Evening star., 1946-11-27

- Not !, Tor one. wired Grant Hlce,
who was going out with me. the sec
ond read that the Rose Bowl game
starting this year would be limited
to the athletes representing the
Pacific Coast Conference and the
teams Of the Big Nine, representing
the Western Conference.
"Have you a size six and seven
eighths halo for me to wear at the
Rose Bowl?" I wired. "And, II pos
sible, q pair of matching nlauve
wings"
@No got" he answered. "See what
you mean. Let's go to Sugar Bowl In
New Orleans instead"
"Oke," I wired back, and "Oke, !"
he answered.
A Fine, Idiotic. Thing.
Please remember, this Is no criti-
cism of what the Rose Bowl Com
mittee and the Western Conference
have done. I think they have done
a fine, manly, idiotic thing. I would
be willing to swear on q stack Of
Capt. Billy's "Whizz Bangs" that
every player in the Rose Bowl this
year is an outstanding scholar, a
leader of men, and that not q single
one of them has ever received a
penny in any form for playing foot
ball.
I'll 60 further than that's I'd be
willing to take an oath, with my
right hand resting on a bound vol
ume Of 1946 True Stories, that not
even so many as one Western player
or one Western Conference stalwart
was spoken to In his senior year IN
high school and told the gl0ries and
the beauty Of attending certain
school. I believe, and my heart is In
this, that they just naturally chose
tn. schools they attend That even
goes for Buddy Young of Illinois, de-
spite q story of how he was APP
preached by several score Of schools
and was offered everything from the
chair of Latin to the dean of men
liz he only would carry the football
come Q o'clock every Saturday after
noon.
I. believe that the California
schools and the Big Nine schools
have discouraged the enrolment Of
athletes. I happen to know that
Michigan placed every possible block
in the path of Tommy Harmon, and
that he would have gone to South
ern California had not that beauti-
full home for horn-rimmed scholars
turned thumbs down on his speed
his strength and his ability to score
touchdowns.
Was He Embarrassed?
IIlneyer forget the embarrassment
OF Mr.. Fritz Crisler, now coach at
Big Nine Michigan, when he arrived
at Princeton to coach and found ex-
tra trafic cops on duty to handle
the influx OF high school football
captains who, by the long arms OF
coincidence, and love for ivy-cov-
cred walls, had come to Old Nassau.
I think Mr.. Crisler's first words Will
ever ring in this amateur sports
mans ears. He said: rs this all !
have to work with? It1l be tough,
but III do my best.
Yes. am In complete agreement
with the Rose Bowl COMMITTEES and
the Western Conference. The two
have blazed new path. OF course.
the fact that the Rose Bowl was
founded to decide the national
championship has nothing to do with
it. A lot OF us sordid souls win have
to turn to the Sugar Bowl, the
Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the
Gator Bowl and other bowls to see
football.
I have requested the program
rights for the Rose Bowl game. Not
programs with numbers and the
name and weight OF the players.
That would be vulgar. We are sell
ing Boards "Rise of American Civil
lizationD between halves and before
the game. And, ! hope, the Rose
Bowl boys will make 1t strictly an
amateur affair by not charging ad-
mission. am sure they won't. It
would break our hearts to have the
participating schools leave the fair
ground OF battle with bag OF swag
worth 500, 900 or thereabouts.
Distributed By McNaught Syndicate, 1nc.)
! z