The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-21
/ ALKING
IT OVER

NEW YORK, Oct. d.

NEW YORK, Oct. 81.
THOSE gifted Merriwell brothers
Il Frank and Dick-would have
a tough time getting anywhere If
they were around these days, in the
flesh or otherwise.
OF course, you will recall the
Merriwells. They we're the climax
performers Of a stirring form OF
sports literature. In the closing
minutes Of play 1t was always one
Of the brothers who slammed out
the home run or went over for the
touchdown that won the old ball
game.
But the Merriwslls. unfortunately. were
all fiction. and their dramatic accomplish
paper back novels. Today the athletes are
dsing this sort Of thing better than even
the Merriwells ever did IT, and they are
inaamed Imagination.
+
THERE was a distinct Merri-
L we'll touch to the 1920 tie
which Harvard achieved in the game
with Army over the weekend With
less than three minutes to play and
the Crimson behind seven points, a
ls-year old sophomore, Willie
Wood. not even first string back,
pegged a 55-yard pass squarely into
the arms of a team mate for a
touchdown, and a moment later
while $4,000 persons sat In frozen
silence the same young man booted
the ball over the white cross bar
for the tying point.
n
ont e these seaIp tiitin% MOVIES in hollywood
where the Animated Collar Ads pick up
fumbled bslls back NJ their own goal h"e
score winning touchdowns couldn't have
Devised more fsntsstiral. spectacular or
Incredible climax than that one.
II n
II was one of those unbelievable
things that somehow manages to
occur from time to time. Captain
Riff Jones. the Army coach, doesn't
believe II yet. I'D read about those
things" says the captain, but /
never saw one of them before" 1t is
understood on highest military au-
thority that If he does not see an
other one again for 100 years and
three days 1t will be too soon.
THIS young Wood, incidentally, is
i quite an athlete. Football is
only one of his weaknesses. He can
do a lot Of things on a baseball dia-
mond. a tennis court or a golf
course. II is even said of him that
he is raging terror at ping pong,
though this is believed to be a base
canard circulated by disgruntled
cadets.
what liked about the Young man Sat
pirches. He fippsd that life saving. for
ward pass with all tre cain and deubeTa-
ass Ened him to the kick which was to
decide whether Harvard tied or merely
arces less excited than ANYBODY in the
stadium.
Il isn't often that there Is a thrill
attached 70 the routine business Of
trying for a point after a touchdown,
but IN this particular instance the
kick OF Wood touched the top most
note IN emotional suspense. On the
success or failure Of this compare
lively trivial details the final and
complete outcome OF a football
drama that had risen to heroic
heights hinged.
A Ii the highlights Of the days
"A moving pageant we're lost in
intense speculation as Wood took his
position twenty yards in front of the
posts TO try for the kick The Army
crowd sat wordless. fearful that the
kick would succeed; the Harvard
crowd hardly dared to breathe fear
full that IL wouldn't. Little wonder
then you could have dropped
bottle opener and everybody in the
vast amphitheater would have heard
It.
Football is like that. Frequent
~ you get your thrills from the
most unexpected sources, and from
maneuvers requiring only a mini
mum of activity and limited skill.