Evening star., 1940-11-10

to vote Tuffy onto the 1896 College All Stars
squad for the annual game with the profes-
sona-league champions in Chicagos Soldier
Field. Leemans entered the game midway in
the second quarter and though preceded,
surrounded, followed and opposed by former
All America aces. he was the standout back
of the night. The Galloping Gauze contributed
a hippety hip 35-yard broken-held run from
scrimmage, clothesne 27-yard pass, and
quickly and cleverly conceived yard lateral
to the Stars offensive. The football experts,
who had scorned Leemans S name when it was
presented for All ll-America consideration,
sheepishly confessed that he was truly an All
America halfback.
That same fall one brief year after he had
failed to make the Al-America. Tuffy was Sc
lected almost unanimously for the All-League
All-Stars. which is sort of super super All
America, picked from professional ranks In
his rookie year in the pro league, Leemans
was the leading ground gamer. covering $50
yards in 2O6 ball-carrying attempts.
In his four seasons with the Giants, Leemans
has gained 2l5l yards Only five other play
ers in the entire history of pro football have
outganed him, and each Of them accumulated
his total over much longer playing period.
If Tufy continues in pro ball three more
years he threatens to break all records for
ground gained.
Fans are always wondering about the true
difference between pro and college football
Whizzer White. Colorado's ALL America and
cbol, ,
question shortly after entering the pro field
with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Whizzer played
one game against Leemans. watched him from
the stands in another and said: There the
difference between pro and college ball -
Tuffy Leemans. Boy. he's just about the
greatest football player in the world
His Work Is Fun
LEEMANs is still bewildered, in a way. by
pro football He doesn't understand why he
needn't play the entire game. but, instead,
can retire to the bench in favor of substitute
from time to time, Nor does he understand
why, when he is in there, he doesn't have to
make all the tackles. throw all the passes. do
all the kicking. receive all the punts and run
without interference.
I'm paid for this, says Leemans dsdain-
fully. Gosh. l shouldv We been paid in college.
This is fun. That was work
In college Leemans did everything with the
football but blow it up He did all the kicking,
passing, tackling and running. There was talk
once about having him catch his own passes,
but after some consideration this was dis
carded as impractical - even for Tuffy In
stead they decided to let somebody else throw
the passes to Tuffy whenever Tuffy himself
wasn't throwing. Playing against Rice Insti-
tutes powerhouse, Tufy either tossed or
caught every pass George Washington lost,
and by the somewhat decisive score of al toe
but Tuffy gained more ground than any Rice
back.
Leemans, born of Belgian parents halls
from Superior, Wisconsin, the same city that
produced Ernie Nevers, Stanford's Al-Time
All-America. Like Nevers, Tuffy had to find
honor far from his old home town. His foot
ball career started out in Oregon where he
turned up in 1882 on the State university's
freshman squad when Clarence Doc Spears
was head coach. 1t was rather dismal begin
ming At the end of the football season, Spears
was suddenly released and many of the play
ers he had lured to Oregon found themselves
without scholarships, jobs or friends Leemans
was stranded, far from home, with board
and-rOOm bill and s,Indrv other headaches