Evening star., 1926-12-26
NV 25 Years on the CridirOn
BY WILLIAM A. ROPER.
HEAD COACH PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
XXIX-My Return TO Princeton

The whole State of Missouri cele-
brated the victory over Kansas. l
had ia leave for the East right after
the game so did not see much of 1t,
though | stopped off at st. Louis to
attend luncheon of the Missouri
alumni.
Before the game started / was
handed a petition on the side lines.
signed by every student at the univer-
sity thanking me for my work with
the team and asking me. win. lose or
draw, to come back the next Fall.
This action on their part made a real
impression on me. So often the yard
stick that decides whether coach
has made good is the fipal score.
Princeton had a very disastrous sea
SON that Fall and when | got hack
East | was offered. the position OF
director OF athletics and coach OF the
foot ball team. | also had the offer
to return to Missouri and with 1t an
offer of a position i'm a law office In
Kansas City / debated a long time
before decided to stay East and ae-
eept the Princeton offer. My family
lived East and i could not bring my
self to the point of cutting on from
all old associations, much as l liked
the West and the Missouri people
Always Welcome in Columbia.
I am glad to say ] have been back
TO Columbia two times since and l
always received the same cordlal
greeting from old friends. In the
Fall of 1922 / went back for few
days and helped Hank Garrity coach
the team. We had q reunion OF the
1909 team the night before the big
contest and played the Kansas game
over again. / am glad to say Mis-
souri, won the next day, too.
stayed at Princeton as director OF
athletics two years. Eddie Hart, the
strongest man L ever have seen, was
captain of the foot ball team both
years. Hart played under terrible
physicai handicap of what some doc
tors said was a broken bone in his
neck. During his school days at
Exeter he ran into q goal post and
injured his neck. but kept right on
playing. When he came to Prince
ton the athletic authorities insisted
he be examined by three surgeons
They said he could play. Hart had to
wear a brace deep down his neck. IL
must have been big handicap. but he
Heyer complained and played STAR
game. particularly his last year when
yard apd Yale.
The Dartmouth victory was the re-
suit of fiuke play. While the ruling
of the official probably was correct,
I never would have questioned it had
it gone against us. Dewitt, the
Princeton ~fnllback, tried field goal
the kick was low and the ball
bounded down field.
Much to every ones surprise. 1t
took an extra leap just before reach
ing the goal posts and passed over
the bar This play gave us the game,
to 0. Tt was a. strange coincidence,
but the same play was made in the
Andoyer- Exeter game on the same
day. In that case also the officials
ruled it a goal.
These twk freak plays We're RESPONSE
Bile for a change in the rules the fol
lowing Winter and now drop-kick
must go over the goal post bar on
thel fly To count.
Sam White won the Harvard and
Yale games for us in 1911. In both
games he picked up a loose ball and
ran over half the distance of the field
for n touchdown. Roth were made
late In the second half.
We had remarkable defensive
team and a splendid punter, but no
attack. Dewitt, our fullbaek, who.
by the way, was no relation to John |
Dewitt, was the fastest kicker / ever
have seen. Snake AmeS was fesponsl-
BILE for DeWitt's kicking. He was at
Princeton most of the Fall and always |
was insisting upon speed. Toward the |
end of the season Dewitt got so fast
that it was impossible for defensive |
rush line TO block his kicks, even il |
they had no opposition on the line |
against them. He never took over |
2 seconds to get his kicks away. IT |
you question this statement go out |
and time a punter some day and see |
how long 1t takes from the time the /
center passes the ball and see how |
many punters can kick in seconds. /
& Sam Whites Lucky Pin.
Sam White told me an interesting |
story In Chicago last Winter. ] don't /
imagine he will mind my repeating 1t. /
Before the Harvard game some friend |
gave him pin which he told him TO i
wear when he wanted particularly |
good luck Sam sa d:
81 have worn It only three times in |
my life. Two of these were in the Har.
ward and Yale games and the third /
when proposed to the present Mrs. /
White. | have been tempted TO wear i
It la poker game, but | don't want |
TO- desecrate the pin