Evening star., 1939-10-08

that Brown team marched - and over
the goal line. 1t was no flash play, no
sensational run - just sheer football,
solid gain after solid gain, the kind of
football that team plays when it has
good blocking back The ball zoomed
over the goal posts. The score was
Brown 7, Columbia 6. And so it was
at the finish.
That night the bell atop Browns
University Hail tolled like mad - the
first time it had been rung after foot
ball game in four dreary years. Brown
had won a major victory in football.
Snake dances wound over the campus,
bonfres ragged. And Coach Tuss Nc
Laughry was hero again.
When the team got home, Tuss had
to make a speech. The newspapers. he
said, seemed to think this game was an
upset. Why, it was no upset. The team
had expected to win all along. 1t was
great team He singled out two or
three individual players for praise. He
didn't mention John McLaughry. He
hardly ever does.
But that doesn't mean that they
don't understand each other Ask John
what he thinks of Tuss as coach, and
he'll just grin, as if to say. Foolish
question number 9. .999" Tuss says. Il
try to treat John just like every other
member of the team But the fact
remains that he hardly ever singles
John out for praise. He doesn't have
to. John knows what he thinks. There
was the time, for instance, when John
arrived at the training table late for
supper. Tuss. at the head of the table,
looked down at him.
you're late" he said,
YES, sir" said John. Had to go
to the doctor" He held up bandaged
hand Got stepped on in scrimmage,"
he explained.
oh Too bad. That will interfere
with your passing. won't it,"
Ill dlt t1ill IL ?" III, Sil, SdlI JclIli
That was all Not flicker of 4
smile on either face Not mention of
the fact that John had been plugging
away for days. trying none too sue
cessfully. to perfect his passing. But
John knew that Tuss was giving him
both recognition Of his efforts and a
challenge to go on, And Tuss knew
that John was accepting that chal-
lenge. That's the way they are.
Last season. Johns second year on
the varsity. Brown piled up more
points, more yardage and more first
downs than it had ever done in its
football history. 1t lost three games,
to be sure. but they were honorable
defeats When the Brown boys went
down. they went down under the
weight of superior power, not because
they let the enemy through - and not
because they lacked blocking back
1t is not easy to make a hero out of a
blocking back. BY the very nature OF
MS IOic, Ilc almost 1CNCI HldktS a Sill
gle play to which you can point and
say, That was the play that won the
game" You can point out that in the
Dartmouth game last year John
McLaughry lost eighteen pounds; that
nearly every opposing star who picked
an all-opponent team at the end of the
season named him on it; that nearly
every time photographers snapped a
picture of a play. his number, SO. was
smack in the middle of the action:
that coaches and commentators went
into rhapsodlcs over his hard driving
tactics But the fact remains that the
blocking back seldom wins football
games The team wins them. But 1t
doesn't win them without him.
Once last year, though. John had
his chance to do fash act, 1t was in
the Harvard game, which Brown won
20 to l3, and it was one of the ncatest,
best-executed, most exciting plays
ever seen in the Harvard Stadium.
Carey, one of the Brown line. inter
cepted Harvard pass and started to