Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1948-12-17


under this heading.
Which are these
Grantland Rice few colleges? We
first contacted Jim
Gregg, an alumnus of Sewanee, the
university that started the pure
amateur plan.
Sewanee has had its day of glory
from 1892 to 1886. 1t has had its
great teams, its leading stars
Simkins, Lanier, Lex Stone, Faul-
kenberry, Harris Cope, Rex Kilpat-
rick (brother of the general. and
much bigger Kirby-Smith, etc.
But" as Jim Gregg put it,
"Sewanee decided in the win
ter Of 1945-1946 that 'big-time
football" didn't belong in Sc
wanee's scheme of scholastic
life. The athlete was to be treat
ed as any other student.
"Sewanee had no fault to find
with other universities. We simply
believed that subsidized football
was not for US. Then the problem
of a schedule came up. We finally
lined up Centre, Mississippi college,
Presbyterian, Hendrix, Maryville,
Hampden Sydney and Kenyon.
Only one of these failed to keep its
agreement. Hendrix dropped out
because the cost of travelling to
Sewanee and Millsaps was added.
I'VE tried to get others to join
us-such as Washington and Lee,
Davidson and the Citadel, but they
declined to leave the Southern
conference because they claimed
they needed the money they re-
ceived from big guarantees, and
also they were afraid of their own
alumni groups. Well get more fol-
lowers eventually.
Gate receipts are unimportant.
(As we understand it, there are no
gate receipts. Possibly nominal
ones against the 81 and IS collect
ed today.) Football at Sewanee
cost the university $4,000 in
place of the 100000 or 81, 1000 900
that Michigan, Notre Dame and
others earn from the sport. Foot
\ ball is simply treated as Latin,
English and math are treated-a
necessary part of a universitys
curriculum"
In other words, Sewanee's
educational course wasn't ar
ranged to strengthen the Bears,
Packers, Giants, Eagles, and
FOrty-Niners, where four years
of college is waste Of time.
Not bad thought.
"Sewanee has about the right
idea," Johnny Kieran says. "Only
if they will do the right and smart
thing and abolish gate receipts you
won't have to bother with foot
ball pay rolls or PROSECUTING. Let
the public in free. This settles all
arguments.
1t is the only way that all argu-
ments will ever be settled. l still
don't believe college football was
started to bring in 100000 or a
$l,000,000 year to university
funds, through its winning teams,
frequently built up at any price.
Big Ten Again.?
There is a chance that the Big
Nine will become the Big Ten
again.
If this happens, the new member
will be Michigan State. Why not?
Michigan State today has $1,000
students. 1t also has one of the
best football layouts in the game,
a new stadium that can handle S.
mn fof h.
one yet built.
In DR.. John A. Hannah, it might
also be noted that Michigan State
has one of the leading college presi-
dents of the country, whose slant
on football is sound.
The Big Nine was also the
Big Nine in 1908. That is the
year when Michigan revolted.
The Wolverines stayed out I'M
til 1917 when they finally re-
turned to the fold. The Big Ten
stuck until Chicago university
abolished football, and ever
since then there have been at
tempts by several outsiders to
take Chicago's place.
Lie Dig Nile IdS peeH III no
hurry to make it the Big Ten
again. But, if there is any change,
Michigan State is almost certain
to be the one selected.
Michigan State and Michigan are
something like California and U. C.
L. A. The first two are state uni
versities in Michigan, just as the
two others are state universities in
California.
Beaten only by Michigan and
Notre Dame, Michigan State has
known one of its best seasons this
fall. 1t has a better team than
several members of the Big Nine
have. including Indiana, Wiscon-
sin and probably Iowa.