The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-09-17
! pears' System Worth
While If Some Games
Are Lost


BY Larry
ltter Watching the West Wiz.
Etnta football candidates In train
ng8at Deer Park Hotel, Md, for
Els last 10 days we have a rather
tt1i conviction that W. v. U. is
% enjoy a highly successful foot.
ban season, barring disaster in
s matter of injuries sustained in
anies, which Is an ever present
possibility in any football contest.
THE season may not be defeat.
less one, although at the present
writing we figure the Spearsmen
haye $3.50 chance In their hard.
ganes, but It should be a year
rejecting credit and progress in
West Virginia football.
We arrive at this aforesaid firm
conviction on the following major
pratniseB:
Sc The schooling in fundamen.
tails. that the candidates for the
football team are getting under
.sFSts4 Spears. alias the main
s works q
The new environment.
The personality Of Spears.
nstks separate sphere.
X Taking up the matter of funda.
inentaIs, those OF us who are stu
dents sof the Good Book remember
the parable about the man who
built his house on firm founda
hon and the man who builded on
the sand AS we recall the winds
blew and the floods came and the
house on the rock stood and the
other fell.
one did not have to remain long
"a the training camp to find out
that DR.. Clarence Spears believes
that to have a successful football
season, there must be firm foun.
tiation. "a complete knowledge
working knowledge the funda
nentals Of the gridiron supplies
that foundation, together with dis
That west Virginia last yeai
and at other times was woetully,
sorrowfully, disastrously weak In
this particular none can well deny.
Time and again the colors Of w.
VII were dragged in defeat be-
cause fundamentals seemedA to
have been left out Of the ciTrtcu
s luni.
TO correct this evil, Spears set
about quite pronto. He gave the
members OF the squad rule books,
mot merely as an addition to their
II ifhrary but as a text book which
II they were required to master and
pass examination upon.
ON the field he devoted the ma.
Tor portion Of his time to drilling
his men, in fundamentals. He
taught them how and where and
when to throw passes; how to-
cSfch passes and puntS; how to
u toilow the ball and a thousand and
one other little details that per-
haps do not seem so blamed es.
sential and probably grow weari
some In the doing over and over
again; but which are very likely
10 play the deuce at any time II
net mastered. So day after day
and day after day, Spears drilled
into his men from
l.hoW TO tackle and take out the
dummy hanging over the sawdust
S5fle 70 the use OF the straight arm
ii open field running day
gthe gauntlet from A to in the
Tudtments Of the game. If the
Virginia lads no not play
the game up to the handle this
year 1t will be because they hava
no memories or ability to absorb.
So much for fundamentals; now
u 70 the new environment.
5dt is rather hard to describe
lust what this situation Is. Sol
Often one goes to a training camp
md finds the usual zip and pep
81 the early season days and 1t
Is easy to picture glorious year
ahead, only to find afterwards
that, Il Is a superficial analysis.
But there is some thing distinct
~ different at West Virginia this
year It's West Virgini0-all fol-
west Virginia from the word go.
Men endure the rigors of the most
Intensive football training in the
history, OF the university with
smiIes on their faces. willing and
J Seer TO fdos any thing for their
liAlna Mater. ;, Individualism IS re-
IN SFated to a far corner and CO
IMPERATIVE effort for the good OF the
i6gdeFdsig given front seat. Do not
igpts tho impression that individual
bihtyEis. overlooked and that men
Rho. peeRorm exceptionally well
Eafef mot Tewarded with just com.
fment, but a spirit prevaleH to
iproduce5Htstar elyen without any
lEertaInG stRrg gobbling up the en-.
tire current y AS We have explain.
ed 81 before an effort Is being
made to have eleven men on the
field at time each doing his
work well in his particular place
Tor the benefit of the entire foot
bail machine, and allowing indi- |
Yidual experimentation to be mat
ter Of oppertunit y and detail.
There IS no bellyachinE, about the |
hard lIfe;s no crabbing;s new mea
tryin Efor, positions are we'll re.
ceiyed by men who might lose a |
steady Job to the newcomers no
tf6rt to dodge the training rules;
noisquestion OF the wisdom OF any |
move on the part Of the main |
Horksn;; no thought bat to drive
Rhead as hard as possible toward
the goal Of a successful season.
Fhe whole situation can not be |
explained; one has to be at the
1sining camp, where one finds
Himselk breathing in new football
Stniosph ere that Is meat and drink
u - H 10