The Washington times., 1936-12-31

Back around 1920, when Glenn
Scobie Pop" Warner was coach
ing at University of Pittsburgh, he
received q letter from one Mickey
Reilly, Of Connellsville, Pa.
Mickey, according to the letter
sent Warner, was stakeholder and
general manager Of a football
game, to be played two Sundays
later, between Triple No. 10 and
Triple No. IL, of the Frick Field,
for the worlds championship
q mong l.mining football
teams"
In part, Mickey's letter to War
ner read:
"This game is not only for the
championship but also is for a
100000 side-bet. I am stake
holder and general manager for
the game, and / want you to
name the three best officials
you know to come here to Con.
nelIsville to officiate the game"
A few weeks before this, in Pitts
annual contest against "Chick"
Meehan'S Syracuse University
team, Robert Tiny" Maxwell had
been the referee, John Hallihan,
of Boston, had been the umpire,
and I had been the head linesman.
Pop" promptly notified Mickey
Reilly that he recommended all
three of us. Mickey contacted each
of us, by mail, and we agreed to
serve as officials Of the game
which in after years went down in
gridiron history as one Of the
greatest contests ever staged any.
where anytime.
I was located in Detroit, Mich.
I was ordered by Mickey Reilly,
stakeholder and general manager,
to proceed from Detroit to Boston,
to meet John Hallihan in that
city, to proceed with Hallihan
from Boston to Philadelphia and
in the latter city to join Tiny"
the three of us to proceed from
Philadelphia to Connellsville for
the big game. Thus I went from
Detroit, Mich, to Connellsville,
Pa, by way of Boston and Phila-
delphia. Mickey Reilly never did
and never will do things in any
manner other than the very best.
It was early Sunday morning
when the three officials arrived
in Connellsville. We went i'm
mediately from the railroad sta.
ton to a hotel and took a suite
Of rooms. No more than we had
removed our overcoatS than a rap
came on the door. Before any
one of us could speak a VOID, the
door flew open. There stood a
vision-a vision Of Sartorial ele-
gance: none other, as we soon
learned, than Mickey Reilly, stake
holder and general manager.
Mickey Reilly was and is a five
foot-two Irishman, blue of eye,
freckled and Of the bantam
rooster type. Perched precariously
on the side of his red head was a
pearlgray Kelly. He wore pearl
gray Spats, a suit with two inch
checks practically black and
white), a grass-green fancy vest
with a red pin-stripe. A huge
Elk's tooth dangled from a watch
chain which stretched from upper
veSt-pocket to upper vest-pocket.
Mickey wore no overcoaJ.
Removing the pearl.gray dicer.
Mickey Immediately went into
verbal action. He said:
Gentlemen, am MickeyReil-
". You all know me, of course.
You (pointing at MaxwelD are
Tiny Maxwell. You (pointing
At HaIlihan) are John Hall.
han, better known as Turkey
You (pOinting at me) are Harry
Costello. (He pronounced it
COs-ta-lOw.) We think youSe
guys are the three best officials
in the world, but / thought I
better just drop in and give
youSe a few instructions.
''NOw, Gentleman, we amt no
college boys that's playin' here
today. We're just coal miners,
but this thing today is just rs
serious As any game that them
college boys ever played. This
is the big game Of the year, and
it's for plenty Of dough; / know,
because I'm the stakeholder.
"NOw, Gentlemen, / just wan
ma run over q few rules with
... H. :. Ca. a. aAn4aAnn