The Washington times., 1938-04-18
Stopping Oliphant Tops
Minton's Grid Career
Senator
Recalls Rough
Football Era
BY KIRK MILLER

About all he could remember Of
two years of playing fullback and
end on the University of Indiana
football team, back in 1912 and
1918, was the constant ordeal OF
picking himself off the ground.
The witness is Senator Sher.
man Minton, out Of New Albany
in the Hoosier State. but he
couldn't possibly have been as bad
as he pretended. for he was good
enough to make the varsity.
But in those days Indiana was a
very small university with a
limited football personnel, so much
SO that they were called the under
dogs of the Western Conference
and not without reason.
The team was so small numeri.
cally that there weren't substitutes
for many Of the positions and it
was not uncommon for a player to
go through the entire so minutes
Of play, injured or otherwise.
In those days rs now, Purdue
was dominating factor in the
Western Conference and lowly In
diana took one crack each season
at the Boilermakers, almost always
to no avail.
GLOATs OVER PURDUE STAR
Senator Minton, rather than
talk of his own football exploits,
seemed to want to gloat over the
prowess Of one of Purdue's great
stars who went on to streak across
the gridiron for the U. s. Military
Academy at West Point.
He was Elmer Onphant-a
name which will never be for.
gotten either at Bloomington. Ind.
the seat of Senator Minton'S
Alma Mater, or at West Point.
"Oliphant was the most diff
ficult player who ever wore
cleatS to waylay when he was
on the rampage with the ball."
Senator Minton attestS.
"If you tackled him. he was
as hard to hold as a bullfrog.
Somehow he would manage to
wiggle away and in those days
a play continued until the ref
eree's whistle blew.
Furthermore" attests the m
diana solon, ."'Oliphant was
equally as adept defensively as
he was on the offense.
LIGHTNING THINKER
I've looked at o lot of foot
ball and I've played my share.
but never saw anyone who was
quicker to diagnose a play than
Elmer Oliphant. of Purdue and
Army. He was a vicious, deadly
tackler and a lightning thinker.
THE nearest I ever came to
tackling him in the two games in
which we opposed was when I
had help from team mate. I
hit him high and another In
diana player hit him low and
down he went"
Senator Minton's worst expert.
ence on the gridiron materialized
in the Indiana-Illinois game of
1912.
Indiana. ever the stepchild Of
the conference, had the effrontery
to come UP to the intermission
with to 6 lead.
This circumstance hardly
brought Illinois back to the field
in composed mood.
DEVELOPS INTO STAMPEDE
Needless to say the second half
developed into an Illinois STAN
pede, Indiana being tramped
under as though in the path Of
a cavalcade.
Young Minton, like the remain.
der of his brethren. paid dearly in
bruises, abrasionS and Commissions
for the liberties they had taken
with the 1llini in the opening
half.
Minton came out Of the game
with a cut tongue which had to be
sewn three times before it event
ually healed.
Shaking the Senator's collegiate
background until all the skeletons
rattle, one finds a bit Of baseball
background too. he admitting that
he was Just fair outfielder with
a good throwing arm but an under
developed batting talent.
Like a golfer making a hole in
one, Minton somehow managed a
home run in a game against Ohio
State. thereafter straining at the
bat to repeat it-Quite in vain.