Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-12
CHANGE IS LIKELY
IN TUMBLE RULING
Check on Defense Sought in
Free Ball Play by Games
Mentors.

year, the members will go off
by themselves to the Sea View Golf Club,
Absecon, N. j., where they will be free
Of Interruptions and outside diStrac-
tons while they discuss in absolute
privacy any changes which may come
up for consideration.
They will gather Friday and hold
their first session that evening. They
then will devote all of Saturday and
part of Sunday to the job at hand.
Many suggestions will be made and con-
sidered even If few changes are con-
templated. No announcement of the
results of the meeting will be given
out at Ahsecon. Full details of any
changes made will be announced by
w. S. Lang1hrd secretary of the COM
mittee, on his return to this city about
noon on Monday, February 10.
Langford says:
eve are not trying to hamper the
newspaper men, but rather we are try
ing to help them. Their time would
be wasted in hanging about, as nothing
ever Is given out until the meeting is
over.
"As we do not know the time for
adjournment 1T is considered better in
the interest OF accuracy to prepare
statement and gave it out on my return
| to this city. That means protection for
us and protection for everybody con-
cerned.
Plenty of Privacy.
1.-THE plan of moving out of New
York, where we met SO many years, to
the privacy of Absecon last Winter,
proved to be good one. We were
| free OF constant Interruptions. late ar
Iickpo
We have one wing of the club to
ourselves, and there we are all together
and can eat, sleep and talk foot ball. 1t
worked like charm and made for
greater efncieney and saving of time"
Langford was not willing to discuss
| any possible changes in the rules but
said that many questions would come
| up, as always was the case. Foot ball
never stands STILL" he added. TT con-
stantly Is developing. which naturally
brings up many new problems which
must be considered and taken care Of
IL IS the business of our committee to
make the rules fool-proof. that is UNI
derstandable, and also burglar-proof,
so that they may not be turned over
| BY smart coaches who will follow the
| letter, but duck the spirit.
1T Is no easy task and requires all
Of the time We give it. Our plan is to
nave a preliminary skirmish on Friday
evening, q wide discussion on Saturday
IN three sessions and a final vote on
sunday on any proposed changes which
reach that stage"
| will Discuss tumble,
The most important proposal which
| VIII come before the committee has to
90 with the tumble on running plays
from scrimmage. The rules committee
OF the Foot Ball Coaches Association
at Its meeting in New Orleans last De-
| cember declared itself in favor of linn
ting the penalty on all f,lmbles to the
point that n player of the defending
team could recover the ball, but not
run with it.
| This Is the case now with frlmbled
pnnts and fumbled lateral passes.
Fielding H. Yost of Michigan once
again yesterday declared himself in
favor Of this change, and others who
are in sympathy include Glenn Warner
q Stanford and Knute Rockne of Notre
DAME 1t Is a sure thing that this
rather radical suggestion will have full
consideration any may even be adopted
Xost says the punishment of a
possible loss Of the game is far too
heavy and many agree with him. War;
ner insists that it will not take away
one of the thrills of the game, the
chief objection of many, but rather will
AID to the thrills as opening the way
to more badness In offensive strategy.
| Others feel that this change would
bring about a better balance.
| Coaches to Attend.
With such rule in force. Roy
| Riegels, captain-elect of the University
OF California team, would not have
the field in the Tournament of Roses
game on January against Georgia
Tech. The ball would have been dead
where he recovered the tumble.
FolloJing Is the personnel of the
| rules committee: E. *. Hall, Dart
mouth: w. w. Roper. Princeton: T. A.
y, Jones, Yale; III, j, Stegeman,
Georgia University; Alonzo Stagg, Uni
versity Of Chicago; M. r, Ahearn, Mis-
souri, Valley; d. X. Bible, Nebraska:
n. w Hughes, Rocky Mountain division:
George Varnell, Pacific Coast, and W..
q. Langford, Trinity.
A committee OF the Foot Ball
Coaches Association has been invited
| to attend In an advisory capacity, as
was the case last year for the first time.
but without vote. This committee will
| be made up Of Rockne. Warner and
w. A.. Alexander of Georgia Tech. War
ner and Alexander take the places Of
Hugo Bezdek and william Spaulding
who served In 1928.
Three officials also have been in
vited to attend the meeting for adj
visory purposes.
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