Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-24

<SoINCIDENT with the opening OF
~ the 1920-21 scholastic year at the
University of Pennsylvania, a new era
IN football dawns. Whether this smil-
Ing aurora will be followed by the noon :
day sun Of victory or the somber clouds
of defeat remains to be seen.
DR.. John Heisman, the man who put
Georgia Tech, an obscure southern IN
stitution, on the football map, Is the
medium through which the University
athletic solons hope to rescue the Red
and Rlue's smeared gridiron banner
from the ouagmire of dissension and
toilnre and unfurl It In It's proper place
m the flagstaff of unanimity and sue
cess.
three-year contract to reconstruct
pennsylyania's disjointed system with
one whose underlying principle Is har-
mony off the field and the famous
"Heisman shift" on the gridiron.
The new regime will get its baptism
NJ Ar, tomorrow afternoon on Frank :
lin Field, where the little, but we'll
coached, Delaware College eleven goes
,o battle with the husky athletes Of one
Of Americas greatest universities. AS
a
fem or the individuals on the varsity
eleven, tomorrow's game will count for
little. Yet thousands of friends, stu.
dents and alumni of the university will
be there Just to see what apparent prog
ress has been made since Bob Fol-
we'll left Those who expect to see some
great revolutionary change will be dis
appointed.
Can't BE Done
No man can install an entirely new
football system and have 1t working for
the opening game of the season. In
fact, an entire season may roll around
before the players become thoroughly
acclimated to Heisman's football at
mosphere.
Doctor Heisman comes to Pennsyl-
vania at rather unfortunate time, as
far as football material Is concerned. If
the Red and Blues chances of success
this season are to be judged solely on
have reported, the outlook Is far from
rosy but they should not be Judged In
that way. Many great coaches, and
Doctor Heisman Is one of them, have
welded mediocre material into win
ming football machine.
That is the not too enticing task that
confronts the new coach, but he has be-
gun right. and it would not be sur
Mising to see Pennsylvania team this
year wax stronger and stronger as the
weeks 60 by, emerging for Its final games
opponents a real battle.
Lest either the team or the coach be
Judged too quickly, 1t should be re-
membered that not just tomorrow's
game, but the entire season is largely an
experiment. II all goes as Doctor Heis-
man hopes, not only will the eleven this
year make a good record, but there will
be enough players grounded in the new
system to insure a winning team in the
future, regardless Of the loss Of indi-
vidual stars.
Iu Former Years
In the past those in charge Of Penn
sylvania's football teams have been
forced to put all of their energy into. a
current seasons play, rather than to
develop a stable system that would be
self -perpetuating and one that would
have insured big squads Of we'll trained
players.
Doctor Heisman has literally had to
begin at the bottom, not only because
he is introducing system, but because
the material is not studded with lumi-
naries. Bill Ward, the big tackle who
both on the firing line and on the Third
divisions football team, is the only
man that stands out pre- eminently.
Ward is not an experiment as a player.
lie arrived" long since and todHy
IS as one of the best tackles that
has graced Pennsylvania uniform In
years.
Alex Wray. Lud Wray,, Heine Mil
Ter, Hobey Light. Ben Derr, Dieter
and Danny McNichol, the men who
made the team what it was last year,
are missing. There isn't great player
IN the backfield. Rex Wray is fast,
open held runner and possesses many
other attributes which brand him as a
high grade man, but he isn't heavy
enough to do the work that a backfeld
man should do. What the team needs
9adly and hasn't is a man of the cali :
oer OF Bill Hollenbach, Roy Mercer,
owsley Manner or George Brooke. These
men were big, fast and could rip line
10 shreds.. And they had the stamina
70 start ripping early in the game and
keep 1t up on high gear until the final
whistle. Possibly Heisman will find
such man. 1t is to be hoped, but at
present he hasn't one.
High School Hope
ic Frank is now Penn's hone al
center The former Central High
..enGoSSlooy, .enGSoy after playing guard and
Jackie Tor almost three weeks, yester-
aay was shifted to center and performed
r%rSditably, % so creditably in fact that he
VIII In all probability, be used at the
@ pivot post when the Red and Blue lines
Up against Delaware.
rank is a husky boy, tipping the
ssaleS ut $50 and hitting the height
machine at six feet and two inches. His
s.ncral agressiveness and all around
nIS pLSS this year have made him too valu
i;Dn pe man to leave out of the varsity
n;ITeIup, and Coach Heisman finally de
nhu 10 try him at center. Thomas
r mno was groomed for the pivot post,
n may De lost to the team tomorrow be
ua ause OF his injured shoulder. He ex-
@ pec,s TO be in shape to scrimmage next
III TS ana enter the Bucknell game.
brn,nyre was one other surprise that
tbbotgnt tbot Joy to the squad yesterday and
Tbo Ta' WIS WAS the return of Herman Harvey
thro, ne Minersville youth, after playing
SoIIgm the summer on his home towns
tbiSe9ail team without scratch. on his
TIT Tau aay out for football hurt his knee.
tnoo injury developed into ''water on the
nasa' and it, took all the resourceful :
sb OF Mike Dee to bring It back Ia
% oape: Yesterday Mike told Harvey tc
Hut on the gridiron TO work out and
IT, sne knee did not worry him to get
ms .o the signal drill. Harvey did as he
an .old and after romping around for
IL nour entered the signal drill and
snowed all his old time vim.