Evening star., 1939-12-24


gether with thrilling sequences and
outstanding exploits, Wasnington's
sports parade of 1899 ranks near the
top in ali of the history of the Ma
tional Capital.
Perhaps the football Redskins
made the biggest smash hit as their
fans demonstrated even more wildly
than in the championship year OF
1887. but the professional gridiron
warriors did not make the whole
show. Ice hockey made its debut as
Washington entered the Eastern
Amateur League and, from the out
set. the sport proved popular as q
competitive spectacle as well as 6
recreation.
Together with the introduction OF
midget auto and motorcycle racing
hockey broadened Washington
sports scope in perhaps a fashion
unprecedented, although the crying
;needs Of a city that otherwise is a
major athletic center still is an ade-
squate stadium for football, track anG
.otner events and an auditorium suit
liable for fights, larger hockey and
basket ball crowds and conventions
e Redskins Set Grid Record.
i Few sports in Washington suf-
.fered during 1899. The Redskins
drawing l64,5O5 spectators for six
,home games, broke the all-time local
attendance record when they drew
s36, 1873 for their final game at Griffith
Stadium. The Detroit Lions, who
were beaten by a decisive score, were
the opposition. The following week,
when they played the New York
Giants for the Eastern title in New
York, the Redskins were parties to
the second largest pro grid crowd in
'shistory-62,543.
= College athletics remained on the
same high plane. New interest in
college football was created over the
year when Georgetown and George
Washington renewed their rivalry
after lapse of is years. George
town. which won by TO over the
Colonials. defeated Maryland by
200 and finished its second straight
season unbeaten, generally was re-
garded as the most powerful of the
District teams. Once-beaten Cath
olic University received and accepted
a bid to play in the New Year Day
Sun Bowl game against Arizona
State Teachers of Tempe.
Professional boxing was one of
the few sports, and probably the
only major one, that suffered dur
ing 1899. Lack of an adequate in
door arena, continued high interest
IN horse racing and what was pro-
nounced almost unanimously as a
bad decision after Washington
only world championship fight hurt
the ring game and forced Joe Tur-
ner, veteran promoter, to with
draw. Goldie Ahearn, who was his
matchmaker, undertook to carry on
and to try to revive the game
Russells Kick Biggest Thrill.
Probably the greatest thrill OF the
year, from Washington angle, came
early in December, when the Red
skins, once beaten, marched on
New York to battle the Giants for
the right to meet the Green Bay
Packers, Western champions, for the
world football title. Twelve thousand
local fans were estimated to have
accompanied the Redskins, who, al
though minus the service of five
outstanding stars, we're trailing by
only 7 to 9 with As seconds of play
remaining.
Here, with the ball on the Giants
1O-yard line, Quarterback Frank
Filchock called upon Tackle Tor
rance (Bo) Russell to kick u field
goal. Booting from his IA, Russell
kicked what was believed to be the
winning points by Washington
supporters, but Referee Bill Halo
ran ruled that it missed an up
right by inches. The decision pre-
cipitated minor riot on the field,
but the defeat did not preven. 1000
raDid fans from meeting the Red
skins at Union Station at mid
night to extend condolences.
Undoubtedly the most dramatic
moment in Washington came after
Featherweight Champion joey
Archibald and Harry Jeffra, his
challenger, from Baltimore, faced in
a 15-round titular bout at Griffith
Stadium in September. On ma
iority of scorecards and in the opin-
ion of a vast majority of the fans
Jeffra earned a clean-cut decision,
but the Baltimorean was aStounded
when at the finish Referee Benny
Leonard and Judge Frank Schuy-
Ter cast their votes for Archibald,
giving the champion 2-to-l edge.
Ring Solons Condemn Verdict.
The District Boxing Commission,
meeting the next day, went on rec
ord as calling the decision bad one,
but the solons refused to do any
thing about it, maintaining that
Leonard was brought in to referee
and that under the rules they would
have to abide by his decision. After
this decision boxing went into a
financial tailspin, with little inter-
est shown in the sport by local fans.
Ice hockey, basket ball and other
indoor sports have taken up the
slack created by the decline of box
ing. The hockey Eagles, baby of
Washingtons sports family, hit
fast stride shortly after the season
opened and now are rated the most
dangerous team in the Eastern
League.
Washington developed no national
champions in major sports, but the
caliber Of competition always was
high, and many District athletes
and teams made their marks in big
competitive events Maryland's box
ing team Won the Southern Confer
ence. George Washington's basket
ball team ranked among the top
quints of the East and, of course,
Georgetown and Catholic University
were outstanding among the grid
teams of this section Two Redskins,
Andy Farkas and Jim Karcher, were
named on the All-Star pro eleven.
In the horse world Miss Margaret