The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-08
NERVE REQUIRED

NERVE REQUIRED
 The game of football is mostly a game of skill and morale. It requires nerve and grit to play ones best against either odds or an even break and it requires more nerve and grit to keep everlastingly at it during the entire game under 1'a; such conditions. If one player lets down or -veakens or gets the thought that his team cannot win the tle other team finds it's opportunity ane 'olquers.
 ike to think ard do believe that the mental side of football together with team and individual morale. far outranlS the physical side. I know that those coaches longest i'll service and who have been successful, know this to be fact. While they give every attention to the training and development of the physical they know that the big games are won by the other Fundamental factors. The selection of men for position, the con ception of systems of play to fit the material the development of defense to meet the opposition's attack are purely mental acts, as is the application of plays to given conditions i'll games.
 In fact, a study of football history brings forth the interesting proof that the game has developed in one respect only and that is along mental lines. Twenty and 30 years ago college football players were as well developed physically as they are today, but no one can claim the old form of play is to be compared to the modern game from either playing or spectacular standpoint.
 STRATEGY INTRODUCED
 Some years age I went to much effort to unearth what might be termed the first strategy of the game. Up 10 cer- tain point football had been purely physical encounter. Just what was the turning point that made it our great fall sport? The illustration not only is in teresting in that it was, so far as l am able to learn, the first trick in football but it also shows that when skill was first used those called upon to carry out the idea were far from being big men physically. The play occurred in ar Andovcr- Exeter football game in the fall of 1888. Here is the way Alfred E. Sterns Principal of Phillips Andover, noted athlete in his day. and an eye witness, recalls 1t:
 The incident happened during my mid dle year at Andover. Laurie and Clifford Bliss were our two half backs. The Ex- eter game seemed to be going little against us, and though neither team had scored we had been forced back to about the 20-yard line and the play was well on toward the sidelines. An attempt py Andover to punt out of danger resulted in failure, the ball dropping, as I recall it, just about the line of scrimmage. An dover, however was fortunate enough to retain possession of the ball.
 PLAY IS WORKED
 On the next play something happened which turned the scales. On the side lines we did not discover until after the game was over just what had oc- cured. What we saw was this: The | ball was passed to Laurie Bliss. I be- l lieve, and he started for the right end l of the nne apparently for the purpose 1 of making a side line plunge. The en- tire Exeter team piled after him. The next moment, to our amazement and Joy, ] the other Bliss brother appeared from | somewhere around the left and with ab- 1 solutely no one between him and the FIX eter goal but the fullback, who was play l ing well down the field. Bliss succeeded lin dodging this lone tackler and con- 1 tinued on his way and across the goal
 line without being further molested. This l took the heart out of our opponents and 1 later we scored another touch down to 1 clinch matters.
 II am little hay about details. Who l taught the Blisses the trick, I cannot | say: neither am I quite sure which one of the brothers made the score The I papers at the time spoke Of the play as a wholly new one and I believe it was | generally agreed that this was the first l time the criss-cross was used In game of any importance"
 The Bliss brothers who executed the play later entered Yale. where they were star backs in the early sos at the time i Yale was making football history. Both T were light in weight.
 Copyright, 1917. by Sol Metzger.)