The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-31
NO. 1-AS TOLD BY ". w. (BILL)
 ROPER (Head Coach, Princeton University.)

GIcLufC an 0lLeEu00n- III late OCIODGE wearing to a close beneath low-hang- ing clouds; set beneath those clouds a huge rectangle of overcoated human be- ings whose eyes are bent toward a sim gle spot; make that spot one end of a football field-the goal line; group about that line, 50 symbolic and so fateful, twenty%two young stalwarts tensed in the most important intersec- tional struggle of the year, and-you have the setting for lay which I con slider the greatest gridiron strategy l ever witnessed.
 I say, greatest strategy" advisably. Undoubtedly many a brilliant play in- trinsically as brilliant as this one has come to my attention but no other was conceived in so unusual way executed under such unusual circumstances, or fraught with such unusual results. These are matters that must weigh in any problem of comparison.
 Great Drama
 If was drama with big D-drama much greater than those who viewel it suspected. The tens of thousands of onlookers saw the hurtling figures of fine athletes charging in the intracicies If offense and defense. A brown ball described a brief but perilous arc through crisp autumn air. What seemed a rout was transformed into ultimate victory. These things a myriad of eyes noted and adjudged. But the real story. tbe compelling detail of why and how if all happened, was not revealed bv these fleeting developments, soon nrasaed from memory by news and eoualIv exciting events. This is the story I will tell.
 When Princeton journeyed west to Stagg field. Chicago, to meet the I Un1- versity of Chicago on October zS, 1Szz' precedent of many years was DroKeh, for. up to that time, each or the great eastern triumvirate-Yale, Harvard and Princeton--had confined their tray els strictly to their own territory; put the Tigers invasion of Stagg field was in the nature of a return engagement rendered the more urgent by the neces- sity of averaging defeat. The year pre- vious the Maroon had marched upon Palmer stadium and conquered the Orange and Black by score or , to '.
 Success Doubtful.
 Whatever may have been the opinion of our men as to the outcome of our western incursion it is certain that the public doubted that we would be sue cessfuI. The Tigers beaten by the Ma rooms of 1921 were practically the Tigers of 1920, mythical champions of the east; but by 1922 the big stars of this machine had ended their collegiate careers and the experts saw in the eleven of that year only an inferior team.
 Maroon Was Expected To Win Chicago, on the other hand, had lost only one of it's important men-Rom- ney. the brilliant backfielder. The lineup against us at Stagg field was practically the same as that which, the year before, had overcome the strategy of I4ourie and rendered nil the brilliant skill of the powerful Keck. The Ma room was the favorite to win as the whistle blew.
 Events soon seemed to confirm the expectations of the wise ones. The splendid line plunging of the Thomas brothers overcame our defense. On the other hand we were unable to gain ground with any degree of consistency. At the end of the third period the score stood IS to q, with the Tigers on the short end. Defeat seemed inevitable even to the most optimistic Orange and Black rooters. And the outlook grew measurably gloomier som after the start