Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-26
ALUMNI DEFEND
PAID YALE COACH
Plan for Non-ProfeSSionaI
Called ImpractiCabIe.
Best Is Needed.
YEw HAVEN, Conn, December 2s.

-1ne SuBBcSIlOIl LIlbJ IdIC Ic~
" move the professional foot ball
coach from control of its eleven
and put the captain and the non-pro-
fessional coach in charge, as advocated
by several Yale alumni, including DR..
George H. Ryder, "a, has been called
IAN ideal with which many are in SYM
pathy," but one which is practically i'm
possible of actuanzation. Another Yale
graduate, of the older school, John H.
Field, of the class of '93, Of Rutland,
VT, Is the author Of the letter which is
featured In the Yale Alumni Weekly
today.
In commenting on DR.. Ryder's sug-
gestion Field says:
with that ideal many are in SYM
pathy, but how can 1t be done? Times
have changed since our day, and with
much larger student body there are
much larger athletic squads. For ex-
ample, how can the captain of the foot
ball team take the chief coaching re-
sponsibilities for squad of 125 or
more, even with volunteer and naturally
Indispensable graduate help, and have
any time left for class room and study.
Scrubs Scarce In Past.
"Tn DR.. Ryder's day and mine the
varsity foot ball squad was hardly more
than enough for two elevers. Some
times 1t was necessary to do q little
urging to get q full scrub team to give
the varsity its daily practice scrimmage.
When o Yale team meets the COM
petition Of expertly coached teams Of
other colleges 1t is characteristic OF
the American spirit as well as of the
Yale spirit to be ambitious to do as
well as the rest do and a little better.
It seems to me that the momentum
of professionally coached athletics is
too strong to set herself alone against
it, at least at present. The first step
might well be, with the cooperation
of our competitors, RELOCATING the
coaches to the highest seats in the
grandstands during the contests: also,
in foot ball, reducing the number Of
intercollegiate games; but the under
graduates, and particularly the players,
should be consulted about shortening
the schedule. Surely the undergrad
yates should have something to say
about the number Of games they them
selves wish to play.
Coaches Painted Black.
"a professional coach, at least In foot
ball, Is in the minds of many painted
blacker than he really is. After all he
is a college graduate who played as an
amateur on his college team and is now
capitalizing his amateur foot ball, Just
as a college professor is doing with his
knowledge. The only difference is that
the coach Is teaching a sport while the
professor is teaching a study. But
granted that professional coaching is at
least temporarily a necessary evil, why
not give the foot ball players the best
coaching obtainable, with due regard to
wholesome influences? Yale has done
it in rowing, and who among the alumni
would vote to throw the leader over
board?"
But Field wants the Yale foot ball
team to have the best coaching avail
able in order that the players them
selves may not strive In vain. He will
, charge that colleges, unwittingly per-
haps, are exploiting their athletes,
especially their foot ball teams. In order
to pay for many necessary athletic and
other facilities, including the cost of
construction and operation of the sta
dunn, tennis courts, golf courses and
what not.
II suspect" his letter says, "a shrewd
thought Is also given as to what visit
| ing teams will produce the biggest gate.
! Overemphasis on foot bah to my way
Of thinking comes not from the under
graduate body, but from the higher-ups.
! Big business has something to do
with 1t.
Deserve Best Coaching.
But what does the Yale foot ball
| Just criticism, often painful and per-
| hapS serious injuries, questioning Of his
amateur standing If he has a scholar
| ship or q Job to help work his way
! through college, and, rather too fire.
quently, the encouragement of defeat
while the thousands of dollars he earns
/ for his overlords roll into the Golfers
of his alma mater.
my own back-seat opinion is that
the best coaching system obtainable is
none too good for the hard working
Yale foot ball men,"
The aforementioned Recent Player
will contend that the old graduates are
turning collegiate" in criticizing the
way Yale conducts its foot ball team.
! I'VE all like to win," he will add.
Alumni ought to consider the players,
who, in college like Yale, have other
interests besides foot ball.
Graduates as Critics.
what, are some of our old grads
turning collegiate?" he asks. Do they
forget that Yale Led in bringing foot
ball where it is and is now leading in
placing 1t where it should be? Men
with such impressive names as Anon,
'0S, etc., who read heightened articles
in the sports sections and then sit in
a crowded stadium few times a year
don't really know what foot ball is
all about. Let them go up and watch
a Yale practice some afternoon and see
how Nal Stevens leads his men, not as
a stern and grouchy mentor, but al
most as one of the players. That's
what foot ball should be and will be
in 20 years when people realize that
these publicized coaches are no better
than their material"