Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-07
BY LAWRENCE PERRY,

n TEW YORK. April 7.--One
coach has had the courage OF
NJ his convictions concerning
4 strenuous Spring foot bali
practice. He is Earnest Bearg
OF the University of Nebraska, VINO
ordered but one serious scrlmmage
tor his players and spent the rest OF
the time In punting and passing t.ie
ball with two or three dummy dIlIlS.
He made much of q class III RUE
interpretations.
Beare gives as his reason for tins
the desire to avoid injuries to his men
which will carry over into the Fall
There is q very real point IN TINS.
II bears acutely upon the condition OF
the men of the Autumn, but more
especially it has a strong renecton
z7pon gports which are Indigenous to
the Spring and early Summer season.
The other day at a big university
q very valuable point winner IN track,
avho had been drafted for foot ball
service by the coach, was so injured
that he viii be unable TO represent
his university in important dual and
sectional meets this Spring.
Fuel of Enemies of Game.
FROM another Middle Western coach
she writer gets the impression that
ne feels that emphasis on Spring foot
hall places weapons in the hands Of
those who oppose this greatest OF all
college sports.
Despite the great popularity OF the
Autumn game it has in the West, as
in the East, its enemies and some OF
them are powerful enemies.
The stressing Of foot ball as In ac-
centuated Spring practice, coloring as
=. o,,fs4 ambition 10
win at all costs, gives, so this coach
feels. opportunity for criticism which
does not lack solid grounds.
This man. who does not wish his
name used-he is very well known by
the vay-holds that three weeks OF
practice before the opening game III
fhe FAN is far more valuable than
six weeks Of Spring drill And II the
western Conference and Missouri
Valley Conference were to favor such
a. change he believes that much Of the
criticism Of foot ball as major SUB
ject Of campus study would die out.
The coach says that he Is not the
only gridiron mentor in the West who
holds the view that through such
practices as Spring workouts and the
like there is a growing sentiment that
foot balls true purpose is being sub
merged.
As to the status OF base bail in the
Middle West it may be noted that
Drake and Grinnell will not be rep
resented on the diamond this season.
They give as reasons inclement
weather and lack of time for practice.
But the fact seems clear that If the
spirit Of the national game We're keen
at these institutions, base bail would
be played.
Young athletes have way Of over
coming such obstacles as Winter sea
sons that nnger too long in the lap
Of Spring. Sister universities in the
West. in fact, have overcome them
By sending their nine into Dixieland.
Iowa State ball tossers circumvent
the meteorological conditions by work
ing out on the dirt floor in the ar
mory at Ames, and Nebraska, which,
by the way, IS not represented by a
varsity nine this year, viii return to
competition next year and VIII de-
veIop its nine in the South.
Just now the country below the
Mason and Dixon line is full OF base
bah teams from Middle Western and
Eastern colleges, and it would be in.
teresting to know whether, the games
yield sufficient gate returns to defray
training expenses. 1t is likely they
do, since university athletics budgets
would hardly bear the strain Of finance
ing Southland jaunts by large squads
of ballplayers.
I'm the announcement that Univer-
sity Of Illinois coaches will spend six
weeks this Summer teaching their
methods to high school and minor
college coaches all over the country
may be read Matchmaking influence
I'm intercollegiate sports which is'
really tremendous.
At Illinois. where the Summer
coaching school will enter upon its
fourteenth year, at Ann Arbor Mich,
and at Springfield, Mass. coaches from
ell sections Of the country sit at the
feet Of athletic specialists OF the high
est renown and return to their Jobs
filed both with a technical knoWI-
edge they never before possessed and
an increased understanding Of the
valuable part they are playing in the
preparation Of students for the world.
John McEwan. former Army foot
ball coach, who resigned from the
service to accept the coaching job at
the University Of Oregon, is the first
coach 10 cast the shift overheard.
Believing that the restrictions
which the rules committee has placed
upon this formation will run it's
effectiveness, assuming officials en-
force the rule-which they have a
habit Of doing on the Pacific Coast
McEwan has in Spring practice at
Eugene changed to another scheme
of launching his attack and viii not
use the shift At all
In the two months OF practice Nc
EVAN has this new attack pretty well
1vr1,arfhEd and and Harry hi
finger, his assistant, think highly Of
its possibilities.
The Spring workout revealed some
ve-v fine back field material coming
up from the freshman class. but no
linemen Of any great promise. It
seems assured. however. that Oregon
10 Your OLD FELT