New Britain herald., 1926-10-05
COACHES DISAGREE
 ON SCOUTING PLAN
Poll of Eastern Mentors Reveals Grounds for Many Arguments

or eastern loOtDall coaches on the question of scouting opponents for the big games of the season, pre- cipitated when Tad Jones and Bill Roper of Princeton signed an agreement to put an end to the practice, finds a majority of the athletic mentors so far queried in favor of abolshing scouts.
 A few qualified their approval of non-scouting by declaring their adherence depends on how well the plan works in actual practice while others insist that the gridiron sport would be ruined by forbid ding scouting. Another 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 fol- low: Jess Hawley, Dartmouth, Hanover, N. H.; Reggie Brown, Boston university, Boston.
 Coaches opposed: Tad Jones, Yale. New Haven. Conn; Bill Roper, Princeton, Princeton, N J.; Hugo Bezdek, Penn State col lege, Pa; Cleo O'Donnell, Holy Cross, Worcester: Charles Crowley, Columbia, New York; Henry White, Amherst, Amherst, Mass; Fuss McLaughry, Brown, Providence, R. l.; Frank Gargan, Fordham, New York; G. H. McCracken, Lafayette, Easton, Pa; Percy Wendell, Le- high, South Bethlehem, Pa.
 Eastern collegiate conference (comprising II colleges) forbids scouting Of each other before games.
 Those undecided: Arnold Hor- ween, Harvard, Cambridge, Mass; William Reid, athletic manager, Colgate, Hamilton, N. Y.
 William Bingham, director of athletics 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 creates goodwill between the col leges. He believes that a non scouting agreement Is impractical and hard to control, as alumni or others interested in their teams. would constantly send coaches in formation gained from watching rivals. This, Hawley thinks, would breed a feeling of suspicion.
 Because football lis complicated enough now" Reggie Brown of Boston university is absolutely op- posed to the new idea. If the rules committee should try to make general non-scouting rule, it would affect football adversely he declared. Football Is complicated enough now. Proper balance be- tween offense and defense is neces- sary If the game is to have any sporting interest, and elimination of scouting would tend to upset this balance. There are so many possible offensive combinations that it is impossible to train any team to stop them at all"
 Scouting is overdone," Coach McLaushry said at Brown. "Its value is over-rated. No-scoutipr agreement will benefit the game" He did not think Brown would trv 10 effect an agreement with rivals this season.
 Henry White at Amherst believes that scouting eliminates the ele- ment of surprise and destroyed tbe initiative of the players" He homes TOT a similar agreement among the Little Three - Amherst, Williams and Wesleyan.
 Inc coaches could spend more time In trains and the result wouId be more scoring and more open play Lou Young said at Pennsyl- vania. An ideal agreement" was Cleon O'Donnell's opinion at Holy Cross.
 The no-scouting agreement Is a good one, the Columbia coach charles Crowley, said, but he also believes that colleges must obey the letter of the law. Its the best thlng that can happen to footbalL,p stated Coach Jim Mccarthy at Manhattan.
 Hugo Bezdek, in a statement de- clared that he had long favored the principle, but thought that perfection of the plan would be dLilcut. At Lehigh, Percy Wendell said; "Non-scouting has a tendency to make players think for them selves a little bit more. I never put great Importance in scouting" In much the same fashion, Frank Gargan, Fordham coach, supportnd the agreement, saying: When teams are not secuted they are able to play more on their own merits A practical working agree ment can be established, Coach Macrackcn said at Lafayette, in registering his approval,