The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1930-12-01
AN ATHLETIC PHILOSOPHER

| l'HaS Pr0h1Dltlon increased drinking
In Our Colleges?" by PAUL HUTCHINSON
| after interviewing two coaches, Stage
| and Yost. From the Christian Herald,
October rs, 1901
Following the statement in a certain
wet magazine that prohibition was work.
ing havoc to college athletics by causing
them to lose their stamina from drink
ing hard liquor, Paul Hutchinson, of the
Christian Herald, interviewed two famous
athletic coaches, Alonzo Stage and Field
ing Fl. Yost. OF the latter he says that in
stead of finding him the "hip-hip-hurrah,
get-out- andhustle" kind of man which
his nickname Hurry up-Yost" implied,
he found instead quiet philosopher. The
key word of Fielding YostS philosophy he
declared to be l00e, which would seem as
far from football success as a philosopher
seems from an athletic coach. But the
trainers application of the word lin life
as we'll as in football explained. If boy
did not Lore the game and the gang and
the school, he would better quit before he
began But love of truth and love of hon
esty were also included.
It was emphasis on the love of truth
that brought Yost to the liquor question.
so when get talking to boys" he said,
"I tell them to get true start in life. It's
long game they have ahead; fifty or
sixty years to go. They need the best pos
Sible start to win. Liquor will undermine
them; rob them; clean them out. That's
why I'm against it. :. There isn't
distance record that hasn't been broken
in the last ten years"
ut isn't true" he said of the report
that this generation is losing its stamina.
This talk about drinking in the colleges
is mostly just talk. The situation was
never better than it is today"
Asked if athletes did not drink, he said,
drinks almost automatically eliminates
himself from serious athletics. He's
through before he starts. . We're
having far better percentage of success
under prohibition than we ever had I'M
der any other law that attempted to reg
ulate liquor selling"
WET NEWSPAPERS EAGER TO DIS
CREDIT ALONZO STAGES
TESTIMONY
["Eas Prohibition Increased Drinking
In Our Colleges?" Christian Herald,
October rs, 1901
Thirty-eight years as professional
athletic coach in the University of Chi
cago has given Prof. Alonzo Stage an I'M
usual background from which to compare
the young generations that have passed
through his hands
When Dr. Harper first asked the IA
nous Yale athlete to come to the new
Chicago university as professor in
charge of athletics he could not for a
moment picture "a member of college
faculty. cap and gown and all, just there
to direct athletics" That was new COM
bination in the athletic world, but he has
demonstrated the wisdom Of DR.. Harper's
conception and choice. For while build
ing athletes he has put the building of
character first So that fathers have con-
sidered a course of training under Coach
Stagg as "just about the finest collegiate
experience that could come to their
boys"
TO counterfeit the testimony for prohi
bition which a man of such reputation
gave before the house judiciary commit
tee hearing in Washington last March,
Chicago wet papers were eager to find
students who would deny it. "It wasn't
hard for them to find a few students,
among the small percentage Of drinkers
we have, who were glad to get that pub
licity," says Prof. Stage.
The effect of these stories was to lead
Prof. Stagg to CHECK over his figures" Of
the verification this furnished he says: II
knew that certain proportion of students
live at home, and there's not much drink