The Indianapolis times., 1931-12-14
/ ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-New York
4 university today is without a
football coach. John Francis Nee
han has resigned For seven years
Meehan was the head coach of the
team that is propularly known as
the Violets.
Generally speaking. he was success
ful coach. The VioIets won most Of their
games. and they played quite few cad
ing teams
Until Meehan took up coaching at N.
Y. U. the university had little more than
a local prestige. Now Il is widely known.
Whether this can be worked into an in
dictment against the university or a tribute
to Meehan depends upon your viewpoint
and your sense Of values.
am not familiar with the exact details
Of Meehans resignation. Very likely 1t
was forced resignation growing out OF a
closer faculty supervision of athletics and
with It a sharper economical program.
Meehan was being paid $4,000 a year to
coach the varsity football team. which is
great deal more than the average pro-
fessor at the university gets.
Undoubtedly Meehan. after a not al
together successful season was asked to
take a severe cut in pay, Rather than
take the cut INV understanding is that
this amounted to $4,000 he resigned.
Whether Meehan was worth what he was
getting or more or less Is something 1
wouldn't know.
There may be a great many other angles
to the situation about which I don't know
as much as I should But this much I
do know II the university has turned
uDon Meehan because he does not seem
to represent the ultimate in football ideal
ism. TIE laugh is not on Meehan, out on
the university.
TT is an open secret that Meehan
i was brought into the athletic
family of the university for the
specific purpose of building up a
football team, and along with it
a serviceable cash balance.
happen to be somewhat familiar with
the circumstances under which Meehan'5 s
services we're acquired. The late Henry
Cooke Hathaway then director Of athletics.
convinced the university that there was no
percentage in playing small time football
in a big town.
Hathaway was commissioned to 20 out
and get a football coach who could ouud
up a winning team. Knute Rockne was
consulted Rockne suggested two men
Rim Miller or Harry Stuhldreher both
pupils OF the late Knute. Rockne was TO
act as a sort OF long distance assistant
and was to be paid certain fee tor MS
services in this connection.
Meanwhile. Hathaway heard about Nee
han. went to Syracuse where Meehan was
coaching. talked to him and finally signed
him to a contract.
Go not know how these matters are
handled at the university but 1t seems
reasonable to suppose that the head man.
meaning Chancellor Brown. knew what was
going on Obviously If he didn't he should
have known.
Meehan had not been in charge verv
long before the calibre Of football at N. Y
u was such that 1t was deemed econo-
mically advisable to play all the games
ut the Yankees Stadium where there is
seating capacity of 10000. Previously
most of the games had been played at
Ohio field where the capacity is some
thing less than 10000. Such a shift could
be made with only one thought in mind,
to wit. greater box office revenue.
n n
a I the Deglnnlng OF Cne season
IA just ended, Meehan seemed to
have a really great team. He won
his first five games without any
trouble.
Then a series Of misfortunes set in,
Meehan's team lost to oregon, a team it
figured to beat by several touchdowns. 1t
also lost to Georgia failed to do any bet
ter than tie Fordham in a nothing
nothing game, and in post-season char
ity game it was beaten by Tennessee.
Looking at the. picture without emotion
I wouldn't say Meehan had an eXtraordi-
nary season, and such is the. character Of
his teams-and the football appeal of
N. Y. U.-that this becomes most i'm
portant item.
l mean to say that team that fails to
beat oregon, Georgia. Fordham and Ten
nessee can't expect to fill the Yankee sta
dium every Saturday Whether this con-
sderation entered into the faculty opposi-
tion to Meehan is no more than con-
lecture. but at the moment it seems to
constitute striking coincidence.