Evening star., 1937-10-21
c. v. COACH NOTED
FOR HIS SURPRISES
Tactical Skill of "Possum
Jim" Seen in SO Defeat
of Arkansas.
BY ROD THOMAS.

~ bama rolls toward Washington
~ for the biggest college game
of the Capitals grid season,
with G. w. Saturday at Griffith
Stadium, comes the question: What
next from Possum Jim Pixlee?
At the beginning of his coaching
career, some % years ago, James
Ebenezer Pixlee, University of Mis-
souri,, Glass of 1912, won the extra
monicker along with a conference
championship and has been winner
ever since.
A year out of college, he took charge
OF Missouri Wesleyan's pitiful squad
consigned to the bottom of the Mis-
souri, College Union, and came out on
top. Newspaper clippings of the time,
with little exaggeration, relate that
the title was in the bag almost before
the Wesleyan rivals knew the Possum
was alive.
No commotion heralde the arrival
OF Pixlee at George Washington in
1929, but a season or two later the
old Missouri Tiger, with claw or two
missing, true enough, stood the victor
in battle for the foot ball patronage
OF Washington's man on the street.
Record d. C. Crowd Foreseen.
NEXT Saturday, if the advance sale
barometer is accurate, the largest
crowd that ever saw grid game In
Washington will watch the contest
between G. w. and Alabama, three
times victorious III Rose Bowl games,
tied once in the blue ribbon battle of
foot ball and headed a fifth time for
Pasadena.
The imagination is perked by the
@. W.-Alabama affair because no.
body seems to know what to. expect
from PiXlee. The toughest title in
foot ball apparently is the Southwest
Conference championship, won last
year by Arkansas after George Wash
tngton defeated the Razorbacks 1876.
Gridiron critics here have argued
themselves hoarse over that game.
many of them belittling the Colonials'
victory, because Arkansas-totally
pass s-minded-failed to take advan-
tage of its ball-running talent when
G.. w. played five-man line.
Muggy weather was against the
Arkansas team, but things happened
on the field, not clearly discernible
from the stands, that worked out fully
as well as they did on Pixlees plotting
board
Bitter Lesson for Arkansas.
FOR instance, the Arkansas center
afterward said he was crowded"
throughout the game. Every scrim-
mage play starts from center, and
many of the Arkansas aerials were
as much hurried as misaimed by wet
fingers, or so it appeared.
Anyway, the score was 1876, and
although some will argue the Razor
back coach was stupid for an evening,
they can't erase the Southwest title
he won later, and the chance is he
never will attempt again to take
Pixlee team in stride.
In eight years at George Washing
ton, Pixlee teams have won 80 games,
lost 18 and tied 6. Only two schools
have beaten him enough to brag
about. Alabama trimmed him in 1882
by 1915, and in 1885 the Crimson
Tide swept over him, 800, with Rice
piling on, 41-0.
As Alabama visits again, you look
quit siy over the Tide-Colonial series
and become interested. In 1882 'Bama
defeated G. W., 1876. The Southern
ers led at the half, TO; at the end of
the third period, rs, and scored 81
points in the last quarter. The Colo
malls were overpowered.
Rice Defeat Grid Puzzle.
IN 1885 THE score was 800 in favor
of Alabama, and it was a whip
ping-anyway regarded-but it pro-
duced a singular consequence, which
brings you back to Pixlee
The walloping from; Alabama SEEM
ingly ruined G. w. us season, but
the foot ball world was surprised by
Pixlee's recovery. In mid-season he
changed his offense, threw out nearly
all but fundamentals and played |
against Rice really remarkable Of
fensive game. G. w. scored "a first
downs against 12, gained AIS yards
against 388, yet lost, 41-0.
In one way or another, the Colo
nials closely muffed four touchdowns,
and it's conceivable that the outcome
of that unusual battle might have
been reversed.