The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-01-16
n. D. Football
Dinner Proves
Huge Success
Will Rogers Flashes Keen
Wit in Feature Grid
Address.
BY DICK MILLER
Times stan CORRESPONDENT

SOUTH BEND. Ind, Jan. 10
VIII Rogers was in rare form here
last night. The veteran humorist,
serving as a headliner on the speak
ing program Of the fifteenth annual
Civic Testimonial Banquet to the
1884 Notre Dame football team and
coaches, had the huge crowd of
more than 1900 in the university
dining hall in an uproar.
Processing to be one of Notre
Danes most faithful synthetic
alumni, Rogers, who flew from
California for the occasion, said it
was his keen delight to irritate his
fellow movie-makers by singing
"Melinkovich, Melinkovich!" to the
tune Of the Notre Dame Victory
March while rehearsing in the movie
colony.
Will Praises University
Declaring he was not affiliated
with any college, Will said he would
gladly supply two ends and a tackle
If the Irish alumni would adopt
him. Then, to prove that he was
able to mix the serious with the
fun, Rogers paid fine tribute to the
university as an educational insti-
tuition and to the football team as
an organization to which the public
looked for something different than
the usual three butts into the line
and then punt.
But Rogers did not steal the show.
1t remained for a priest, Father M.
l.. Moriarity of Cleveland, O., to
rival the famous jokester in Great
ing laughs. He was described by the
famous j. T. (Terry) McGovern of
Carnegie Foundation writing fame,
as the priest who annually held a
one-man reunion on arrival at the
Irish school campus.
Pay Tribute to ImmOrtalS
Two bishops spoke, the TT. Rev.
erends Noll and Cassidy. The Mayor
of South Bend performed admirably
in his welcoming speech.
The lights went out. A spot"
came on and centered on the large
portraits of the Rev. Charles O'Don-
nell, late president of Notre Dame;
the famous Knute Rockne, and the
late John (TeX) Young, who died
last summer, removing an antici-
pated star from the roster OF the
1884 team. To the soft strains Of
the Victory March, arranged in me-
mortal dirge form by Joseph j.
CaSanta, the huge throng was men
tally returned to days when Notre
Dame was rising to its great heights
under the immortalS, O'Donnell and
Rockne.
Rev. John F. O'Hara, G. S. c.,
president of Notre Dame, told of
the schools new department of avi-
alton and recalled pioneers in air
navigation who were connected with
the school.
No finer tribute ever was paid
than that rendered to head coach
Elmer F. Layden, his assistants, and
the team by James Phelan, former
Irish star and now coach at the
University of Washington. He told
of the perfect play of the players
and the perfect coaching of Layden
as Notre Dame trounced Southern
California last season.
Kenneth L. Wilson, Northwestern
athletics director, Clark Shaugh-
messy, Chicago head coach, Capt.
Afford Williams, Naval Aviation
ace, Gov. McNutt, and many other
notables invited were unable to
attend, but Rev. Hugh O'Donnell
read kilograms from them.
mo Losses This Winter"
Elmer I,ayden introduced the
members of the team, paid tribute
to managers, sports writer's and
others who aided him in his work
as head coach, and declared Cap
tain-elect Joe Sullivan was unable to
be there because he was confined
to the hospital with the flu. He
promised Notre Dame he would not
lose football game this winter"
Noble Kizer, Purdue athletics
director, and, Timothy P. Calvin,
president of the National Alumni
Association, delivered rousing ad-
dresses of praise for the team.