The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-16
/ ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

EW YORK, Oct. 16.-The color
L v game in the east Saturday
brings Army against Harvard up at
west Point. What's more it ought
10 be quite a ball game.
Army is much farther advanced in team
play and is favored TO win. For Eddie
Casey. new and youthful Harvard coach.
II win be major test-the first Casey
has faced since he took over the lob re-
hnauished year ago by Arnold Horween
From the public point of view. plus
the considerations Of comfort and con-
'enienee. it Is too bad the game is to be
played at the Army post. where the
stadium accommodates less than 27.0o0
Earlier in the year an attempt was made
to shift the game to the Yankee Stadium
with percentage Of the gate going to
unemployed. Army was willing but
Harvard said no
Apparently Harvard prefers to remain
completely aloof to the jobless situation,
taking the stand that its duties to the
state are in nowise financial" Which may
be true enough But with all the other
famous colleges in the land subscribing
enthusiastically to owen D. Young's call
for football help Harvard's position is
something less .han altruistic Possibly
Harvard is right and all the others are
out Of step.
Playing the game Saturday at West
Point is sporting gesture. It would have
drawn tremendous paying crowd either
at the Stadium or in Boston. Ever so
often Harvard pays a courtesy call to the
plains. This has been a custom since
1895, the first time the two elevens met
Harvard came to West Point on
plarantee of $3.50 expenses and won
close game. 4 to o.
To get the $3.50 the cadets and officers
took up a collection among themselves.
When Harvard learned Of this the money
was returned. Later the soldiers took the
money and bought a silver trophy which
now occupies conspicuous place in the
Harvard trophy room, Out of this in
cdent grew the warm relationship which
has endured through the years and which
accounts for the sentimental return to the
Academy campus this year.
SO IL you 20 up to West Point Saturday
and find that the one hotel is sold out and
that the only food available is that
quaint American tid-bit known as the hot
dog try to be tolerant And If you happen
100000 would have gone into the fund
if the game had been played in metro
politan center Just write it down to
traditions. Naturally you can not eat
traditions, but they are said to be very
lovely things and deeply cherished by the
educators.
TINE game Saturday will be
Il played in the comparatively new
Niche stadium. 1t was named to
perpetuate the memory of one Den
mis- M. Niche, called the father of
football at West Point. He was
coach and captain of the first Army
team. He died a soldiers death at
San Juan hill.
Captain Walter Wells, Armys public re-
lations man, furnishes me some inter
esting data on the early days of foot
ball at the post.
"Armys entry into football came as
the result of accepting Nays challenge
in 1890" writes the captain. Navy had
been playing several years. At West Point
only two cadets knew even the rudiments
of the game. Niche was one. The
selected squad Clipped in to buy ball
No practice games were allowed. Navy
was played on Nov 90 1890. 1t was the
only game Army played that year. The
game was practically ignored by the news
papers.
"a field was ruled off near the present
library and chairs for the few spectators
we're carried from the building and placed
on the sidelines Army seemed TO be
- NJ
Navy won "a to o. one Army player
seized Enrich of the Navy as he ran with
the ball. The spectators voiced so much
enthusiasm that the Army player feared
he had erred and released his grip.
Whereupon Enrich ran for touchdown.
only one Army substitution was made.
A modern Army or Navy quarter back
would be amused at the signals used
Man the iib-halliards and reef topsails'
for the Navy, and Column right"
battery right wheel" and load for the
Army.
Football ut the Point must have been
grand fun in those days" adds the cap
tain and Just imagine how soft the
athletic department had it, what with
nobody clamoring for tickets on the nifty
yard line"
The development of Army football forms
one Of the most interesting chapters of
the game. From the modest beginning
touched on above the Army team has
grown into mighty attraction, both as
a football factor and spectacle. There
is no show in football that touches the
Cadet corps for color and heart beats.
In the old DAYS most of the players were
without experience of any sort. l imagine
Army took its first forward strides, in
football with the arrival of Foster Sanford
as coach. Sanford impaired to the
soldiers line strategical secrets long
treasured at Yale. Following Sanford came
such Army developed coaches as Pot
Graves. Joe Becham Charles DAILY, John
McEwan and Bif Jones.
These men turned out fine teams. They
made a lot of the scant material they
had to work with Yale used to come up
wear after year just for expenses. So did
princeton and Harvard comes back Satur-
day for the first time since 1910, be-
lieve. and the prospects are they will take
1s1t-f