Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30

WAS WIOHg WIFI Hla pldSHS' Ot.A ul4
der the sting of threatening disaster.
Roper continued:
Listen here. Pink. I'm going to put
you back in the game next period. For
three minutes Get that? If you don't
smear those Chicago plays like you can
I'm going right out on that field and
rip that Princeton jersey off your back.
And It will be the last time you'll ever
step on a Princeton field. Three min
utes now!'
One could not appreciate the value OF
that talk unless he knew Pink Baker
He was the kind of athlete who would
rather have his right arm torn off than
his orange and black jersey. 1t was a
suddenly transformed Pink Baker who
raced out on the field for the second
half that day. No ,fieetfooted backs
gained any ground through him! In
every play. standing out more like a
flame than weary pigskin chaser,
Baker was an inspiration for his team
mates. And the Tigers. their backs to
the wall, staged whirlwind finish in
the last wild IL minutes of play which
left the spectators limp and voiceless.
hanging UP ALB victory over the
Chicago team.
% OPER is one Of the most successful
Az coaches simply because he possesses
the uncanny ability of handling men
and bringing out the best they have in
them. One year at Princeton he had a
big husky who did not like to practice
and yet needed the work He was in
dispensable to the team-if he could be
made to get into shape.
Roper solved the difficulty by having
the captain lay off for a week. Then
he approached the Indifferent athlete.
''The captain is laid up for few days.
week, and don't forget that the cap
tain is the first man in every play"
The cure was absolute. That after
noon, and all week, as acting captain,
the erstwhile slovenly player worked
like a Trojan. Roper had touched the
vital spark in this athlete, and when
the big games were played this man
was one Of the strongest in the line.
Many Of the brightest stars in the
foot ball armament have owed their
brilliance to such individual treatment
by coaches who know their business.
Often they have been made" in spite
OF themselves rather than directly be-
cause of their own ability.
For example, there was Jim
Thorpe, the famous Indian athlete.
ball team he showed an inclination to
ignore totally the rigid training rules
laid down by the young coach. Glenn
Warner, who now is at Leland Stanford
and is one Of the outstanding figures in
the gridiron sport. Warner was then a
broad, rugged fellow who could use
force when diplomacy failed - and
force was needed on the great Indian
athlete.
Warner had repeatedly warned
Thorpe of his attractions of training
rules. Each time the foot ball star
promised to alter his mode of living.
only TO slump back into careless ways
the next day. Finally, after he had
become tired of preaching. Warner
found Thorpe out of condition one day
as ne walked into the dressing room.
Without a word, Warner grabbed the
Indian and soon had him on the floor.
q clenched fist threatening him. And
the athlete did not get up until he had
given in to his pugnacious coach and
had promised very sincerely to mend
his way.
From that day on, Jim Thorpe de-
veloped into one of the greatest athletes
the gridiron has ever known. And his
success Is due largely to the influence
OF Glenn Warner.
y y
NO one, 1t seems, comes quite so close
10 athletes during their college ca
reers as coach; no one has his power
either Tor good or evil His word is
law and foot ball is game which de-
manos, as no modern game does. a
Spartanlike training. with emphasis OH
the utter sacrifice of self, complete de-
votlon TO cause and whole hearted
abandon to get in there and fight"
In the last game Penn played against
harvard, In the Fall of 1905, the Red
ana Blue players came trooping into
the dressing room at the close of the
flrst half with the score 60 against
them. Harvard outweighed Penn and
IN It's lineup were many outstanding
players. In those days weight was much
more Of deciding factor than now. and
every one at Franklin Field expected the
Reo and Blue TO be swept off their feet
by the huskies from Cambridge.
Wnlle the rubbers were working over
the bruised and battered Penn PLAYERS.
the late Mike Murphy. one of the most
beloved characters associated with foot
pail, and whose name now is fading INTO
legend walked into the room. looked
at the Penn players. and slowly shook
his head. Mike Murphy was idoliZed
smile sent them to the heights of Ella
ton and his frown tumbled them to
the depths of depression. Mike climbed
up on a rubbing table and addressed
the eleven, his talk frequently inter-
rupted by Spasms of coughing.
Boys" he began, when you go out
on that f1eld-fight-fght! If you have
q sweetheart, fight for your sweetheart.
II you have mother, fight for your
mother"
A huskiness came into his voice. sug-
gestive Of an ailment which. in years
to come, proved fatal. And if you have
neither mother nor sweetheart. just 60
out there and fight for old Mike This
might be the last game I'll ever see
Penn play. The doctors tell me /
haven't much longer to live-so fight to
win this game for me! For old Mike
Murphy"
A sudden fit of coughing ended the
address.
WTIME'S up!" came the announce
ment Of an official hammering on
the door. The Penn players stood star
ing at their coach end then filed out
onto the field. AS they lined up for the
kickoff. the captain yelled, Now for
Mike Murphy and Old PENN"
With fire in their eyes, the Penn
athletes played as never before-or
since. Harvards giant eleven felt the
relentless drive Of inspired men who
shovel and pushed and ran over them
for one of foot balls real surprises
Penn came off the field victor, l2-6
Not every coach is capable of inspir-
ing this intensity, even for the big game
of the year, and no coach can do il
for every game for there are other
determining factors than the coach. He
can count usually on united support fol-
the crucial game, plus some incident
which stirS a collection of men to ar
emotional pitch which makes of them a
formidable, indomitable, unbeatable
unit.
Nothing in the world a coach woulc
do can be compared to the frenzy
created last wear when Bruce Caldwell