Evening star., 1957-12-23

nois, Though Northwestern and
Purdue offered him $500 a
year. he choose Illinois at 50. TOO
because. he said later. the ma
terial was better.
Great upsets sprinkled Zup-
pke's career at Illinois. The
greatest Of all was at the ex-
pense OF Minnesota in 1916.
The Oophers. led by Bert Bas-
ton. All-American end. were ex-
pected TO have q field day, but
phey hadn't counted on zuppke's
strategy.
Just before his players were
TO take the field. the coach told
them: minnesota Is q. SUPER
stitious team. They follow a
formula. on the firM play
Sprafka will carry the ball,
then Wyman will carry It. then
Long. Tackle those men in or
der on the first three plays"
Sprafka, Wyman ana Long
were smothered and Minnesota
never fully recovered. Illinois
scored the first time It had the
ball and went on to q 14-9 VIC
tory that astounded the country
stopped Tom Harmon
Another Zuppke- guided upset
was over the Michigan team OF
1899. n team that had going
for II the great Tom Harmon
IA Michigan rout was expected
but when the final gun sounded
the Illini were In front. 1871.
The latter part Of Zuppke's
football career was marred by
losing seasons and a bitter feud
with Wendell s. Wilson, athletic
director. From 1888 through
lD4l. when he retired. Zuppke's
teams won only 10 conference
games.
The Zuppke Wilson feud
reached q climax In 1910 when
the university trustees dis
missed Wilson and gave Zuppke
only q one-year contract.
Zuppke, who was to talk con-
tract the following March. an
nounced his retirement before
the final game Of the i94l sea-
son against Northwestern.
In l949. when two-platoon
football was the vogue. zuppke
predicted its death and also
the death Of the T-formation,
which is more in use than ever
although many notifications
have been made.
"Today's coaches are nothing
more than adapters." he said
regarding the double platoon
system. They deal in masses.
using the stun handed down TO
them by the old masters. None
Is a creator. He can't be.
I'm art you would call the
present-day coaches sketch ar
lists. But I think things will
change and we1l come back TO
creatiyeness."
Grange His No. I
Grange was the undisputed
No. I football star Of all time
in zuppke,s ! book. There's
never been one like him." he
said. He was the gazelle Of
football and don't let anybody
kid you-he would be as great
against teams Of today as he
was back there in the early 20s. "
About seven years ago when
the Associated Press conducted
a poll on an all-time ALI
America team in connection
with the Football Hall Of Fame,
zuppke picked an all-time
backfield which include d
Grange. Jim Thorpe. George
Gimp and Johnny Lujack.
/ zuppke had little patience
with the enemies Of college
football. "fhe game of football
Is to college life what good color
Is to painting" he said. IN
makes college life throb and
vibrate. Those who want to
abolish football never played 1t. "
A sign painter taught Zuppke
! to letter and to work in oil
He painted from memory. He
would sketch q scene In winter
but would not paint 1t until
summer. He said he did not
give q hoot" whether he ever
sold painting.
And, Of course. he had been
asked a number Of times
whether he waited TO get into
the right mood before painting
His answer Is typical of his en-
tire approach to life:
waiting for the artistic
mood! That's a lot of boloney.