Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-12-01
BY BILLY EVANS


picking an All American football
foam Is purely a matter of personal
opinion.
Often there are three or four play
ers SO nearly equal. that 1t is prac-
\ticaliy impossible tc determine which
player IS the best.
Some striking qualifications OF a
certain player may u a great
many to pick him. On the otheI
hand another player may appear Just
as strongly to as many otners, lol
some feature of play at which ne Is
most proficient.
In selecting an All American team
for 1921. the most difficult thing 1or
me was to reach q decision
Killinger of Penn state, Devlhe %
Iowa and McMillin of Center Tor the
position of quarterback.
Seldom has any season
three such great field generals, an
of them skilled in every department
of the game.
Quarterback
Devine of Iowa stands out as
of the greatest players the game mas
ever produced. east. or west.
Coach Howard Jones of Iowa, n
former Yale star, says of Devlne' 1
would be willing to go back twenty
years on any ALI American team anu
place Devine at quarter" That Is
certainly some praise.
Coach Williams of Minnesota says:
"Devine is the greatest quarterback
the west has ever produced. He rates
higher than either Johnny NC
Govern or Walter Eckersal." More
praise.
Killinger is unquestiohably the
cream OF the east. the greatest run
hing back of the year. He has been
the big noise in the remarkable sue
cess of Penn State.
rMcMillin's great ability is too
we'll known to need much comment.
He is the best defensive quarterback
in the game. A hard tackler and a
nIaver who seems to the plays,
and always is in the proper spot.
HalfbaciSs
] NV first thought was 70 place De-
vine at quarter and use Killinger at
one-half and McMillin at the other.
In modern football there is only q
very slight difference between the
arterback and halfback position.
That combination would ave
given me a great quarterback in De-
vine. Since Killinger had always
played halfback until this year. he
would be perfectly at home. That
would have given me the greatest
running back of the year. McMlllln,
who is rated as the best
quarter, would have supplied me
with a fine defensive back. In addi-
ton McMillin is as good on the
offensive.
Only the great work of Captain
Aldrich of Yale caused me to SHIFT
NV plans. Aldrich has been the
leading halfback of the east. He IS
a most remarkable player and there
is really no way OF keeping him OFT
the team. That TACT alone causes
ME to shift McMillin 10 my second
team.
Fullback
Some critics might have objected
to the use of three qu~arterbacks IN
the backfeld. In order to have had
some authority for such a radical
change, l discussed the possibility
with Coach Rockne of Notre Dame,
one of Che greatest football men,
tors. Here is how he viewed the
suggestions:
II think it is entirely proper to
shift Killinger and McMillin to the
halfback positions. In fact a very
logical thing to do. since both OF
these men are such wonderful per-
formers, that it would be unfair to
leave them ut. In modern football
there is very little difference be-
tween a halfback and quarterback"
At fullbck 1 have placed owen
of Harvard. Owen is the best of the
year at that position. He can punt,
drop kick, throw the forward pass,
and is one of the Best line crackers
in the history of the game. He Is
the ideal type modern back.