Evening star., 1944-01-07
Boys Did Men S Job
On Grid Last Fall,
Griffith Boasts

Griffith Boasts
(Thts is another in a series,
Dritten expressly for the Asso-
ci0ted Press, by sports leaders,
In Which prospects for 1914 are
discussed.)
BY MAI. JOHN L. GRIFFITH,
Commissioner of Athletics, Big Ten
| Conference.
CHICAGO, Jan. 7.-College ath-
letics, and sports in general, will
continue in 1914 with the blessing
OF the American people. College
football will continue, not primarily
because it is conducive to improved
morale and because it furnishes en-
tertainment, but because it has
training values that Army and Navy
officials, for the most part, recognize.
Reviewing 1s43 on the collegiate
sports front, we find that the ma
jority of colleges and universities
kept their sports programs going.
These institutions OF higher learn
ing, without exception, will keep
their athletic programs in 1914.
Meanwhile, many schools which
abandoned football in 1943 have an
nounced that they plan to put teams
in the field this year and are now
attempting to arrange schedules.
Youth Proves It's Worth.
Looking back year, 1943 will be
remembered as one of the most re-
markable in college athletics.
1t will be remembered as the wear
that many college football coaches
sent out boys to do mems work
with most gratifying results. It will
be remembered as the year that
college football proved it belongs on
the American scene in wartime as a
conditioner of fighting men, as a
stimulant to national morale and
as the spearhead Of college athletic
programs that conditioned the gen.
eral student body for prospective
war assignments.
It will be remembered as the year
that young men in colleges reaf-
f1rmed the fact that the game of
football belongs to them, and that
they will play the game even after
university authorities abandon in
tercollegiate competition as a uni
versity function.
A year ago there were those who
thought that all the athletes would
be in the service and that not
enough boys would enroll in colleges
in 1943 to provide the necessary
material for let us say, football.
Show They Want Action.
The enrolment in colleges in 1943
was considerably less than that of
1912, yet there were in most cases
enough boys who liked to play games
such as football to make the organi-
zation of teams possible. In fact, in
some of the universities and colleges
that called off football, the boys
themselves organized informal teams
and in some cases played before
exceptionally large crowds.
In other institutions, where there
were no Navy units, it was found
that there were enough boys who
played high school football in 1912
to round out 1943 college teams.
These teams, made up for the most
part Of youngsters under 19 years of
age, played surprising football and
contrary to general belief, suffered
fewer injuries than older players.
After the Army announced its
ruling which denied ASTP stu
dents in colleges the opportunity
to play football and other sports
with varsity teams, 1t was believed
by many that these colleges would
not be able to put teams on the
field. This, too, was found to have
been mistaken Judgment. The
Army boys who would have played
football in their free time each
afternoon, had the Army permitted
it, may have suffered because of
the War Department ruling, but
the colleges themselves were able
to produce teams without the help
of older and more mature men who
were receiving special training as
ASTP students.
Sports Provide Needed Balance.
Further, there were some people
who felt that the war would be
shortened If the American people |
spent all their time in serious
thought about the awfulness OF war
and in worrying about the hard
ships imposed by the war on all the
people. This attitude, most of us
Pnow believe, is wrong. We learned
that Russia, fighting for its life,
promoted athletics. Germany, Eng
land and other countries at war
also availed themselves Of sports as
a balance against dependency.
We can recall, too, that many
who were opposed to college football
sought to convey the impression
that corrupt draft boards were de-
ferring boys to play football, when
many of these boys were awaiting
assignment by that branch of the
service in which they had enlisted,
while the remainder were standing
by for call by selective service, just
as youngsters in other walks of
life.
n n. e,