Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-06-10

ST. LOUIS, June 10.-This isn't
the football season. TO be sure,
but then maybe this isn't a foot
ball story. Maybe. instead of a
football story, it's really the story
OF the United States OF America
| in its current. physical crisis
sharply reflected in a football
mirror. Maybe, in the story of
what has happened up at South
Bend. Ind. on the sod Knute
Rockne once trod, there's sugges-
ton and pattern and prescription.
It's pretty obvious now that
something subtly deceptive and
subconsciously BIO TIA ging had
softened the sock and dampened
the fire OF the once truly terrific
Fighting Irish. Rock was killed
halfway through Notre Danes
Spring practice of 1881. Hunk
Anderson, his bluff and heavy
handed line coach, carried on for
three years. Then Elmer Layden,
trim fullback of the Four Horse
lmen and successful coach at
IDuqueSne, came on from Pitts
burgh TO Try for seven more.
The psychology OF the situation
was utterly against both these
earnest and loyal sons of the great
tradition. Both were standing in
the dead mans Shoes trying to
do what they thought the dead
man would do. And no football
machine. no business firm. no
nation, no way OF life can live in
a highly competitive world on
nothing more tangible or more ac-
tive than former glory and the
generation of a hallowed name.
Somebody virile and vital must
take over. meet the new with the
new. think faster than the fastest,
Init harder than the hardest, stay
lalert, remain alive, keep everlast-
Iingly punching. But it wasn't just
that at Notre Dame.
Some of it was what was hap
Ipening to the youth of America.
The physical product of the lush
'20s was beginning to pay off on
college campuses through the '30's.
Those hard. hungry kids who
walked five miles TO high school.
land who swung picks and worked
on ice-wagons through their Sum-
liner vacations weren't showing up
Iany more at Notre Dame. or any
|where else. It's story of all
American youth, not all-America
youth.
TOUGHENING EN- UP
Elmer Layden was offered, and
accepted, what practically amounts
to lifetime security by the pro-
lfessional league, and in the hunt
flor successor, Notre Dame finally
selected the 32-year-old Frank
tLeahy. an alumnus who had just
Idone so well with Boston College
ibis first head coaching assignment
Leahy is a quiet. non-explosive
TYPE, almost ecclesiastical in mien
but he has his own ideas about
what IL takes to play football and
lalthough he has shocked anC
lstunned the campus without evel
lraising his voice, with quiet move:
Nul
Hike cleavers through cheese-cloth
he at least has brought back
realism. and he may bring back
Victory.
| Curiously and. perhaps, even a
little condescendingly. the football
squad trooped in 10 meet the new
Istaff. Leahy greeted them cordially
but what he said to his new cap
|tain. Paul Lillis. was typical and
symbolic. Lillis is the varsity right
tackle. He stands 6 feet, 3 inches,
land at the moment he weighs
around POS pounds. At that mo-
lment, however, he weighed about
l23O.
Leahy shook hands with him,
then took two fingers and solemnly
Iplumped him in the chest, ribs and
stomach. like a farmer humping
a watermelon.
you're pretty soft for
Notre Dame football captain,
aren't you, Mr.. Lillis ?" the head
coach said. "You don't keep
i