The Washington times., 1938-03-21
Ivy League Bon Hdlts
Navy, Terp Grid Drill
Grid Taboo Is
Unsupported
Locally
BY CHICK KENNY

Dy NAAAN4A AAA1ANAN@
Maryland's hope Of staging q
scrimmage session with the Naval
Academy football team Is out.
With the recent decision Of the
Ivy League to tone down extensive
spring football practices, Navy, fol.
lowing Army, has decided to fall
in line with the newly adopted
policy. Catholic University was
to have sought a practice session
with the Middies at Annapolis
this season.
Spring scri1nmageS between col
leges are held in secret, no doubt,
due to the adverse publicity at
tached to them.
The Ivy loop taboo has little
or no support among local college
mentors. Plans are underway for
a series Of workouts between
George Washington and Maryland
and George Washington a n d
Georgetown soon.
Due to the recent rainy spell,
the local schools have not had
sufficient hard work to warrant
riSking q tough Scrimmage.
HELP COACHES
However, these informal spring
games" are a ready reckoner for
coaches as to the merits Of in.
dividual freshmen and combina-
tionS Of cubs. Here the coach
is on the grid Immediately behind
his team and can spot the caliber
Of each player and the weaknesses
of plays worked out painstakingly
as touchdown getters on paper
during the winter months.
Three years ago q Scrimmage
between Catholic University and
the Naval Academy at Annapolis
one spring Saturday afternoon re-
vealed to Coach Dutch Bergman
of the Cardinals that he had a
great team in the making. C. U.
scrimmaged the Middies in a
regulation game" with the result
that the Brookland outfit swept
to 32-0 victory" That fall,
Catholic U. had the greatest team
in its history and finished the
fall campaign by playing and win.
ming the Orange Bowl classic at
Miami, Fla.
ASSURED COACH
The showing made by the Card
inals definitely assured Bergman
that he was well equipped with
plays and number of star backs
and agile linemen to cruise
through the season in sensational
manner.
During the last few years the
major colleges of the East and
South have INDUCED in spring
games. Cornell played" Buckneil
and Colgate last year; Columbia
played" Manhattan and several
other Metropolitan schools; Navy,
in addition to its spring tilt" with
Maryland, worked out" with
V1llanova and G. U. and Prince.
ton "batt1ed" Lehigh and Rutgers.
Last week Duke played Clemson
Q regulation spring game, and the
Durham Devils of Wallace Wade
romped off the winners, 1924,
Richmond University tangled with
Hampden-Sydney last Friday.
OF course such games" are a
welcome relief from the drudgery
OF fundamentals and intra-squad
Scrimmages, but officials of uni
verSltles are Of the opinion that
such games" tend to overempha-
size football and lessen the value
OF the full spring sports curricula
namely, baseball, track, tennis
and golf.
At Maryland, Coach Frank Doh.
son is the pioneer Of an innova.
ton to spring drills, which he in.
Stltuted 20 years ago at the Univer.
sity Of Richmond.
FOR FROSH ALONE
1t is staging spring football prac-
tice for the benefit of freshman
candidates for the varsity alone
Here the upperclaSsman, who isl
a member Of the varsity, may in.
dulge in other sports OF his
choice. thus aiding the strength
Of the existing spring athletic
teams supported.
DobSon'S innovation has at
tracted the attention Of other
coaches, and this year he has re-
ceived queries from four major
schools in the East and South forI
an outline Of the principles engen-
dered by this treatment of spring
grid drills.
But at George Washington and
Catholic University a different sit
uation presents itself. Neither in
stitution supports major spring
sports schedules, and few, if any.
OF the grid candidates compete
In the minor variety Of sports
Sllch aS tennis oVaA 6o1f