The Washington times., 1934-01-11
GRADS VOICE
THREAT Of
REVOLT
BY DAVIS ]. WALSH

3ar.tlung man power outside the
college walls was on the verge OF
drastic action this morning over
the selection of football coach
with the threat of something un
precedented in the history of all
intercollegiate athletics. T h
threat was one of open rebellion
against vested authority of the
university and its athletic aSso.
citation, including overt hints OF
reprisal and the withdrawal OF
patronage if Tad Jones, of Yale
was named instead Of Harry
Kipke, of Michigan.
Declaring that they will not
yield to the desires of "a wilful
minority" they added that their
committee of seven. named by
Athletic Director Malcolm Farmer
to help select the coach, would
take two significant steps If Jones
got the call.
First, the committee would re-
quest Jones not to take the job.
Second, it would ask Farmer to
offer his resignation.
Farmer, it seems, is one mem
ber of the "willful minority" re-
ferred to. President James Row,
land Angel is said to be another;
in fact, he is said to have or
dered" Farmer to select Jones
for the position, with the result
that Mr.. Farmer is off somewhere
behind the seven-ball. He held
out for the eight-ball, but that
was being reserved for the man
who did not do what Mr.. Angel
ordered. After all, it is Mr..
Angells university.
In Background
And in the background Is Ed
ward S. Harkness, who also wants
Tad Jones. Mr.. Harkness has
donated about $15,000,000 to the
university and probably feels that
he ought to be able TO pick a
football coach for that. But the
alumni, and particularly the ma
jority members Of the advisory
committee" do not agree with
him.
"Tt has all narrowed down
to a question of whether Yale
is to have the man it wants
or is to get the man that
Harkness wants." was the word
this morning.
The man that Yale wants and
the advisory committee has its
mind set on is Kipke.
I note that Mr.. Kipke, feel
ing himself about to be pinched
off somewhere in the jam, has
been airing a few statements,
tending to indicate that he knows
nothing of the matter and cares
less. Mr.. Kipke is understanding
the case on both counts. He
knows and cares about it in
equal proportions and, if any
body should drive up in a
tallyho and declare this to be
wrong, I can name the man who
made him a definite offer and
also how much it called for,
not to mention the matter of a
proposed transfer of Kipkes assis-
tants at Michigan. OF the lat
ter, Frank Cappon, has today
declared himself out, but he was
the one whom Kipke felt he
couldn't count on, anyhow.
Spokesman For Board
The man who made the offer is
q spokesman for the advisory
committee which, the other day,
voted six to one against Jones
when Farmer introduced the
gentleman's candidacy. This was
a great shock to Farmer, since
the implication is that he believed
he had the committee packed"
with Jones men.
It was after this vote that the
offer to Kipke was renewed. the
assumption being that the will of
the committee had been suffi-
GENTLY Indicated. Instead, the
body later was informed that lit
had no power" which in techni-
cal sense doubtless was true.
But the real power does not
always rest with vested authority
It did last time when Reggie Root,
whom Yale men did not want. was
the coach whom Yale men ulti-
mately got. This time? That's
one that even the es:ed author.
ity at Yale University would like
to know about.