The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-12-02
0G79OOO FANS TO WITNESS ARNfY-NAVY GRID CLASH
IT OVER
By JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, Dec. 2.-For the
~ first time since 1927, Army
and Navy will meet on the football
field Saturday, because they want
to indulge in little pleasant rough
house stun between friendly enc
mics.
That was the year of the big
split. True, they met last year and
the year before but it wasn't be-
cause they wanted to. They didn't
meet in formally scheduled games.
They played for charity but the
credit went to others specifically
it went TO headline seeking politi-
clans.
This years game. then, marks the frst
meeting OF the two service rivals on an
amlcsole oasis since q disagreement over
eligibility conditions disrupted colorful
series that dates back to 1890. when Navy
challenged Army 70 the hrst game ever
PLAYED against military background.
hrsseb u n9 e Io nov m0on longer tne
tlcians hadn't moved into take command
Finding that they had TO meet each year
gether.
YOU can chalk that up as one point for
the politicians anyway. though 1t is not
a triumph wholly to their liking For
many months, the situation gave the vote
crabberB an unexampled opportunity 10
bask in the white light Of publicity. and
true TO type, they made the most OF it.
IN Washington TO prevent West Point and
Annapolis from meeting collegiate rivais
until the two academies resumed grdiron
relations with each other. Representa- tives
Fish and Britten made it a national issue
Even the president was asked to do some
Just how and in what manner foot
ball game fell within the legislative sphere
of these gentlemen nobody was ever able
about PLAYING that should have been their
own private business. After all it had
nothing to DO with the gold standarg
farm relief. the return Of beer or the tariff
n n
A T length, Navy capitulated,
IA which was fitting, since it was
Navy that provoked the rupture.
The game Saturday will be played
under the same conditions which
Navy previously found objection
able. Not a single concession has
been made by Army. Navy comes
back chastened, if not convinced.
Disparity of entrance age limits
was the crux of the controversy
You are eligible to enter Annapolis
between the ages of 16 and 20. Ad-
mission to West Point is from 18 to
% years of age-a margin Of two
years in the Soldiefs' favor.
1t follows logically that Annapolis has
less chance to enroll college graduates than
West Point. Not many young men succeed
in earning their college degrees before they
hqc
rsther had q monopoly on college men pre-
sumably interested in warfare. with an
enrolment in this respect varying from 80
TO as per cent.
Ofsetting in measure. this disparity
OF age, Annapolis has always had de
cideo numerical advantage much larger
field from which TO pick its players. Nor
maly there are 1000 students of the sea
against ! 200 men at the Point. Does
greater man power offset matured man
power In reduced bulk?
Navy decided it didn't. Following the
1927 game IN which Navy was defeated for
issued an ultimatum to West Point de-
handing the mutual acceptance of the
gthref-year rule, e.. limiting All students
kp three years OF varsity football, up TO
ana including their careers in the uni
form of Uncle Sam.
The service teams sign contracts for
their games usually for four-year periods
pected demand the contract still had a
couple OF years to run Thus Navy was
placed In the light of renouncng its own
agreement. The fact that this announce
ment came in the midst Of p prolonged
losing streak helped little in enlisting pub
lice sympathy
AS everybody knows. Army refused to
adopt the three-year rule, deeming it an
unnecessary safeguard as far as the serv-
ice academies are concerned The three
year rule was adopted primarily by the
COLLEGES to eliminate the migratory
tramp athlete who wanders from campus
10 campus bartering his line smashing