Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-10-06
SPORTS
SMALL ARMY OF
COACHES AGAINST
SCOUTING TEAMS

New York, Oct. 5.-(P)-A poll of
eastern football coaches on the ques-
ton of scouting opponents for the big
games of the season. precipitated when
Tad Jones and Bill Roper of Princeton
signed an agreement to put an end to
the practice. finds majority OF the
athletic mentors so FAR queried in IA
vor of abolishing scouts.
A few qualified their approval of
non-scouting by declaring their adj
herence depends on how well the plan
works in actual practice, while others
insist that the gridiron sport would
be ruined by forbidding scouting. An
other group takes a midway stand
preferring to await the outcome of the
Yale-Princeton pact before committing
themselves. Included in this class are
the Harvard authorities. who would
not Join their Big Three brethren in
the agreement this year but might
consider the plan later.
Coaches favoring scouting follow:
Jess Hawlcy. Dartmouth. Hanover. y.
H.; Reggie Brown, Boston University,
Boston.
Coaches opposed: Tad Jones Yale.
New Haven, Conn: Bill Roper, Prince
ton, Princeton. \. j.. Lou Young.
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Hugo
Bezdek. Penn State, state College, Pa.
Cleo O'Donnell, Holy Cross Worces-
ter; Charles Crowley, Columbia, New
York: Henry White. Amherst, Am
herst Mass: Tuss NcLaughry,
Brown, Providence, r. l.; Frank Gar
gan. Fordham, \. Y; G. II. McCrack-
en-. Lafayette, Easton. Pa: Percy Weh-
dell Lehigh, South Bethlehem, Pa.
Eastern Intercollegiate Conference
comprising IL colleges forbids
scouting of each other before games.
Those undecided: A#pld Horween.
Harvard. Cambridge, Mass: William
Reid, athletic manager Colgate, Ham
ilton.
William Bingham. director of ath-
letics at Harvard. favors the plan
personally, but believes that nothing
could be done contrary to the opinion
of Horween, the new Crimson coach.
In expressing his opinion that
scouting should not be abolished.
Jess Hawley. coach of the powerful
Dartmouth eleven, declared that the
present system is harmless and ere
ates goodwill between the colleges.
He believes that a non scouting
agreement is impractical anu DtI u
to control as alumni or others in
terested in their teams, would con-
stantly send coaches information
gained from watching rivals. This,
Hawley thinks. would breed a feel
ing of suspicion.
Because football as complicated
enough now" Reggie Brown Of Bos-
ton University is absolutely opposed
to the new idea. IF the rules COM
mittee should try to make a general
non scouting rule, it would affect
football adversely" he declared.
Football is complicated enough
now. Proper balance between Of
Tense and defense is necessary if
the game is to have any sporting
interest, and elimination Of scouting
would tend to upset this balance.
There are so many possible often
sive combinations that it is impossi-
BILE to train any team to stop them
all.
Scouting is overdone," Coach Nc
Laughry said at Brown. Its value
is over-rated. No-scouting agree
ment will benefit the game" He did
not think that Brown would try to
effect an agreement with rivals this
season.
Henry White at Amherst believes
that scouting eliminates the ele-
ment of surprise and destroyed the
initiative of the players He hopes
for a similar agreement among the
little three-Amherst, Williams, and
Wesleyan.
1.-The coaches could spend more
time on teams and the result would
be more scoring and more open
play" Lou Young said at Pennsyl-
vania. AN ideal arrangement" was
Cleon O'Donners opinion at Holy
Cross.
The no-scouting hdea is a good
one, the Columbia coach. Charles
Crowley, said, but he also believes
that colleges must obey the letter
of the law. IT'S the best thing
that can happen to football" stated
Coach Jim Mccarthy at Manhattan.
Hugo Bezdek, in a statement. de-
clared that he had long favored the
principle, but thought that perfec-
ton of the plan would be difficult
At Lehigh, Percy Mendell said:
Mon scouting has a tendency to
make players think for themselves
little bit more. l never put great
importance in scouting" In much
the same fashion, Frank Gargan,
Fordham coach. supported the
agreement saving: when teams