Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-02
ONLY twelve FOOTBALL
VICTIMS DURING SEASON
Six Fewer Victims Than in 1915 and
Four Less Than in 1O14-AH
inexperienced Men.
NO COLLEGE FATALITIES OCCUR
Roughest Of American Out d DOR
Sports Takes Toll Only Among
Players Inadequately Coach cd.
Much Danger Eliminated.
IBy Associated Press.1

! CHICAGO. December Football ex-
acted toll Of twelve victims during
| the 1917 season. which ended with tho
Thanksgiving Day games. according to
reports to the Associated Press to-day.
| The number was six less than In 1916
and four less than two years ago. In
! 1914 there were fifteen deaths.
Defenders OF the popular college
! sport pointed to the fact that not a
fatality nor even serious injury oc-
| Cured In the big universities and col
!egeS. where the game Is conducted
| under expert physical direction. All
! OF the victims, with one exception. were
! who, with little or no training. par
| ticipated in semiprofessional games.
majority OF the cases showed that the
players entered the game without ihou,
proper physical condition for SO rough
sport.
Tho open style Of play. instead OF
being discarded. has eliminated much
of the danger. in the opinion Of Fred
l.. Murphy. a former Yale star. nov
players. he said. also are better pro-
,ected through improved heavily padded
uniforms and headgcar.
Lack Of proper training and physi-
cal condition is the greatest menace to
| the game" Coach Murphy said to-day.
High school students and semi-pro-
fessionai pla yers, as rule. are not
properly naEncUeu 10 play the game.
In the big colleges and universities the
players are Systematically conditioned
and trained. In addition they undergo
a rigid physical examination. II they
have symptoms Of heart weakness they
are not accepted"
a. a. Stage, the veteran coach at
the University OF Chicago. said that
| universal physical examination and
training of high school students
would materially reduce the number OF
football deaths. Some of the larger
high schools now require examinations
of all athletes. but. he said. the prac-
iice has no, been put into effect In
smaller cities.
The list OF victims:
Roscoe Il. Battan. Hastings, Neb..
! high school student: killed November 1G
by, blow which produced heart pa
| ralysis
George A. Blewet,. of Los Angeles
twenty years old. student at the Uni
| vcrsity of California; died of brain
| hcnlorrhuge on October S. two days
after a freshman game.
Charles c. Pers!ani Jr., Of Plants
VILE, Conn. nineteen years old. student
November is Of ruptured blood vessel
OF the brain.
| Elvin Anderson. Trinidad. Colo. high
Iahn to u his SPINE qea fsoeeF % Oh an
= Roy Grones. wiiis5nviflc.' Neb., high
school student. seventeen years old !;
died November 10 OF internal injuries
school student. eighteen years old ::
| died October II OF internal injuries
sustained In q high school game.
Thomas Ryan, of -Alvarado. Texas.
died November 10 OF injuries received
in a high school game played four
DAYS previously.
Henry Leidendecker. Champagne. ILL.,.
.iEl: school student. seventeen years
Old: died November Is as a result Of
Injuries in game played two weeks
/ previous.
EaiCld A. Holtz. seventeen years old !:
died in Indianapolis on November 2
o. injuries received in game played
! 4 month previously.
/. ] Boyes. half back on the Charles
! ton. S. g.. NavyYard team: died No
! vember 3 OF conclusion Of the brain az
| tho result of being tackled.
Ellis Hamilton. of Detroit. seventeen
! years old: died November IS of injuries
! received In a game played the previous
| dav.
! Harry DeLoff. OF Detroit. twenty-siK
| years old; died November 90 of injuries
suffered In scmiprofessonal game.