Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-12
CALLED BEST BACK
SINCE RED GRANGE
Most Consistent Maker Of
Long DaShes on Gridiron
in Many Years.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.

0HICAGO, November -
Ernest Rentner, the flying
~ Dutchman of Northwest
ern's mighty backf1eld, is
the greatest individual ground
gamer Midwestern foot ball has
produced since the days OF Rec
Grange. Indeed, with another
season of play, he may surpasS
the records left as heritage to
the Big Ten by the Galloping
Ghost.
Grange had his big days and SO has
Albe Booth, the will-o'- the-wiSp OF
Yale, but Rentner Is the most con-
sistent maker of long runs the game
has produced in many seasons. Rentner
has played IL games thus far in his
collegiate career and in Z OF them ne
has made scoring sprints of more than
so yards.
It may be we'll to relate his long
dashes before going into the details
of his ground-gaining ability. AS q
sophomore he intercepted forward
pass against Tulane and raced 5O
yards for a touchdown and a week
later duplicated that performance
against Ohio State. Then came the
game with Illinois, in which he took
a kick and spun his way 48 yards
down the field and across the Indians
goal line.
Starts With a Bang.
He inaugurated the 1881 season by
running IS yards from spread play
to score against Nebraska. Next he
circled Ohio's end to 60 so yards for
a touchdown and against Illinois he
paced sc yards on sweep. Last week
against Minnesota he returned kick
off 95 yards and punt 80 yards to
put the Wildcats in the lead and viz
tually clinch the conference cham
pionship
Among his lesser feats were the
manufacture of two touchdowns on
shorter runs, against Centre last year,
and a 24-yard hike for score against
University of California, Los Angeles,
earlier this Fall
Only two teams ever have turned
Rentner back scoreless. Notre Dame
stopped him in the rain and mud on
Soldier Field in early october and a
year ago he failed to score against
Minnesota. He was seriously injured
in that Gopher game, but before quit
ting the field he hurled forward pass
that developed a lateral pass and a
50-yard run for touchdown by Lee
Hanley So Minnesota did not escape
him entirely unscathed.
Has Gained 1854 Yards.
In six games this season Rentner
has gained 1904 yards for the Purple.
From scrimmage he has carried the
ball 10 times for a net gain of 473
yards, an average of Cos yards per try
Against Nebraska he made TIA yards
California, 80 in Is; Ohio State, 140
in IT; Illinois, rs in 5, and Minnesota,
10 in II.
He has returned seven kickoffs, PIT
yards; average, 81 yards. Against Ne
braska he returned one kickoff Is yards,
against Notre Dame one for 10 yards,
against Illinois one for Is and against
Minnesota four for %, "a, 95 and rs
yards He has returned 80 punts for
345 yards-average, lis yards-and in
tercepted two passes for returns OF %
yards; average, IA yards. In the Ne
braska duel he participated in the
Wildcats great forward and lateral
pass play twice for gains Of SO and "a
yards and against Ohio helped make
the play travel 80 yards. So far this
season Rentner has handled the ball
1l9 times for an average Of 90 yards
gain each time With three games still
to play Rentner should be miles ahead
of the seasons nearest competitor as a
ground-gainer.
Makes Physical Comeback.
Rentner's sensational play this sea-
son represents a great physical come
back for the flying Dutchman. He
suffered q serious nerve injury in the
1880 game with Minnesota, sustained
while tackling big Jack Manders, the
Gophers' fullback Rentner made a
clean tackle of the Gopher star, but as
Manders bulled ahead Pug turned his
head and a nerve in his right shoulder
was severely pinched. For six years his
right arm was bound in an airplane
splint and so badly was the arm
atrophied that for a while it was
thought his foot ball days were fin
ished.
Throughout the Winter and Spring
Rentner was obliged to take daily
massage and during the Summer III
spent hours swimming in the attenp
to rebuild the normal strength OF thu
arm. He returned to Northwestern II
September, with the arm functionint
as well as ever, although he still has &
slight limitation of motion that force:
him to carry the ball away from hi!
body.
Victor in that, Rentner still coulc
not completely shake OF misfortune
He came out of a scrinlmage againS
Illinois with his right thumb crushed
and fractured in four places. That in
jury. of course, finished his forward
passing for the season, but an especial
I0l I,S. =,