Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-30
MY 25 Years ON the Cridiron
BY WILLIAM A. ROPER.
HEAD PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
XXXIII-My First Coaching Job Secured

In March of my senior year at col
Iege I contracted infiammatory rheu-
matism and was very seriously SICK
for two months in the college IN
Urinary. Before / was taken SICK
had intended, when graduated from
college, getting a job with some steel
company and had made one or two
trips to Bethlehem to see certain ofti.
Gals whom i knew, with view OF
getting a position in the Bethlehem
Steel Co. They kindly promised to
give me q try. / was to go right
in the steel mill and learn the bust
ness from the ground up after col
lege closed.
OF course, my sickness made this
impossible. I could just about walk
in June and my doctor told me l
would have to go easy for another
year at least. This wasn't a very
pleasant prospect. / had been unable
to do any studying during my sick
ness, so it was impossible for me to
take my final examinations in June
and get my degree. There always
was more or less excitement around
Princeton during the graduation week,
so T decided to go home as soon as
could safely leave the college in
Urinary.
Urged to Try for Degree.
| spent the Summer at the seashore
and in the Fall felt so much better
that l decided to try and get a Job.
which I succeeded in doing with the
Bell Telephone Co. of Philadelphia.
After l had been working couple
of months I went up to Princeton to
see my brother, who was a sopho-
more, and during the course Of
my visit called on the Dean of the
college. He urged me to come back
and get my degree, saying it could
be arranged so that I would not have
to attend classes, but only take my
examinations after a couple of months
of study.
1t seemed to me a shame not to get
it if / could do SO without much extra
expense to my mother, who already
had made tremendous sacrifices to
send my brother and me to college.
When I got home talked it over very
fully and finally decided to take the
deans advice. | gave up my job and
went back to Princeton, where
studied very hard for about two
months, at the end OF which time
succeeded IN passing all my examina-
tons and got my degree.
believe my college diploma was the
first one signed by the late President
Woodrow Wilson, who had just be-
come president of the university, as
/ received my degree i'll February.
which was four months ahead OF the
time OF the graduation OF the senior
class.
Seeks Coaching Position.
I felt rather tired out after my work
at Princeton and my doctor advised
me to keep out-of-doors as much as
possible and stay away from desk
Job. This was not so easy as 1t
looked and l tried without success for
several weeks to get something to do.
Finally, the idea occurred to me, why
not get coaching job? This would
keep me out-of doors and pay me
enough to support myself, with some
thing left over.
1t was one thing to decide to coach
and another to get congenial posi-
ton. While foot ball was popular in
those days, there was nothing like
he present-day demand for coaches.
1t seemed to me the best way to
locate a job was to write to the
treasurer Of the athletic association
at Princeton and find out If he had
received any inquiries from schools
or colleges in regard to coaches for
next Fall. ] made up my mind that
while / wouldn't haggle over salary,
] would not go anywhere where l
didn't think the surroundings would
be congenial and where the eligibility
rules were not in accord with our own
ideas at Princeton.
| believed then and I am more
firmly convinced today that there is
real sentimental appeal in foot ball,
provided it is played under the proper
atmosphere, and when it is not, 1t is
not worth the time and energy given
to it, This is the reason why l
seriously question whether profess
sional foot ball will be a permanent
success. The one thing which the
professional team lacks and which
the college or school team has, Is the
spirit which stands behind the insti-
tutionai eleven and does not and can
not get behind the other aggregation.
Player and spectator alike feel and
show the lack of it.
Gets First Job at V. NJ. 1.
To my way of thinking, the old
game with it's imperative demand for
courage and heart, and the new game
with no less demand for these, and
the added requisite of lightning in
telligence, fail alike when the men
are playing for pay instead of some
thing less tangible but more COM
pelling.
A. few days after / had written to
the athletic authorities at Princeton,
I received a letter from them stating
that the Virginia Military Institute ut