Evening star., 1926-12-17


IT the La Fayettc Hotel, and the lat
eer holds a dinner tonight for the var
Sity and freshman squads in the uni
yersity dining hall at College Park
Roth universities are well SATISFIED
over the results of their schedulee
and feel their teams did just aoout
IS well as could have been expecelq'
and perhaps even better.
Many complimentary things Were
=aid last night of Coach Crum ana
his plavers. and 1t is likely that the
usual complimentary remarks VIII oe
bestowed upon the Maryland men,
Will BE Unusual Honor.
One thing In connection with the
MARYLAND dinner. though, that viii be
unusual concerns Mike" stevens
(antairi of the squad last Fall. Ste
vens Is to be honored as no otner
athlete in the history OF the u1nNeI-
.:itv has been honored, and perhalSs
as no other athlete viii be for years
to come. The athletic board mas
voted to present stevens with a
trophy. not in honor of his stetlar
work as a player, not IN honoF vi Iile
ability on the foot ball field as cap
+ain hut. as the inscription on the
trophy SAYS. "in honor OF his hne per
sonal attitude on and off the field ana
ro commemorate and perpetuate the
IDEAL he has set for athletes OF this
university" -.
Stevens for two years has been
the best ground gaining PACK d.
MARYLAND, and the best all-rouno ioot
BAL player, but in the two years mas
started only one or two games; Aio
,x,han # Is considered that when a
cantatn starts only one or two games
IL more often than not is accepteu
with rather poor grace, it is all the
more TO Stevens credit that ne never
iisplayed anything in his attltuoe ae
anv time other than to acquleSce
quietly in giving his best to the team
In the way that was thought pest
Fine Type of Athlete.
Not only was Stevens a brilliant
foot ball player, but he always mas
been good in his classes and IN ms
yeneral conduct all that could Do oe-
sired. If any athlete ever was a
model after whom any university
might desire all its athletes mofoeo'
hen Stevens is that athlete.
Stevens foot ball history is de-
cidedly interesting. Perhaps he does
not desire it told and certainly ms
mother. Mrs. Eugene Stevens OF
Chevy Chase, Md, does not, put
without any apologies to either OF
hem, il is here briefly sketched oe-
cause 1t Is worth sketchlng.
At Western High School Mike
won himself something of a reputa-
tior, as q base bal player. as did his
brother Gene" before him, but ne
vas substitute end on the eleven and
nouodv ever dreamed he was or ever
would be a foot ball player. He en-
tered Maryland three years ago last
NaI and never went out Ior tne
freshman team. One day George
t1reen. former Western coach, was
at Maryland and said: You nave d
xoungster in the freshman class VINO
3s. "a good base ball player. He is
small for foot ball, but he was SUB
etitute end at Western. Why don
Won get him out. He might 90
something.
Urged to Come Out.
Stevens was looked up and got out
For the freshman elevent. He dlo Ialry
well in two games, tnen was rt L.
and did not play any more. Inc neA.
Fa11 he did not report for the varsity
eoua6 Rut late in October Mary
Iana had few backs and two OF those
we're already on the Injured iist' wnen
mn a Wednesday afternoon in scflin-
maze with an Army team one more
hack received a broken leg ana
another a twisted knee. Maryland mao
n nlav North Carolina on Saturday
md n had on the squad only three
lacks. Somebody thought of Stevens
went TO him and asked him to come
out. ,..
''btJt nv mother feels I'm TOO small,
that I get hurt too easily and that l
could never do anything In loot paii
anyway" -
That afternoon Crhursday) one OF
the MARYLAND coaches hied htmsen
over to see Mrs. Stevens. Said Mrs.
stevens, on the coach putting IN his
appearance: II know just what you
nave come for and l just can't do IT.
I see no reason why l should allow
you to make a mediocre foot ball
pIayer out of a star base ball player.
And, something more, Mike is too
small and gets hurt too easily:
It happened that the coach knew
Mrs. Stevens well and that MRS.
stevens, as chairman Of the Mont
somery County League of Women
Voters, had helped the coach greatly
n some other school matters in which
both were interested, therefore the
coach proceeded to argue. The coach
iinally won out and Stevens went out
for foot ball that afternoon.
Helps Beat Tarheels.
with two days of practice, which
consisted Of nothing more than learn
ing the signals for five plays, Stevens
went to Chapel Hill Saturday and
started the game with North Caro-
lima on the first play Of the game
Stevens got kicked in the head and
was stretched cut unconscious. A
good many stories are told of how
cpac. es pray before foot ball games.
'IlIt b ere's no doubt that II any coach
.Ser did pray that was one occasion
4vhen one coach did. Anyway, Stevens
gRcovered and by his good work go
he ball IN positions for two field
goals, which Hall kicked. Maryland
won, TO o.
The following week Stevens was
.furt and did not play again that sea-
son. He was out at the beginning Of
1895, and from that time on has been
Z star and never has received so
nuch as q scratch. Everybody knows
sIont his record this year, but one
ouch that everybody does not know
, y;ts on action Of that coach in one
\ bay cutting from Il dozen different
,saperS many nice things said OF
stevens as foot BAN player, pasting
hem on big sheet Of paper, writing
under them What of that mediocre
foot ball player?" and sending the big
sheet 10 Mrs. Stevens. The letter
rom Mrs. Stevens in reply to that is
one of the coach's treasured posses
sions.
His Mother Has Big Part.
Mrs. Stevens part in making
Mike" a great foot ball player has
never been known. but any woman
vino believes that foot ball is a form
If modified murder" and still can
watch her son become g great part of
4 is a real woman, the kind of wonl-
an whose sons always do fine things
49, ,.,orfd Aud cartafniy II iS she