Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-29
Red BIaik
Gives Army
Good Team
West Point Deserves
One. johnson Says
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

ny hCoh Js uOIIINoON
EVERY time this column sticks
- its neck out of its own baili-
wick to horn in on my brethren
of the sports writing fraternity
1t gets a perfectly justified crack
in the neck-a rabbit punch pre-
cisely on the medulla oblongata.
Usually these gentle jolts from
the fraternity. who seem to have
at their finger tips everything
that has happened since Jem
Mace and Abner Doubleday, have
an effect Of showing that l don't
know anything about this bust
ness-don't even suspect any
thing and mostly they are right.
The last time was when the
amiable John Herman sweetly
took me apart for questioning a
fatal pass-interference penalty
in an Army and Navy game.
The pictures showed that
was right in what / was aiming
at but Mr.. Herman made the
column look like something the
cat dragged in because OF its
approach. Anyway. an old grad
has no business using his column
TO boost his college. So retired
from that field in very poor
order and for many years.
But one thing that gives me a
pain is some (but far from alb
of the publicity about the come
baek-ef-the= Army team. That IS
constant reference TO Earl Blaik
as the Dartmouth coach who
has worked a miracle with
almost exactly the same mate
rial that was fourth rate Army
team
IT Is true that Red was a
L Dartmouth coach and that
he has worked a miracle. But
he is a West Point man. He
was the Army assistant" coach
during all the years of great
Army teams. 1t was a heart
breaking assignment. II was a
heart-breaking wrench for him
10 go to Dartmouth. When he
went Army slumped. and never
recovered until he came back.
AS has sometimes here been
remarked and bewailed. Army
stuck TO the idea that an Army
head coach had 10 be an Army
officer whether he was good or
not. IL was sort of Manchu
dynasty OF an hereditary sue
cession in the Army Athletic
Association.
1t overlooked the fact that
coaching is as much profession
as medicine. If you were a good
army officer. and in that hier-
archy whether you were good
at football or not --and some
times regardless OF that-you
were eligible. Otherwise not.
Take the case of Bob Neyland.
Tennessee coach of champions.
an officer who could have been
recalled but never was. The
first Army coach / ever saw
was an Austrian master OF the
sword who had never played a
football game and had seen
very few.
1t is true that Army produced
some good football coaches like
Biff Jones and Bob Neyland.
but they mostly learned the pro-
fession through years OF service
elsewhere.
THERE was also a sort OF
West Point tradition. not
without it's exceptions. of favor
ing lads in the upper classes and
of excellent department and
academic standing and keeping
promising material bottled up
as Red Blaik was bottled up
until, with many regrets. he un-
corked himself TO 90 TO Dart
mouth.
Mr.. Blaik evidently under
stood all this.
Perhaps il is too early for this
-piece.-The Army has an I'M
beaten record but its toughest
games are yet ahead. Never
theless, all who have seen the
team in action testify TO a revo-
lutionary change in tactics,
training and zip which hasn't
been seen on the plains for many
years.
Having long argued for the
best coaching available for one
Of the nations principal acade-
mics. this alone seems to me 10
justify little cautious Growing
with a hope that the far ADLER
and better informed sports
writer's won't have something /
don't know about 10 explode in
my face.
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0E - tk1FC !