New Britain herald., 1927-12-22
STANFORD BACK, WHO STARRED ON THE US. RUGBY
 TEAM iN TpE 1924 OLYMPIC T- ..SAMES"
(BY NEA SERVICE)

Los Angeles. Calif.. Dec. 22.-One of the unsung heroes of the 1924 Olympic battlefield in Paris was a football player. a member of Uncle Sam's rugby team that was or ganized in hurry, transported from California to France in haste and hustled back home with the championship.
 The American swimmers, the oarsmen, the track and field stars and the tennis players who moppcd up in Paris were acclaimed giori- ously, but the rugby football players, who scored what was perhaps the most astonishing performance, were l barely recognized when they came l home.
 | Among the fifteen young Califor- nians who left their classrocms and | offices to take the rugby banner to France was Dick Hyland, the same l smiling Dick IIyland who is one or the big stars in the Stanford team that will meet Pittsburgh in the l dllliHdi ibut lltiillNliL OL 1tohN' Se''N l at Pasadena.
 Hyland was the big star Of the | American team that astoundcd the 1 French by winning the champion ship from French team that was rated in it's class almost as powerful as the New York Yankees.
 Little was heard of the playing ot the Americans in that memorable
 final match. More mention was made on the first pages of the daily print about the anti-American demonstrations in the stands, the riots and the disorders that sent
 several Americans to the hospital
 with cane gashes on their heads. After the first wild outburst of
 disappointment and chagrin. the French people settled down and be- gan to realize that it was indeed a
 great team the Americans had and they recognized Hyland as Babe
 Ruth of the game.
 Offers and offers of money. large
 money, were made to Hyland to re-
 main in France, play with the na-
 tional team and coach young play
 CTS Hyland was favorably inclined
 toward the offers until he received
 a cable from his father-"You come
 home and get back to college"
 Hyland returned to Stanford. for got about rugby, turned back to the
 collegiate football game and has
 starred since then on three great
 Stanford teams. It was his adept
 ness at the college style of game
 that made him such q powerful
 rugby player and the same was true of the other collegs players on the
 championship rugby team.
 The charging style of tackling, the hard dunning in the field and the rugged style of attack the Ameri- cans used against the French in
 cited the spectators to riot, but they soon realized that here was 2 : new style of game and better styl, than theirs.
 Leading up to the invasion Of Fly. land and the other California rugb, players is an interesting story tha
 made their victory all the more i'm t pressive.
 The French committee pleaded that the United States enter a. tean in the rugby matches because othe nations had declined and ther, U were only three entries. Perhap ! 1t would not be fair to say tha U France had the greatest team i, l I'llrnna n championship by means of a walk | over.
 Olympic representatives in Cali
 fornia were asked if it would b
 possible to organize a rugby team
 It was pointed out that the com
 mittee had no money to send tn
 players and that the bows woul y have to get to New York on thei ,, own. get to Paris some way, fec themselves there and get home O.
 their own.
 Rugby hadn't hctn played ser, n ously on the Pacific coast for severa t years, but Hyland, ONcill, Patric
 .and some of the other boys, willin - to take a shot at the trip. organize = team. They practiced when the , found the chance and, when the ' had leisure moments, solicited fund from California business men.
 No one expected that they woul ' whit is to be doubted that in boys themselves were any too or l. tinistic-but they went about it an ' they delivered one of the most ir ] spring victories of the year. Hyland is one Of the tastes 0 tricliest backs in football, a fiehtc n in every inch of his frame and, g anyone should shout in Frcnc
 from the Pasadena stands-"Vor s peeg, HiEhland." Pittsburgh prol n ably would be the innocent victim. k NEW GEORGIA COACH
 Harry Mchre. former Notre Dan'