Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-06
COACH DEAN JOHNSON, OF SOUTH
PHILADELPHIA HIGH SCHOOL, IS
THE MIRACLE MAN" OF FOOTBALL
From Green Material the Red and Black Tutor
Has Developed Another First-C Eleven.
Play Frankford Next
BY PAUL PREP

NOACH DEAN JOHNSON football coach
~ of the South Philadelphia High School
eleven. does not effervesce or bubble over
about anything he does, nor does he chatter
much, as he believes In silence first, ana IN
a bu-throwing contest he would no DOUBT
finish behind several other tutors and men
of that class in a cloud of dust But just
because the South Philadelphia gridiron in
structor does not talk freely about his
eleven this does not keep him from having
good thoughts of his proteges.
Coach johnson is greatly encouraged by
the manner In which his boys came back In
the second half against Northeast High and
ripped the Lehigh avenue school team apart
and saw lust what made II go. Johnson
has had charge of the South Philadelphla
football interests only two years, nut ne
knows that when men have hght enough
left In them to come back as MS boys ala
I'm the Northeast game there is still hope
for the present champions TO repeat In the
race for the championship of the Inter-
scholastic League and the Gtmbel cup
South Philly Has Fight
Football experts and critics assert that
football Is composed of 60 per cent fight and
40 per cent mechanical skill. A few go so
far as to say that the fighting spirit OF an
eleven IL 65 or 20 per cent of the success OF
the team. one thing Is sure without the
necessary fighting spirit team Is doomed
on the gridiron. II is hard sometimes 10
drill into green material that they must keep
on fighting. even when they are tired or
hurt and that the other fellows are In just
as bad shape themselves. Dean believes
that his men have turned that point and
that they will finish the season IN blaze or
glory and for the second consecutive year
bring the Gimbel Cup to the Broad and
| Jackson streets institution. Pat Moran ana
| George Stallings have been called the
miracle men" of baseball. but II the title
| were to be applied to football tutor IN
| this section, Dean johnson fully deserves
| to have the honor bestowed upon his head.
Last year he assumed cnarge OF the grid
| iron candidates at the South Philadelphia
| High after the downtown Red and BLACK
| school had dropped the gridiron sport Tor a
| season. Taking the green candidates, many
! of whom had never had pigskin In their
| hands before, johnson upset the scholastic
world by winning the Interscholastic League
| championship. The eleven was not scored
| upon during the entire season. This year
| only two veterans reported at the hrst prac-
| tice. Practices were held on vacant lot
| without the equipment which the other
| schools had, and the titeholder was soon
| put down as a member of the "has-been'
| class.
However. the South Philly warriors soon
| upset this rumor and did not lose a game
| or allow an opponent to score until the
| strong Haverford School team, to which
| they lost, IA to 0. They were picked by
| many to defeat Central High, but were
| beaten in the closing minutes of play.
| BY winning from Northeast last Friday
Captain Bunnin's eleven again entered the
| race and are now tie with Northeast for
third place Germantown and Frank
| ford. the weak members of the circuit
| have vet to play South Philadelphia
and the contests should result in victories
for the ttleholders, as the two suburban
| eleyens are crippled by the injuries which
| most of their star men have received.
Previous TO Saturdays game Wyoming
Seminary students questioned Mercersourg
| Academy's claim to the scholastic cham