The Phoenix index., 1940-08-24
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BIZ LUc1Us 1lelanchQu Jones
Morris Brown Will Present Dream Team
If Certain ''Ifs'' Turn Out Right; Big
John Moody Sparkplug OF Purple Outfit
H1 LUc1US Yelancholu Zones


EXCEPT FOR the two All-American nemen, Leross
Rocker and Clifford Brown and pair OF dependable quar-
Brown Purple Wolverines will parade onto the football field
this fall denticaly the formidable outfit which, last
December upset the mighty Virginia State Troans and
robbed them of mythical national grid battle.
The Purple Wolverines OF 1910 will be team of inter
estng potenaltes Were few IFS to par out sats1aG
world
crut Charles Franklin (Red) Owens the hard-hlttlng
punger and blocker transferred from fuback and Da-
vid Jakes fighting addition from the Morris Brown "B
SQUAD fill the bill at the quarterback post the Purple VOL
yeres will have of the nations greatest backfelds
Now another big "if Rockers shoes at start
ing end berth will be hard to fill but if Captain Gerald Dale
Brown plays at least brilliantly as ne did last campaign
and Alternate Captain Fred Strickland does well in
starting he did in relief duty there will be flank
problem al ali as long these escape injury.
Charles Bookert seasoned replacement; Robert R1fe'
graduate from the B" squad and Marion Crimes prom
ng recruit of the 1889 varsity ranks should develop into
reliable repacements They have the general qualifications
In fact Booker deserves to rate par with Strickland
ability the basis of his work against Florida and other
major foes last year.
Those-quarterback and end-are the outstanding gaps
in the Purple fold although will be decade, perhaps
before another running guard the order OF the gradual
ing Brown will be discovered
But Morris Brown can get by rather we'll if pres
en experiments that include the shifting OF reserve tackle
James Nash to guard fail to bear fruit The lies in
the fact that such capable boys as Alexander Sheppard
James Griffin John Merkerson and Earl Hines Stokes
newcomer from TAMPA Florida are on hand along with
James Lovett of East Point also shifted from tackle to
guard Sheppard Griffin, and Merkerson-as you recall
letter In fact there are those who say Griffin
destined to become of the greatest guards in Morrs
Brown history.
That is big order, if you have good memory,
YOU will remember the Purple Wolverines had some
guys by the of Clifford Brown Lawton Williams, John
Honey Smith Pinkney (Bubberub Robinson Abe Walk AK
er Pete Webster Earl Tharpe and Charles Wngtled who
were pretty fair country ball players.
Al long as Clarence (Marietta) Brown the Cobb Coun-
y comet play sixymnqe football the there VIII be no I'M
High School fuback converted to pivot man, and Red
Head Jackson experienced rawboned recruit will be of
plncn, according to Head Coach w. Nlcks'
who especially impressed with the work of the former on
pass defense the latter snapperback assignments
The taibacks established commodities They're no
big men as layers go but they lack nothing sheer
drive and deception Boys who require the minimum OF
hIocking The whippets are Hersche Holmes Jen
kins both spriners track Lionel Red) Crimes abso
e the best triple hreater OF the hafbacks on the squad
Clarence (Snake Jackson real runner and passer
of possibilities from Spencer High School, Columbus GeOr-
gia and Hannah Needham triple threaten from Sterling
High who has lot of power and sef-condence that may
bring dividends in the future
The right halfbacks or BLOCKING backs headed by
Joe Mitchell and the bone-crushng Harold Duffied along
with George Keith ready this after being out last
campaign with broken leg Keith teammate of Tackles
William Wysnger and Haywood (Mule) Settles at Austin
High Knoxville is the writer's idea of the shftest
ner on the Morris Brown squad He's fairly big too scaling
near ITS and being triple threat.
Along with Settles and Wysinger there're veteran
Charles Williams and recruit James Holmes from the "B
squad to add his 1875 pounds to the tackle slots .
Equally set the tackles is the fullback position
where cavorts the mighty A1LAmerican fuback, John
Moody who tips the beam at 205 pounds and is the hard
est-httng and ongespuntng back in Negro football He
is of course the No triple threat the club An idea OF
his punng genius the fact that he outaveraged Virginia
States Kenny Whtlock at time when the atters record
for the day 454 yards. Moody's was 461!
Those "ifs" will have to come out Okeh for Morris
Brown to rank serious contender either the STAG
the national football derby
Should they pan out satisfactorily, much better forti
fled Alabama and Wilberfoce and equally promising Vr
eina State will in Morris Brown outfit already to meet
fire with fire and give them downright helforleather
battle for mythical national football dadem. Don't count
Morris Brown out of the 1910 running and you're hunch
player stock the AabamaMorris Brown classic in At
lanta in mid November deciding the SIAC pennant!
Loo To1,ie Iesse O1I,ens