South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-09-09
FOOTBALL
PRACTICE
ATNDAME
Coach Harper will Begin Work
Saturday to Train Gold and
Blue GridirOn ASpirantS
for Hard Season.
BY CIIAS w. CALL.

Next Saturday Notre Dame viii
commence a season Of football th-.z
has no precedent. ON that DAY. des-
ignated by the western conference.
for the start OF fall practice. Notre
Dame viii begin preparing for the
hardest schedule in her history with
the smallest amount or veteran ma
terial that was ever available az the
opening of "a season.
With NOtre Dame athletes flock
ing 10 the colors Coach Harper faces
the job OF rebuilding a gridirou
machine from the rawest of raw
material
Along with a few other minor
fracases Harper will have 10 get to-
gether a combination that viii com
bat such aggrega tions as Wisconsin.
NJ a. c. Nebraska. South Dakota.
the Army. and ". and ]. Six big
games is the task that stands before
the men that viii represent Notre
Dame on the gridiron this fall
Because Uncle sam has been very
liberal with his commissions 20
NoJTe Dame athletes and also h@-
cause the conscription law is 20 re-
specter of persons Harper's roster
Of football men g as depleted as
could be- tie is figuring on RydZew-
ski for the center position. Big
Frank" is "a most uncertain prOpo-
sition until ne gets here. though O.
, dead certainty If he does appear.
Notre Dame never had a better cen
ter than the big Pole. and Harper
is trying 20 convince him that he
should round out his career here
this fall In preference 20 striking
out as a politician in Chicago dur
| ing these uncertain times
They Need Him.
The Importance OF Rydzewski
: showing up for this years team can
hardly be over estimated. The Pc
culiar style OF NOtre Dame football
] thicbIy interspersed with shift plays
land trick plays calls for a center
who can pass accurately under all
conditions. Then, too, on defensive
big. powerful man like Rydzewski
4 in the middle of the line means
much. No man surpassed him last
year i'm getting through the line
I and demoralizing plays
Meagher will be the best man
available al end. Morales. the NfeNi-
can. who last year showed flashes
of form when not suffering from in
, jury. may be the right man for tho
other extremity. Andrews. who
made such good record in thr
! Nebraska game last year will hold
down one Of the tackles.
Mcclure, slime and Gipp are the
best freshmen Harper has on his
list. but all these men together
would not even numerically make
a football team. and 80 looks a.
| though men never before counted
on Will have great chance so make
| the team.
/ But just because the great ma
/ jority OF acknowledged college foot
| ball stars have gone 10 serve their
/ country in "A greater game, lovers
of the gridiron pastime need not
I feel that there viii bc no sport
worth while this fall That old saw.
] there are just as good fsh I'm the
sea, etc" goes for other games be-
sides love tits True the quality %
! football this year may Doe below
normal because Of the departure OF
/ the highly trained specialists or
/ other years. But hard fought and
/ interesting games Will be played
! just the same.
What is interesting in sport any
| way Doesn't the success OF any
sport depend largely on well-match
ed teams or individuals. and as the
| exodus OF gridiron stars has been
/ general. won't one college Doe about
on "a par with all the others when
/ training begins?