Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-08-11

1901 you, ne tOlu q
southern sports writer, Minnesota
is still the most productive football
mill in the country. After Mime
sofa comes Ohio State which may
also 60 undefeated because the two
teams do not play"
Waldorf ranked Wisconsin third
and said the other seven teams could
be placed under blanket so evenly
matched are they.
1t is true, as Waldorf says, that
conditions generally are as good as
ever at Minnesota. That is to say
the best material in this section is
enrolling in the state university and
it is, on the average about as good
as usual.
Because Minnesota is the only large
university in big territory that de-
velops strong, tough, athletic kids,
there will always be good football
material there as long as outside
schools do not steal too many of the
boys who belong to Minnesota.
On that basis the 1888 squad will
be made up of typical Minnesota ma
terial and will produce first rate
team. But, after all, the difference
between first rate team that wins
most of its games and is always hard
to beat and a wonder team that goes
through the season undefeated is
made by a few exceptional individ-
uals.
One big university squad is very
much like another in general appear
ance and in the average ability of its
best 80 men. But the big univer-
sity who happens to have two or
three men who are far above the
average is the university that has
the championship year.
Maybe it is great passer and
kicker, or brilliant ball carrier, or
an exceptionally smart quarterback.
Any one of these specialists can raise
an average team to commanding
position.
But such men are freaks. They are
as likely to bob up on one campus
as on another. Minnesota has had
its share-Pug Lund, then Glen Sci
del, then LeVoir and Beise, Widseth
and then Wilkinson. They are key
men who can improve whole foot
ball team.
Last year Minnesota had just as
strong a squad physically as it had
ever had. The boys were just as
big, just as fast, just as athletic as
the championship teams of the past.
But they did not have those two or
three outstanding men around whom
winning style and winning state
of mind could be built.
You can never tell when the next
man of that kind is going to turn up,
or where he is going to turn up.
So Lynn Waldorf would have been
closer to the truth if he had said,
Minnesota, Ohio State and Wiscon-
sin have the strongest squads in the
league but I won't know which will
win the most games until see where
the new key men are going to show
up" Of course he should have added
his own Northwestern team which,
on average strength of material, be-
longs in the same class.
These four will be good-no doubt
about it; but don't know which will
be best and neither does anybody else.
Last year Minnesota lost two games
and made hard work of winning some
others because the spark plug wasn't
there. Maybe, with a team that is
shade weaker in general and shade
greener, will have better season in
1888 because it has found that spark
plug. It's possible-but who knows?
The spark plug hasn't made his ap-
pearance yet and there isn't much
time between today and the first
game.
But such men never do show up
until play starts. 1t takes COMPETE
ton to bring them out. We can only
hope the kids are there somewhere
and will make their presence known
after the first kickoff