The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-01-04
/ ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK, Jan. 4.-Mr. Pete
y Hurley came over to my table
and spoke as follows: Say what is
all this stuff am reading in the
sports page about sbolishing the
flying wedge?
Very tpolishly I started out to tell Mr.
auIley about the .fiying wedge in football
Nn9 US supposed lcthal Qualities
snvWtb n1y the people Of t.oday. DO not knew
hneered Mr.. Hurley. who as boY and man
nas oeen waiting on tables around Broad
You NAV not know ii. Young man con-
tinued Mr. Hurley but ] PLAYED on ne
sres flying wedge that this country
This was surprising indeed because I
nae no IDEA that Mr.. Hurley had ever
gone to any Institution devoted to either
hlggn Th. or lower education.
tlvine wedge from Jacks old place In sixth
avenue, and wish TO state that it was
s 2 very rough piece Of business even in
Then 4 came out Mr.. Hurley dates
PACK 80 that hilarious Broadway era when
Iack's-to stand out as the Center Of ex-
element and It seems that 10 was some
,I,ning Of ritual with the bows to wind
AT that time. Mr.. Hurley was a bread
onouIdered young -rishnan with pair
gifts and others he was elected TO he
e,!Spt.ailncy q Jacks flying wedge. dis
iuhn IN which, entitled him to serve as
the spear head Of the machine
Those who criticise the FLYING wedge IN
!ootoaH TO-DAY do so on the ground that
the, odds against the individual are unfair
and so II would seem that there e
definite relation on between the modern
msneuver and the one Of which Mr.. Hur-
Certainly, from what ! can learn. the
individual in Jacks never had a chance
or course. 1t may be that the individual
Was never entitled TO a chance. Mostly he
vas vas, a person who had made himself qb-
would assemble his team mates and 20 TO
WORK. In less distinguished circles lhe
operation was known AS the bum S rush.
n N
A S I understand it, Mr.. Hurley
1 n and his associates would, at
given signal, form themselves into
q human wedge and go roaring
through the bar room and in an
sstonishingly short space of time
the place would be cleared Of all
such persons whose presence was
no longer deemed desirable.
II develops that the flying wedge Of Mr.
Hurleys day was directed mainly az coll
leRe football PLAYERS who came to Jacks
70 break training. and because of this fact
Mr.. Hurley thinks it Is reasonable to IS
sumo that the football PLAYERS appropriated
the idea from him and his play mates;
THE best fights we ever had al jacks
conhded Mr.. Hurley was after the old
Warrington games; 7 mean when they
the Dos The score Of the game didn't
make anv difference. Those guys would
come from the field and play the game
all over again in our Joint.
You would be surprised II Won new
how MANY all-America tackles and full
backs we used to send sliding out into
Sixth avenue on their ears. At the eod
Of one season We had won so MANY de-
csions over all-America men that I lie
cded to sit down and write Walter camp
p, letter protesting against his preiudicos.
7 do not wish to appear boastiul rat
7 think the records will show that every
man who won his letter on Jacks flying
wedge was an all-America performer and
vet because We did not 20 to Yale or
Harvard or Princeton we were ignored.
You can not blame me when I say 1 have
never had anv respect for these all
America teams"