The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-27
"
ALKING
IT OVER
By JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK. March y.
A FEW weeks ago in the south,
al was talking with Knute
Rockne. who is at least one Of the
greatest football coaches in the
country. II may even be that he IS
the greatest.
Talking about coaches" said Rockne
you have young fellow in New York
vbe knows as much about football as any
bodv I ever met and on top Of that he
Is human enough 10 be a great leader Of
boys"
Rockne referred 70 Ch'cE Meehan. Who
has executed couple Of drst class miracles
A. New Yorz university. I happened 70 DC
in Meehan's company Wednesday. II was
the FIRST tine I had spent any extended
time with him. an not what you WouId
call a technician In football. am not
event a grand stand expert. Many OF the
things the bows do on the field st.l puzzle
me. Almost suy high school bow could
trip ne on the rules
But have decided that Meehsn Is okay'
as We say In Dcmpsey's corner. For oue
thing be is. as Rockne saws, very human.
and being that be is very frank. num-
her OF football coaches ] have meet have
been anything but that. As a matter Of
fact 7 have encountered more evasion and
Subversion among college football coaches
than any other Eroup Of professionals.
T WANTED to know about spring
/ football practice. There has been
some question whether this pro-
cedure is advisable A number Of
persons have argued against it on
the ground that it prerequisites
football in the program of college
sports, and is in the nature OF a
ballyhoo for the fall games which
attract thousands of cash Gus
toners.
7 pointed out that II was strange to me
that the Army was not having spring foot
bali practice and that Pennsylvania not
only vas having spring practice. but had
scheduled four spring football games
something that no college has ever done
before.
Those spring games are all right" said
Meehan instantly and 50 is spring prac-
tice. am talking, Of course, from the
coach's viewpoint. That IS the only View
point know. but am willing to change
If am wrong. Football is q grueing
game. One Of the things that makes 1t
so is the making up OF the varsity squad.
The only way YOU can make up varsity
SQUAD is TO take YOUR bows and put them
through repeated scrimmaEes. This is hard
work. I mean it is hard on the boys.
'These spring practices mold the fall
teams. You get a real line on your pros
poets In the spring. and you do it at
much expense TO the boys The point in
favor Of spring practice is that you arc
able to pick your boys months ahead. and
when the fall season starts there is no
need for much hard work.
= THE bows are thus able to start In the
games fairly fresh. II they happened TO
be battered around in the spring they
have had ample time to recover. It seems
to met that this is a much more logical
anu uuLndut WaF OF DOING LQe lAlDR JNan
to wait until fall and scrimmage the
candidates and then force the selected few
to 70 through a touch schedule.
IF this represents oyercmphasis on
football. and nobody has yet been able TO
Explain to me what overemphasis on foot
ball means then i say we should not have
football at ALL"
COMEHOW this sounded rather
~ sensible to me. think if I had
a boy on a football squad and if a
certain amount OF physical punish
ment We're necessary. I would Just
as soon that he took a part of it in
the spring and the rest of it in the
fall. Getting it all at once, I be-
lieve, would be too much.