Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-25
ATCHISON'S
ANGLE
By LEWIS r. ATcHIsoN

This idea Of summoning the
National Football League
coaches to Philadelphia next
month to draft So college foot
bah players strikes us as being
one Of the nuttiest the pros have
thought up in q long time-and
they've had some daisies. It
guarantees no lasting benefits
for the league and In the long
run can only lead to trouble be-
tween the pros and colleges after
years Of peaceful co-existence.
It also seems to show q start
ling feeling of insecurity by
certain members Of the league.
Are they worried that Canadian
teams, with their brief season.
will drain OF the best talent?
Is the league so shaky that the
loss Of SO rockies can cause q
catastrophe at the boxoffice?
And who's to say that the hand
picked three dozen win turn out
to be the best Of the $50 play
ers annually selected in the
draft?
Canadian football was blamed
for the early meeting when
Commissioner Bert Bell an
nounced it. And yet. one has
only to look around the NIL at
players back home after a trip
north Of the border to realize
that the Canadian game has no
real hold on American players.
The Redskins have i've in Norb
Hecker. Harry Ulinski. Gene
Brito. Eddie LeBaron and Scoot-
er Scudero. The New York
Giants have Alex Webster, lead
ing ground gamer in Canada last
year. and there are many more.
Old-timerS, playing out their
string. have smartly stepped
across the line to pick up a fat
pay check after their days in
the National League were num-
bered. But the great majority
of Americans. exceptions noted.
were not the type to set the
NIL on ire.
49,
Jack White. who has been
scouting the Redskins for the
San Francisco Forty miners,
thinks it's q bad idea because
the postseason bowl games, like
the East-West. North-South,
Blue-Gray. ETC.. are needed to
seperate the men from the boys.
Those games" White was
saying, get the cream Of the
crop. and in them the cream
Of the cream comes to the top.
That's where the coaches really
find out who can play football. :"
Another angle, Jack noted.
concerns injuries. A pro team
needing q quarterback. an end.
or what have you, will go for
one in its first three picks. But
now their guy has two college
games to play after the Novem-
Der draft. and In one gets
a bad knee or some other injury
that kills his chances Of playing
pro football, and the club loses
him. Under the present setup
the boys get their severest tests
before the draft meeting and
the pros know that in most cases
they're picking a sound player.
White said he could under
stand the reason for an early
draft meeting when the National
League was battling competition
by the All-American Conference.
but not now. when it has the field
to itself.
We were kicking the idea
around with Coach Joe Kuharich
and George Marshall yesterday
at the Redskins office when the
matter Of injuries came up.
I'm that case" Marshall COM
mented, YOU'RE stuck with q
dead horse and we'd have a
rattle"
Kuharich doesn't like the idea
Of a partial draft before the col
lege season is over.
"We'll just put SO good names
on our list" the coach said, land
have to rely on information about
them from sound men,"
Kuharich agrees with Jack
Lavelle, New York Giants scout,
who feels that the pros know
who the best college players are
and could name them today. He
doesn't think 1t win make any
difference.
~ ~
Marshall led the fight against
the early draft, which was voted
in, 90, for one year, and al
ready. he says. five owners VINO
favored the measure are now
opposed to it.
II have always opposed any
rule for drafting players before
the college season Is over. I'm
also opposed to the bonus pick.
I believe that the last-place team