The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-04
TALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK. Dec. 4-The ar
IN rival of the Tennessee football
team provoked something of a
forore among the professional
Broadway boys Thursday.
For example Tsmmany Young. thu
thespisn. was at the station to watch
Major Bob Neylsnd and his unbester
Volunteers debouch from their Pullmans.
Il always had the idea that Tennessee
was Just stage drop" mumbled the sur
prised Mr. Young. who no doubt got that
way listening to all those Carry-Me- Back
to-Tennessee epics OF tin pan alley.
It's probably true that up till very re-
Gently quite a few fasteners felt much
the same way about the Mammyland. and
particularly with reference TO It's football
standards. OF course. now it's different
Practically everybody admits they play
Just as good football in the south as any
where else-maybe a whole lot better.
That's why there's a great deal of inter-
est In the Tennesseans. The ware now
corners up this way and the boys are
anxious to see what they've got. Ger
tainly they must have something. The
records show thev haven't been beaten
since Gandhi wore a tux. You can't 90
that far on luck alone
There's something distinctly gallant about
the Tennesseans' invasion. They are here
largely because they want to see what they
can do against a representative eastern
team-and because a trip to the metropolis
Is never hard to take.
The university authorities certified the
trip and game was arranged for charity
with the receipts to be split between New
York and Knoxville, This was another
fine gesture on the part Of the visitors, al
though I do hope they do not start in
asking embarrassing questions. such as,
WHY wouldn't Columbia play this gamer"
II
a FEW years ago the Tennessee
L "A ans wouldn't have been given
much Of chance over a top-rank-
ing eastern team, but, as I say. the
football picture and the acceptance
Of it have changed sharply since
the war, and about the only thing
you can be sure of is that if you are
promised tickets on the flfty-yard
line, you will see the game from
behind the goal posts.
From the national point Of view. South
ern football achieved it's highest distinction
with the beginning Of the Rose Bowl adj
ventures which TO date have been steady
run of Dixie triumphs. 1t Just naturally
followed that If the greatest teams in the
west weren't god enough to win the South
erners must be good.
But as a matter Of fact there has al
ways been some excellent football in the
south: what has been lacking is quality
football in quantity. AS far back as 1906.
Dan McGugin was turning out teams
powerful enough to beat the Carlisle In
dams. at that time the most celebrated
football machine in the game.
Incidentally. ] am told that was quite a
ball team and that it might easily have
won the national championship that wear,
# there had been any such thing. Down
Wonder they still talk about Full Back Ows-
lev Manner and Pritchard. a tackle, with
hushed voices OF reverence players good
enough for anybodv's all-America" But
in those DAYS Walter Camp was Mr. All
America and he very rarely strayed be-
yond the confines of the sacred Big Three.
Indeed l imagine the first time Mr..
Camp ever saw Tennessee team in ac-
ton was when Vanderbilt came east to
play Yale in 1910. MY recollection is that
the game was a scoreless tie and that
one Of McGugins backs worked a long
forward pass against the Eli-which may
or NAV not have been the first intersection
al pass on record. and If so. what of it?
At any rate if Vanderbilt was PLAYING
the kind of football a generation ago that
was sufficiently finished to beat the In
sdians. then in their prime. and to tie a
enthusiastically fighting Yale team. then
there should be no great surprise to learn
that they still play football in Tennessee
and play 1t well.