The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-09-17
Know Fundamentals of
GRIDIRON GAME THIS SEASON

is but a reflection Of the football
leader at West Virginia.
Let US start out by saying that
Spears is 3 mans man-about 2S0
pounds Of the real stuff in red
blooded manhood.
He signed up to coach West Wiz.
ginia this year; and HE'S GOING
TO BE COACH.
He asks no quarter and will
He is not a roughneck; he is not
bullheaded; he is not a mule
He is BOSS. because that is
what he is paid, for.
He lays down the law; and woe
be to the guy who does not respect
thelaw.
Men on the squad obey his every
order not SO much that they fear
Spears; but because they ADMIRE
him and RESPECT him.
They know when he tells them
something, he's not guessing-he
knows whereof he speaks.
He stopped the possibility OF
any one taking q yard when given
an inch, by not giving them an
inch; and the fellow who would
not take a yard does not miss tho
inch anyhow.
There are no favorites played.
Rules and regulations are for the
squad. no special permits granted
prospective world heaters. One
guy is not eating hardtack and the
other pudding. no sir.
Spears reaches the men through
their intellectual sense, not
through brute force; also he is
teaching them that football Is
played just as much above the
neck as below.
Does he bawl players out on the
field?
Yes. But it leaves no ugly sting,
producing incentive for better work
rather than pouting. The fellow
who gets bawllng out, knows he
needs it. He also knows that bet
ter work few minutes later will
bring a-word OF praise. To be cen.
sored by the coach means no de-
cline In his estimation OF the play
er. A bit of snappy advice here and
there may, like castor oil, be lit
tie hard TO take but 1t does the
work. Spears has no special de-
light In bawling a guy IN public
in fact If he had his way he would
clear the field Of all spectators SC
he could work with his men alone.
Several times he took his men to a
far corner of the field at Deer Park
when he felt things might not
break just right SO that any needed
lectures could be given out Of reach
Of the ears OF the spectators on the
sidelines.
He is the most painstaking fell
low we ever met. He'll work his
neck of TO make a man understand
the why Of a certain play or posi-.
ton. He lectured to his boys aft.
ernoon and evening, and he has
their welfare and that Of West Vir-
ginia university at heart.
OF the field, he's a good mixer.
He'll sit In chair or on the veran.
da rail and tell good football yarn
to the lads or listen to some Of the
experiences they have had.
Now and again we saw him amble
out from the dining room and spot
some player on the front porch. He
would beckon with his finger and
remark: May l see you minute?'
Then the two OF them would draw
up chairs close together away from
the crowd and chat for half an
hour perhaps. He may have been
talking about the last presidential
election to this member of the:
suad. but more than likely he was
just giving a little advice on how
to improve his play.
In the time we were at camp, We
never saw him pussyfoot around to
see IL the rules were being obeyed.
He's fair enough to give Shts men
the benefit OF having sense Of
honor and right. And we figure
those daily workouts were about
brisk enough for a student of men
such as Spears to tell II some one
was slipping cog.
And say, baby, this man Spears
can make a speech. We've heard