The Washington times., 1938-02-26


the fellow VIII
~ - was the full
Dill ""u" back of tn
-Four Horsemen. Layden doesn't
look like a fullback. Nor did he
when he was one. He just played
like a fullback, making up IN
grit and determination what ne
lacked in weight.
Elmer had come on from
South Bend, Ind, for the Notre
Dame-N. Y. U. basketball game
in the Garden and described the
Irish cagers as torrid.
They're hot as pistols when
they start clicking" he warned
WHERE GAME GREW UP
Indiana is where basketball
was born: or at least where 1t
grew up after DR.. Naismith had
fathered it in Massachusetts. A
team that can win its share IN
that section has to be good, pc
cause Indiana babies start shoot'
ing baskets through their teeth-
It seems that there is another
Rockne roaming the grldlron
range at Notre Dame-knute'
IT., known to his classmates as
"Juney."
At the moment he is recover
ing from a fractured ankle con
tracted in a physical education
class We never knew before
that physical ed" could be thaV
violent.
OUT FOR FOOTBALL
Knute, jr., is out for football,
# course. If he weren't out Tor
football he wouldn't be Knute'
tr' They have a spring practice
drill out there in which they
send the freshmen and otner
Young backfield prospects racing
through rows Of linemen-
The chief point is to test
their speed and eluslVeness, .
%,1mney" who weighs only l5O
pounds but is fast, had a 1le1o
day the first afternoon out. He e
va was slipping and sidestepplng
would-be blockers-out ike a
young Grange. -
Layden didn't pay mucn az !,
tention to that. What attracteo
his attention and secretly
pleased him, though he didn't
saw so, was what happened tne
following afternoon. This time
the blockers, tired OF being
made to look clumsy, were
plainly making a dead set al
the youngster.
In this drill when you get
knocked down by one line you
are supposed to get right up
and try your luck with the next;
And this time the little ROC
was finding the going as tough
as he had found it soft the
previous day.
LEAPS UP AND TEARS IN
They'd smear him and bowl
him over at every line and each
time he'd leap up, shake MS
head and tear into the next
one twice as furiously. =.
81 dropped everything else just
to watch him." said Elmer.
Which was all there was 10
the story. Except that while
Layden was telling it, you were
thinking to yourself how pleased
the other Knute would have
been, if he could have been lis,
tening in from over the goal
line we all must cross.
Elmer had another story OF
a lad who came to him to find
out why he wasn't making more
progress on the squad.
THE kids come to you with
all sorts of problems and trou
bles," he said, land, naturally
you try to help and encourage
'em all you can. In the final
analysis, I guess that's the most
important part of a coach s job
Anyhow, this lad came to the
office one day and wanted tc
see me privately. I sent fol
him to come in and right away
he blurted out: Coach, what's
wrong with me? What can
do TO become better player?
THAT was a pretty broad
question in his case" went or
Elmer. "and I started off sor
of slow and easy with the usua
eeneralities. But before long
had warmed to my work anc
was giving him what was prac
tically a between halves dress
ing room pep talk.
FORGET SELF FOR SQUAD
81 told him how he had t.
get out there and nail some
body down on every play. how
he had to submerge himself TO
the good of the SQUAD and TN
team, how all Of us were work
ing for the honor and glory o
Notre Dame-and a winninj
ball game now and then, if W
could get it.
Finally, I ran out of words, no
to mention breath. By now,
was practically ready to dasl
out Of the office and grao
ball myself.
"The young man stood ur
reached for his hat. and stuc
out his hand.
coach he said, That's III
Way I like to hear you talk.
P. S.-Layden still looks a
though he could play a tas