Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-04
BY EDWARD ]. NEIL,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

n EW YORK, February A.
M The fine "old" man of
Y Yale foot ball, superhero
of the days when Frank
Hinkey, Fudge" Heffelfnger,
kid" Wallace and host of other
legendary figures roamed the Eli
playing fields, looks down from
the hills of Connecticut and isn't
at all pleased with what has hap
pened to foot ball today.
He is Prank B. Butterworth, "old"
only in that he catpained the Yale
varsity of 1894. He played three raging
years of foot ball with Hinkey. fash
Toned for himself a place among the
all-time fullbacks, and could kick with
any man who ever laced on a foot ball
shoe. Today he roams his estate in
the hills of Mount Carmel. Conn,
horses, polo ponies. donkey and dogs,
close enough to Yale to be the friend
and conf1dant of another generation OF
pieskin warriors, yet far enough away
to be able to live in the rural surround
1ngs he loves.
Despite the gray lanes that trace
through his straight black hair, he looks
as though he still could play plenty q
fullback for Yale or run fast half
mile as he used to. He is tall, broad
shouldered very little above the 162
pounds he toted In those bygone Eli
backfields Two Of his sons, Ben and
Frank, followed in his cleat marks at
Yale and Frank was a whale OF
heavyweight fighting prospect.
May Get New Game.
Foot ball may have been roughter,"
he said, but it was q game OF players
and not of plays in the old days. Pro-
fessional spirit and direction dominates
the game today. Students are losing
interest Ultimately We may have to
20 to some new game, some blood
brother of present-day foot ball, to re-
build the old sporting contests OF the
past.
used to come out to the big contests to
see Heffelfinger battle his old friend
from Princeton. Now 1t is the struggle
of Zummke's underground pass against
Doofoddy's wing system. 1t Is highly
commercialized pastine, with the IN /
dividual forgotten in the universitys !
competition for good dates and big |
receipts to pay for stadia and expen-
siye athletic programs .,,... A.a
This is the day OF specialists ano
SQUADS so big that there isn't the need |
Of developing all-around ability in in
dividuals. Coaches are too busy work.
ING out tactics. The old fght-it-out |
spirit Is gone. We had to be able to do |
EVERYTHING in the old days, because |
there was no one TO rush IN for one
single play or bit of strategy. Men were
too scarce.
Praises Notre Dame.
"of course. foot ball today has done
many fine things for some colleges. I
For instance, it has helped Notre Dame |
build up the splendid traditions OF sue
cess that Yale used to glory In, provided
buildings. interested alumni and turned
into something fine. Knute RocKne
builds players, not plays. he makes
men.
But for the most part, the pointing |
70 huge receipts as evidence Of tremen-
dously increased interest is only an ex-
cuse to salve the conscience against
commercialism. Crowds OF 10000 and
80 on are offered as evidence OF foot
balls popularity, but that's not so. Big
games today are Just occasions: the
the proper places to be, and prize nights,
under the same favorable conditions
and ballyhoo, would draw as well.
Yale. so Frank Butterworth believes.
As drifting back to the old system OF
coaching. where former stars and cap
tains came back to develop individuals
into great teams. drilled and hammered
and lived with the men. respected Oy
them and loved. The best sign. he says.
is the appearance of Adam Walsh IN
Yale coaching ranks. Walsh learned
that system from Rockne at Notre
Dame. who in turn was taught by Alon-
20 Stagg. one of old ElPs bulwarks.
And so 1t may turn out, as Frank
Butterworth fervently hopes, that this
young Irishman from the West, teaming
perfectly with Marvin Stevens. may be
the man to lead Yale back to foot ball
sanity and the slories Of the past.