Evening star., 1937-08-19
PRAISES ARE SUNG
BY OPPOSING ACES
A|I.Stars Give Opinions on
Strongest Teams They
Faced in College.
BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.

H1CAGo. August ls,-"What
were the toughest teams you
I met in three years Of college
~ football?" That question was
asked several Of the College All-Stars,
now training for the game against
Green Bays Packers on September l..
Ed Widseth the haxen- haired all
America tackle from Minnesota, nomi-
mated Pittsburgh Of 1884 and Nebraska
of 1887. Widseth has good reasons for
choosing those teams as the toughest
turkeys Of his college days. 1t took the
Gophers 48 minutes to break through
the Panther defense and Nebraska
held Minnesota scoreless for So min
utes and seconds
Sam Francis, Nebraskas all-Amer-
ica fullback, rated Pittsburgh and
Minnesota the hardest opposition he
encountered. Both teams kept you
busy every second" related Francis.
That was true particularly Of Mime
sofa last year. Bierman's offense was
so fast and deceptive that unusual
alertness was demanded Of the de-
fense. Pittsburgh was a hard-driving,
Furnishing team, and q fellow knew
he had done full days work when he
finished with the Panthers."
C0llapses From Fatigue.
ONLY for Francis collapse in the
closing minutes OF the Minnesota
game last Fall, the Gophers might
have had another blot on their record
For So minutes. Sans tremendous
kicking and heroic defensive play held
Minnesota of the Husker goal line.
Francis and the sophomore center,
Charlie Brock, gave one Of the great
est exhibitions of line backing in
that game the sport has known in
many year Dana Bible took his star
out of the game with two minutes to
go and Francis collapsed from IA
tigue when he reached the dressing
room.
BY Haines and Jimmy Cain, the
star halfbacks Of University of WASH
ington's champions, also picked Min
nesota and Pittsburgh as the fercest
foes engaged in three years. Washing
~on swept through the Pacific Coast
last season, but stumbled when play
ing the Gophers and Panthers, and
in both OF those games the Huskies
speedsters were stopped almost COM
pletely. Minnesota also received the
vote Of Don Geyer and Steve Reid of
Northwestern, two players who were
instrumental in bringing the Gophers
long winning streak to an end last
October. Bobby Larue Of Pittsburgh
and Francis voted the 1894 Minnesota
team the greatest they ever saw.
No Let-up in Sight.
FRANCIS, Haines, Cain and the
others are finished with Minnesota
and Pittsburgh, but the boys who must
play against those teams this season
probably will be of the same opinion
as their predecessors. Former Gopher
stars on the all-star squad are Of the
belief that Minnesota is coming up
with the team that will be the equal Of
any Bernie Bierman ever has devel-
oped and predict the Vikings will
sweep through to another national
championship. Pittsburgh lost only
three regulars from the team that
slaughtered Washington in the Rose
Bowl, and DR.. Jock Sutherland has a
grand group Of sophomores ready for
action next month.
Those Gophers and Panthers likely
are to 60 on indefinitely being the
toughest teams in the country to play,
even though they may drop an occa-
sional game. They not only have tre-
mendous manpower. but always the
coaching is about the nearest approach
to perfection the game produces.