The Washington times., 1921-12-25

Av1NO ~ - ~ AA ~
MENTION AMONG
| LEADING BACKS
Tom Thorp Gives His Opinion
About Greatest Plungers This
Season Produced.
By TOM THORP.
M ANY good backs were devel-
H oped on Eastern Rridirons
- this season. It would be
most difficult to pick a man who
excelled all rivals. Many will place
Aidrich, Of Yale; Owens. Of Har-
yxir r;G;n k y Ys1. e Penn State tate
ward; McMillin, Of Center; Erick-
son. of Washington and Jefferson:
Barchet, Of Navy; French. Of Army;
kaw, of Cornell; Gilroy, of Prince
ton, and Elliott, Of Lafayette in the
first flight of backs. All Of these
stars did much to gain glory for
themselves and prestige for their
respective alma matters. It is hard
to say which one did the most for
his team.
Captain Malcolm Aldrich played
hard well for Yale. Anyone who wit
messed the New Haven leader per-
form will place his name among the
tops notch backs OF the game. Aldrich
was handicapped by lack Of speed.
Few know that he was one Of the
y.1o t1.A b.I
his Ell squad. The burst Of speed he
uncovered to get Chaplin in the final
quarter OF the Harvard-Yale game
came as big surprise to every man
on the Yale bench. 1t was altogether
unlocked for II simply was another
! case OF a player rising above his true
form In an emergency. This was one
OF the chief characteristics Of the Yale
chieftain. He outdid himself when
ever It was necessary for some one to
excel in an emergency. 1t 10 Tor this
ability Of Aldrich to come. through
with living colors in the pinches that
we select him as one Of the great
backs Of the season. He can run, kick
and throw a forward pass. On defense
he is unQuestionably one Of the best
backs in the country.
Owens Star of Harvard.
Owens was the pest back that Coach
Bob Fisher had at Cambridge. An
early season injury kept him out of
most Of the early season games.
Against Princeton and Yale he show.
ed brand Of game that won him
host Of friends. No doubt, had he
been able to remain In the Princeton
game, Harvard would have scored
touchdown. He was forced to leave
after he had worked the pigskin down
to the Tigers 5.yard line. Owens
Tailed the touchdown against Yale.
He il a good, allaround back.
Killinger Is about as good a run.
ming quarterback as the game has
ever produced. The great offence that
Hugo Bezdek's Nittany Lions came
through with in every one OF their
battles was due In great measure
to the playing Of their field general.
Whenever a Penn State back failed to
gain through an opponents rush line
or around end, Killinger took the ball
himself. To say that he performed
In exceptionally style is to speak mild
ly of the p, IN State stars playing
Against Harvard, Georgia Tech, An
napolis and Pittsburgh Killinger out
shone all of his rivals. His fine all.
around work makes him desirable
man to have on any football eleven.
Buel Excels st Quarter.
Buel, Of Harvard. was the smartest
quarter OF the year. The Cambridge
star lacked much Of the weight Of his
rivals. He seldom ran with the ball.
However. every time he took upon
himself the responsibility Of gaining
ground against heavier and more for
Iv,,t a In ri folS al 40 4
was his splendid run back of one Of
Aldrich's kicks in the third quarter
Of the Yale game that put Harvard in
position to score. Buel is the sort
Of player that Harvard likes for field'
general. He IL shrewd. cool, conf ;
dent and knows the game from / :
ginning to end. He would be a me i
valuable asset to any team.
Cornell had fine running back
field. The fact that Gil Dobie was
able to mold his material into the
highest scoring machine proves that
he had capable backfield players to
work with. Kaw, the Cornell full
back, is one of the fastest runners in
the East. The style Of attack that he
was drilled in called for a man who has
speed and Ia hard to knock off his
feet. Kaw made an ideal man to fit
in with Dobie's idea of attack. He
acquitted himself in a manner which
earned him a place among the top
notch stars OF the East for the season.
| Given the ball in an off-tackle buck
or a delayed cross buck, Kaw was one
Of the hardest men In the country TO
bring to the ground.
Davies Deserves Honors.
Davies, OF Pittsburgh, must not be
forgotten when the honors are being
distributed. This Smoky City lad is
as versatile as any man in the game.
His open field running has been the
talk Of the East for years. In this his
final year he played a game that
gained him recognition among the top
notchers.
Elliott is a big. husky lad. While
only a freshman. he gives every prom
Use of developing into an All,Ameri-
can player before he completes his
course at Lafayette. Brennan, Brun-
ner and Gonzellas are other backs that
helped Jock Sutherlan's Eastern ele-
ven to keep their slate clean. All are