benefit Crowds.

Chicago, Nov. 21.-An effort will be
made at the next meeting of the foot
ball rules committee to make tho
gridiron game a less exclusive affair.
Some much-neded reforms in favor of
the spectators will be proposed, and
Coach Harry l.. Williams. OF the unl-
yersity. OF Minnesota eleven has prom
ised to take the lead. There is one
point. however. on which the Gopher
mentor refuses to bulge, n that is
the, numbering of the players.
Coach Williams, who is a member
of the rules committee, has promised
to devise some system ~ which the
information possible ais to the plays,
and penalties inflicted and other
u strategic moves now under a camou-
flage.
~ May Telephone.
II: is proposed to either LAY some
one with a portable telephone follow
the teams UP and down the field or
else have Il system of wigwag signals
to convey the information to those
who SUPPORT he game. The signals
would be simple, and it is believed 1t
would not take the spectators long to
learn them, as they would be STAN
dardized.
~ Referee Frank Birch's system of
wigwagging to the press stand the
KING OIL pGIltlLleS ilillClGu, "lIiSt IS
inaugurated this fall. seems to meet
with general appreciation. The only
thing remaining is to elaborate on
i these In order to also give the rooters
a chance to know what is going on.
In the past it has been almost i'm
possible for anyone watching the
game to know everything that takes
place on the field unless he happened
to be an expert, and even these have
frequently been stumped. Moving the
teams back and, forth on the checker
board has been as Greek to the on
lockers. The penalties have been
guessed at, the strategy employed has
been a closed book.
To Aid Boosters.
Few of the spectators. have the
slightest inkling as to the player who
makes a spectacular gain or the win
II ming touchdown. AS the men are fit
ted out nowadays one looks like the
other. Here is where the numbering
of players would serve a useful pur-
pose, but Coach Williams is unalter-
ably opposed to this reform. The
overruled, as Coach Stage, also a
member of the rules committee, is ex-
pected to take the bull by the horns
and insist that this much-needed i'm
provement be made compulsory:
The secret of Coach Williams OPP
position to the identification plan is
the Minnesota shift. He commended
that it would be easy for scouts. to
learn the intricacies of his many
shifts were each man numbered. He
argued that as long as he has work
ed out these maneuvers he should be
entitled to keep them to himself. The
argument that the shifts did not fool
the average scout did not sway him.
He would never consent to numbers,
he insisted.
Other coaches in the west. how
ever, have seen the light and the ma
jority know that the spectators de-
mand that the players be identified
AS the rooters support the game the
chances are that their wishes will be
acceded to or there is likely to be a
considerable falling off in the receipts
The electric score boards at every ma
jor league field are pointed to as ar
argument in favor of making the
game clear to the spectators.
May Use Signals.
As regards the signals from the
field, these would include every play
made in addition to the penalties. A
touchdown would not be credited tc
Green when it was White who made
the points.
This system was in vogue at Har:
yard and worked fairly well. 1t had
the advantage of making the reports
agree the morning after Whether o,
not a score board could be devi:
to give all the information is prob
lematical. Some genius, might inven'
one. If he did a million rooters
would rise up and call him blessed
May Give In.
That Coach Williams might give IL
on several disputed points is probable
now that he Gophers fear that they
may be scratched from the Maroon
schedule. &C. I
st think it would be unfair for Chi.
Gag not to play us" said Williams
W. have been rivals for many years
and I cannot see n Reuse for no
continuing our relations. OF course
Chicago might want to play Michigan
but in that case why not scratch som
one else?"
nIIHY LIMITING DIE I