The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1919-12-27
Champions
Past and Present


of championship caliber, the West
ern metropolis is able to boast the
distinction of being absolutely sec
ond to none. This is especially true
of colored athletes. Every encourage
ment has been given them to show
of what sort of metal they are made,
and they have lost no time in prov
ing that their brilliance is accompa-
MED by the requisite metallic ring.
Some of those are still busily engaged
in writing athletic history, but must
be called back out of the past. If
you will but pause brief moment, /
shall attempt to summon Chicago
champions, past and present, back
INTO THE SUN.
In the year 1908, two athletes of
color accompanied the team which so
gloriously represented the United
States in the Olympic games at Lon
don. One was that most admired of
all quarter-milers, John Taylor of the
University of Pennsylvania, and the
other was Francis Leroy Holmes of
the city by Lake Michigan. Holmes
was an all-round man; sort of ath-
letic "jack-of-all-trades." He was
most brilliant in the jumps and per-
formed marvelously in the standing
high and the standing broad. He was
also Splinter of no mean ability
and in the other events, was able to
beat many of the specialists at their
own games.
Whenever one thinks of Chicago
athletics, ones mind is most certain
to revert to the Pollard family. Four
sons of this illustrious house have
played their way into the football
hall of fame, Leslie, Fritz, Hughes
and Sid. All four we're statewide he
roes in high school. Two, Leslie and
Fritz, acquired nation wide fame on
account of their brilliant accomplish
ments in Eastern universities, and
one, Fritz, attracted world wide at
tention by creating for himself a
berth on Walter Camps All-American
Team.
Next to the Pollard Brothers, Chi
cago people like to talk about Sam
Ransome. This wonderful gridiron
hero was a teammate of the renowned
Walter Eckersall. He was considered
by many to have been the peer of
his more fortunate contemporary, if
not his superior. During Ransom's
time, his school. Hyde Park, enjoyed
the distinction of winning the Ma
tional Interscholastic CHAMPIONSHIP
from Brooklyn by score of 121 to
0. Pop Gilbert, another colored
youth, was member of the world
beating aggregation. In addition to
this feat, Sans high school team per-
formed the unheard thing of defeat
ing the Varsity team of the Univer-
sity of Chicago.
Not content with the hair raising
feats of Sam Ransome, Hyde Park
acquired the services of an unusu.
ally versatile performer, DUSTY
Parker. Parker was champion in
football, basketball, baseball and the
track. He won four H. P.'s each wear
lie attended the aristocratic school
After his enviable work in the prep
aratory school, Parker made a name
long to be remembered at both Hi
nois and Northwestern Universities
"Heavenstn" has turned out lust
as good athletes as Hyde Park. In
proof OF this assertion, allow me to
introduce DR.. Roy Young Che was
plain Roy in those days., was one of
the best and most consistent PLAYERS
the Conference has ever known. His
introduction to the college gridiron
was at lllionois, where he lowered
head and shoulders above his team
mates. His brilliancy was equally no
tlceable when he changed schools to
wear the purple colors of Northwest.
ern. Young has been of inestimable
value to the Evanston University as
assistant coach since his graduation
Johnson, a colored youth who had
enough Indian blood to quarterback
at Carlisle. was pilot of the victorious
Northwestern team at the same time
Roy was performing.
There were runners in those DAYS
as well as football heroes. If you
doubt me, ask the alumni of Wendell
Phillips if they remember Burke
Burke was a sprint king and he pi.
loted his Alma Matters relay team
to more than one victory, for which
they had given up hope. His most
noticeable accomplishment was steer
ring his team to an admirable victory
at the ePnnsylvanit relay games and
winning for himself solid gold stoT
watch.
In the old days, church baseball