Evening star., 1926-12-09


writing to ascertain how Princeton
would feel about taking the same &C.
tion. 1t appealed to me as a bully
idea, and Jones and I got together in
New York and informally discussed
the matter. We both felt that the inn
portance of scouting was overempha-
sized, so we agreed that no one con-
nected with Princeton would watch
the Yale team and no one connect
ed with Yale would watch the Prince
ton team.
We then had to consider the case of
where some old playet or alumnus, or
even a person interested in either
team. would happen to see Yale or
Princeton play and after the game sit
down and write about the play to
some coach or player. In the past /
admit / have gotten a great many
such letters, some full of suggestions
and others diagraming a certain Yale
play or series of plays.
Jones said he would guarantee that
If any Of the Yale coaches received
such information, they would not say
anything about 1t to any one. and as.
sumed the same responsibility for my
Princeton associates. We also agreed
to tell the members of the respective
squads to pay no attention to any let
terS they would receive about either
teams play and to hand over any such
letters as soon as they were received.
Jones jokingly remarked that it would
be impossible to ask the postal author
tiles not to deliver any letters of such
character, and in this acquiesced.
Under all the circumstances it SEEM
ed best to give this agreement as
much publicity as possible, so we
drew up a short memorandum en-
h06ylhsr 1syhi
to the press the following day.
Cites Amusing Incident.
There was one rather amusing Incl
dent that followed on the heels of our
meeting in New York. I had hardly
reached Princeton when I received a
long-distance call from New Haven
from Tad" Jones. He said he had
been trying to get me for the past
few hours, because when he had got
ten back he learned that one of the
Yale coaches. not knowing of our nom
scouting agreement, had left for
Princeton to attend the Princeton
Amherst game. Tad said, II tried to
stop him. but 1t was impossible to To-
cate him In New York. so I have done
the next best thing by appointing an
official Princeton scout for our game
against Boston College," Frank Ber.
gen. a successful lawyer and an old
Princeton quarterback, lives in New
Haven. AS soon as Jones heard that
Yale coach would see Princeton
play Amherst he hunted up Bergen
and asked him to act as official Prince.
ton scout at the Yale game.
This Is just to give an indication of
Tad" Jones' fairness and sportsman
ship. Our scouting agreement Off
cially went into effect after the first
game. though 1 didn't take the trouble
to bother Bergen to make a report on
Yale's play against Boston College,
and L doubt If Jones made any in
qulries about our own play In the AM
herst game.
I am glad to say this Fall was the
first one in my coaching experience
that not a single Princeton supporter
made any effort to directly or indi-
Yale's play. Our alumni to a man
felt the 'non-scouting agreement a
step in the right direction and every
one scrupulously lived up to the letter
and spirit Of the agreement. 1 know
Yale can feel the same way and
acted the same way. Plenty Of
Princeton men saw Yale play the
Army and I have no doubt there
We're some Yale supporters at the
Princeton-Harvard game. Those who
saw either team play enjoyed the
game and went about their business.
/ know the players approved Of the
idea and / also am certain they en-
joyed playing in the Yale game and
being on their own initiative
Players Taught to Think.
Foot ball teaches those who play 1t
to think, and, in my opinion, scouting
deadens the players initiative more
than anything else in the whole game.
In former years we thought more
about outwitting the Yale and Har-
ward scouts than in winning our early
season contests. We often would go
into a game and change our entire
defense from what we intended to use
in the final games Of the year. Good
plays were kept under cover and only
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