The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-11-15

Sport
Parade
- BY Oscar Fraley =


NEW YORK Up)-College foot
ball was sweating out its own re-
conversion today and indications
were that for the time being at
least the day of the tough, hard
bitten, top-sergeant type Of coach
was over.
Coming back TO the gridiron are
kids who flew fighter planes, were
tail gunners in flying fortresses,
served the big guns of the fleet and
fought on bloody beaches with the
Marines. And they aren't having
any of this die for dear old Rut-
gers" business.
These kids can take their Jumps
okay but they want to play foot
ball for fun and they've had
enough Of sharp, stern autocratic
commands.
Coaches at Minnesota, Ohio State,
Arkansas and Pittsburgh, to name
few, have had difficulty lately
with dissension and player upris-
ings and student revolts. 1t would
be unfair to say the coach was
wrong in every case. But back of
most of the trouble you can find
the returning vet, lad who believes
rightly that his Purple Heart and
his battle stars entitle him to cour-
tesy.
These aren't boys fresh out of
high school and making their first
trip away from the old home town.
They've been around plenty and,
after hearing the whine of snip
er's bullet or the thud of a mortar
shell. they figure a coach is sim
ply another man who should get as
good as he sends.
1t probably is best explained by
Lou Little, the gentlemanly Column
bia coach who left Penn for service
IL. World War I and returned to
the campus at Philadelphia after
his hitch.
We we're a rough bunch when
We came back" said Lou. What S
more We knew it, and We weren't
going TO let anybody shove us
around. Sure, We were students
asain-but in the meantime We had
become men, too"
So you don't hear of any trouble
up at Morningside Heights where
LOUIS Lions have been doing a fine
biz OF roaring. He teaches sports
nlanship above everything - and
teaches it best by being sportsman
TO his boys.
Bernie Bierman, out at Mime
sofa, is fine gentleman. But Ber-
ME also is home from the Marines
and he has been accused by several
players and a number of critics
OF being too cold and distant" He
showed he was a great coach by
giving the Gophers six Big Ten
titles in nine years, but he's a stern
teacher, a hard-driving perfection
iSt.
So Bernie in these realistic times
has an incipient revolt on his
hands.
Meanwhile. Carroll Widdoes at
OHIO State had his difficulty with
Paul Sarringhaus, back after three
years IN the Army. Sarringhaus
threatened to quit the squad be-
cause ne felt he was being sighted.
And high in the Ozarks, Glen Rose
has been having his difficulties
with an Arkansas squad which was
expected to be great and yet has
lost five games. This one really
smoldered. Pittsburgh had its foot
ball and a new coach. Yet Clark
ShaughneSSy is regarded as one of
the best in the business.
Buff Donelli, former Duouesne
and Cleveland Ram coach now aid
Ing Little, wouldn't criticize any
other coach for the way he ham
dies his team. But Donelli always
has been one Of the most success
ful OF them all simply by making
friends and partners out of his
footbalers. He gets along with his
Kids and they've always given all
they had for him.
It viii work that way in most
cases. But there's no doubt it's the
way the coaches will have to work
with the Johnnies who came
marching home. Orders were orders
but now they want to be asked
and nicely, please.