Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-10-12
248,l36 HIGH
SCHOOLBOYS
IN FOOTBALL
Texas Has 80 College
Teams to Lead the
Southwest; Figures
Are Not Accurate
BY FIELDING III. YOST
tDirector Of Athletics. University of
Michipan.)


ANN ARBoR, Mich, Oct. 12.-PD
Interest in physical education and
knowledge of what is taking place
In the field seem to be two distinct
entities, at least as far as that part
OF physical education named football
Is concerned.
All states of the Union have a ply
steal education program and thirty
five have passed laws authorizing
physical education for its school folk
and, IN general, football is . part Of
the program in each state. Recently,
however, The Associated Press a IN
vassed the states in an effort to find
h total number Of teams and play
ers taking part in football and was
unable 10 get accurate figures even
in the states where the state high
school association had complete con-
troll of competitive athletics with q
man or men in charge Of such COM
petitions.
The college situation, as il respects
number of teams, is slightly better
because Of the compilation each year
of the records Of college teams. The
Numbering Of college players, how
ever, seems not to have been at
tempted.
The Associated Press was able TO
get figures from forty-five states,
the figures representing the belief Of
the best qualified man in each state
and therefore are probably quite &C
curate. In some states accurate fig
ures were available. and | have been
assured that accurate figures will
be available in Michigan at the end
Of this football season. Statistics
in most OF the states that are well
organized should be easily available,
The canvass disclosed 1852 high
school teams in the United States
with GAS 1876 players on the squads,
The most complete record of 1927
college games shows SGT teams, ex-
elusive of all junior college teams.
some few of which appear on college
and university schedules.
One Of the facts brought out in
The Associated Press canvass was
that concentration of population re-
suited in a small number OF high
school teams. Boston with its $780,
600 population has 10 teams. The
Detroit metropolitan section with s
million people has fifteen. Chicago
with high schools numbering thou
sands in student population. doubles
the numbers Of its teams by playing
heavyweight and lightweight SEIZED
ules. In other words the high school
boy of the large towns with thor
oughly developed education programs
has a smaller average chance 20 ex-
perience the values Of competing on
his school football team than the
youth of the smaller communities.
In only one state, Maryland, was
IL reported that football was not
|, sponsored by the state high school
association. Baltimore, outside of
the rule of that state association.
has fifteen teams for its 100000 pop
ulation while about forty high
schools in the state play an '~'unoffi-
cial" schedule. In Indiana. where
football largely was under the Off
cial ban for some time, 81 teams
we're reported with 3.i71 players.
Compared TO the 200 basketball teams
with 10000 players, football remains
the secondary game in the Hoosier
state.
IN the college ranks, Pennsylvania
6ith forty-two colleges and univer-
sities has the largest number, close
| ~ followed by Ohio with 81 and Illi-
4 nois with SO. Tennessee leads the
| old South with 90 college teams;
Texas, the newer southwest, with %,
while California leads the western
coast states with Is.
The mountain states have the
smaller number Of colleges. Nevada
and Wyoming each has one school
recorded in the game results, its
state university. These share with
the schools Of New Hampshire. the
University and Dartmouth. the dis
tinction Of being the we'll known
schools that played all their 1927
college contests against teams from
Ioutside their home commonwealth.
Il probably is impossible to get an
accurate high school total Of the
boys playing football on the paro-
iehial, high school. academy and in
lstitute teams that represent scholas-
bic football, but personally ! would
hike to know the size Of the army
that Is gaining lessons in coopera-
ton and are otherwise sppropriating
the values Of the game to their own
-~@