The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-11-07
WESTERN COAST
FOOTBALL SETS
EAST EXAMPLES
Southern Football Has Re-
ceived National Recognition
Only Recently
By BOB MATHERNE

by Dub MA nEnNk
1t has been demonstrated in recent
years that football Of the middle
west and Pacific coast compares fa-
vorably in every respect with foot
ball as played in the east. That
wasn't always the case.
Only in recent years has southern
football received much of a nod in
national attention. Two excursions
to the Pacific coast demonstrated
that Alabama had a nice football
team, and the efforts Of Georgia
Tech, Georgia, Tulane, Vanderbilt,
and other strong southern teams in
intersectional contests convinced the
skeptics that southern football as
played by the leading teams wasn't .
behind the football of other sections.
Demonstration Of the football Of
another section was made in Califor-
MIA last December when a trio Of
Texas players took the play away
from eastern and western stars in
q post-season game. To enhance the
prestige gained from that, Southern
Methodist visited West Point this
year and held the powerful Army
team to 14-13 score.
Missouri Valley football teams.
mainly Nebraska and Missouri. have
also shown in recent years that they
get together teams as powerful as
those of other sections.
Well. What About the Rockies
That leaves the Rocky Mountain
teams out Of the discussion so far,
but we can't do that. They play
football out there, too, you know, and
it seems that they're coming along
rapidly to the point where their
teams will be able to hold their own
against the best of any section.
One of the prominent coaches of
that section is William T. ("Bully')
Vandegraaf. He is at Colorado col
lege, and his team is one of the best
in that section. Mr.. Vandegraaf
knows his football, not only in the
Rocky Mountains but in the south
and in the east. They still tell YOU
in the south that no punter like
"Bully" Vandegraaf, when he was
in Alabama before the war, has been
seen since. You can also learn from
fasteners that he was quite a foot
ball player at West Point and also
star for one of the service teams
early in the war.
Anyway, Vandegraaf is not in the
army now: He is trying his best to
win the Rocky Mountain champion
ship this year, after barely missing
out last year. And it is from him
that we learn about Rocky Mountain
football.
Tune in on vandegraaf's little
talk:
Its little hard to compare the
elevens Of this section with those OF
other sections, but I do not think
there is a great deal of difference.
Our schools, as a general rule. are
much smaller.
Il feel quite sure that the teams
out here are not as strong in gen.
eral as those Of other major confer
ences, but the difference is not great
and some Of our teams could compete
on an equal basis with the best Of
them.
Teams Are Playing q Smart Game
Football in the conference. as =
whole, is showing steady improve.
ment. The teams this year seem
better in the average than teams Of
last year, and feel quite sure they
are playing smarter football.
"A few comparative scores bring
this out. Montana State beat Idaho
and lost to Nebraska. We Colorado
Springs) won from Montana State
by q 32-14 score, while Nebraska
beat them 24-6, practically the same
difference in points.
THE conference seems to be shy
OF outstanding linesmen, and It
doesn't seem as if very. many are de-
serving Of national mention. But
we have some backs who are mighty
good.
Earl Clark, Of my team, is an ex-
cellent back. He received mention
for .All-America last wear. and de-
served it fully. He is considered by
all experts as the best back in this
section, and is about as valuable a
man as we can find anywhere. He
is an excellent ball-totcr, an unusu-
ally good passer, q fair punter and
drop-kicker, and an excellent de-
fensive back. Were he on an eastern
team he undoubtedly would have a
national reputation.
"vandeberg, on our team, is al
most as good a man, though not as
sensational player. He excels at
running interference. Buck Smith
Of Colorado has great reputation.
He deserves it, as he is one Of the
hardest driving backs / have seen.
Rowe at Brigham Young and Smart
Of Utah Aggies are also excellent
men. Carr of Colorado Mines has
the misfortune of being with q weak
team, but he is good"