Evening star., 1938-10-22
PANTHERS NEVER
POINT FOR GAME
Sutherland, Eschewing Pep
Talks, Keeps Players
in Calm Mood.
By GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star

BY GRANTLAND RICE,
Special Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK, Oct. 22.-Probably the
only coach in the country who does
not point his team for any one game
Is Jock Sutherland. Playing the kind
Of schedule he does every year, Jock
can't afford to do any pointing. He
just gets his team up there at the
start Of a season and then tries to
hold it there.
So far as the Pitt players are con.
cerned, one opponent Is Just like an.
other. They are taught to have q
high regard for all and to go-as
Jock puts it-helter-skelter from
whistle to whistle. 1t must be a good
system. The doctor has won a lot
of games with it.
To date, in this turbulent campaign,
with other first-rate teams spinning
under the shock Of rude defeats, tho
Sutherland system has yielded vic.
tories over West Virginia, Temple, Du.
quesne and Wisconsin. Just ahead
lie s. M. U. and Fordham, and after
them will come Carnegie Tech, Ne.
braska, Penn State and Duke-a 10.
game schedule that has the Panther
striking out in all directions-North.
East, South and West-and at tina
same time not neglecting the neigh.
bors' children, Carnegie Tech and
Duquesne.
There are no breathers in that
schedule. There couldn't be any, no
matter what the original idea was, be.
cause every team that plays Pitt feels
that that game represents its big
chance. It's the old story of everybody
shooting at the big guy-for that way
lies the greatest glory. And so, pointed
at but never pointing, the Panther
prowls from week to week.
No Dressing Room Raves.
sutherland manages to keep his
players at high level all season by
coaching them in a calm, professional
manner. Dressing room histrionics
have no part in his system. There are
no blood-tingling pep talks from the
doctor before q game or between
halves.
Before a game he tells the players
what he wants them to do. Between
halves he tells them wherein they have
failed to do it. If they are trailing at
the half he doesn't try to whip them
10 fury by yelling at them, pleading
with them or shedding tears over the
disaster that is about to befall the old
school,. He merely points out their
mistakes, reminds them of his notions
OF how the game should be played and
then sends them out to do as they have
been told
No one ever saw Pitt team coached
by Sutherland rush out of a dressing
room in fury. Jock doesn't believe in
! furious football-the fighting, crying.
hysterical kind of football. He wants
his players to fight hard all the way.
But ne doesn't want them to play with
their heads whirling and tears of rage
IN their eyes. He knows they can't
play football that way-not his kind
OF football. Pitt teams are known for
their slamming. hammering, power
football. But behind the force they
exert is precision that calls for clear,
cold thinking rather than emotion.
1t Wasn't Jock Sutherland.
There is an old football story about
coach at small college with an
amazing record of victories who was
called before the president to explain
how it happened that the football
squad included many boys from dis
tant parts Of the country who reason
ably might have been expected never
to have heard OF this college in the
ordinary course of events.
why, I don't know how they all got
here" the coach said. 1T must be
that these boys Just love me-"
Well. not all Of the Pitt players love
JOCK Sutherland. They never get
close enough to him for that. He looks
after them like father-the night
before game he will not leave them
until they have retired and he does
everything but tuck them in bed
but, for all the genuine affection he
has for them, he is reserved and often
stern in his attitude toward them,
The Pitt players, hearing players CT
other teams address their coaches e.
Tom or Dick or Harry, are amaz.
None OF them ever would drearl =,
| addressing Sutherland, either d,-.f
their playing days or in after yee
when they go back to see him. as
anything but Doctor.
But most of them like him very
much and all of them have the
deepest regard and respect for him.
You never could tell one of them that
there is-or ever was-a better coach
than the big Scotchman.
A Good Line, Too.
Most Of the Nationwide interest IN
this years Pitt team has been centered
on the backfleld, which Is natural.
since it Is rated as the best backfieId
in the country But ahead Of
Chickerneo, Cassiano, Stebbirfs and
Goldberg moves smooth, powerful,
perfectly geared line: Daddio and
Hoffman on the ends, Merkovsky and
Raskowski at the tackles, Lezouski
and Petro at the guards, and Dannies
at center.
Pitt also uncovered. in the Wis
consin game. a couple Of halfbacks
named Mario and Thurbon, who proved
they can go to town when allowed to
move in for Cassiano and Stebbins.
And the Badgers also had q brief
glimpse of sophomore center named
Hawkins, whose name will be in the
headlines one Of these days Not this
year, because Dannies is doing a good
Job at center. But Jock privately
thinks that some day Hawkins is going
to be as good as Shotwell, the best