New Britain herald., 1926-11-27
SHIFT Abolition
| May Change GAME
Full Two Second Stop Before
Start Of Plays Is Agreed on

Chicago. Nov. 81 P,-The virtual
abolition Of the shift in western con-
ference football next year, by vote
of the coaches at the annual sched-
ule meeting to enforce a full two
second stop before the start Of plays,
promises to revolutionize the game.
THE most radical step since the
forward pass" one coach said, and
his opinion that the move will re-
suit next fall in Big Ten attacks
from open or seIni-punt formations
was generally held among the ath-
letic directors.
Eight OF the conference elevens
used the shift to a greater or less
extent this season, only Michigan be-
Ing unaffected by yesterdays deci-
sion. and Ohio State only to a slight
degree.
The offense systems Of Minnesota,
Chicago and Indiana will have to be
entirely made over, and changes
made in the tactics of the others,
coaches said.
Opposing teams from outside the
conference will be expected to OBJ
serve the ruling, it was pointed out.
and Coach Robert Zuppke of Illinois,
who led the attack that resulted in
the decision, has announced his in
tention of waging q similar fight at
the rules committee meeting IN New
York this winter.
Zuppke stood out for official ac-
ton TO fix definite standard 70 in
sure a complete halt of the Of
fensive team before =. charges after
a Shift, rather than leaving the de-
csion to a harassed referee and
after Coach Spears Of Minnesota
volunteered to drop the play the
Gophers gave football years ago,
there was a landslide in support of
abolition.
The action of the Minnesota coach
smoothed out one of the difficulties
in the schedules session, leading
Michigan to agree to meet the Goph-
ers next fall. the shift being chief
factor in Michigan's inclination to
not schedule the game.
Another high light in the MT citing
was the scheduling of Michigan
Chicago game, which will mark their
resuming of gridiron relations after
lapse of seven years, the rumored
break between Chicago and North
western materialized in their failure
to arrange q 1917 game.
Six major intersectionals for mid
western elevens were announced.
three at home and three in the east.
Rockne announced that Southern
California will play Notre Dame in
Chicago on November rs, as one of
the biggest of the lot. Rockne
scheduled but two Big Ten oppon-
ents.. all but three of the conference
teams still had open dates today.
The conference, it was decided,
will universally adopt the huddle
system of signals next fall, further
changing tactics affected by the shift
ruling.
Coaches from other parts of the
country, gathered here for the
Army-Navy game, displayed keen in
terest in the Big Ten decision on
shift regulation. Many of them
predicted that it would supply the
impetus to a nation wide movement
calculated TO influence the intercol-
legiate committee to abolish the shift
altogether.
The action was applauded by Gil
Dobie. veteran Cornell mentor and
president of the Football Coaches
Association Of America.
I'VE can go even further In sim
plifyng the game, In my opinion,
Dobie declared. ITS too complicat-
ed now, even for many officials, let
alone college players themselves
Knute Rockne whose Notre Dame
team is a leading exponent of the
shift, believes his players have kept
strictly to tie letter Of the law in
executing their formations. 1t was
pointed out that in the Hoosiers'
game with the Army, another team
practicing the ..hirf, each team was
penalized only once.
In previous encounter with Yale
however, the cadets were penalized
is times for not coming to full
stop before the ball was snapped.