Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-07-28
n WIN, LOSE OR
@DRAw . ,...s.. STAN.
Ornamental, If Not Practical


begin to into the sports picture with the A-Star
Game in Chicago So that it will coincide with the formal
curtain rasng-and also because next January will
mark the 25th anniversary of the Sugar Bowhe fathers
of the New Orleans festival conducting poll
who do you think the top ELEVEN players to
appear in the Sugar Bowl? asks Fred Dgby old sports
writer who for years has been general Of the
Sugar Bowl It's pretty controversial question: too. If
you Judge em by what they showed in New Orleans
various New Years Days you likely to up with
flock of fancy but by the token, 1t wouldn't
necessarily be team that would lick anything of caiber
Back in 1886, when he played in the Sugar Bowl for
Texas Christian, Sammy Baugh a standout despite
the 80 score, Texas Christian over Louisiana State In
94 Charlie ORourke had great day for Boston College
in 1913 win Tennessee and did Charlie Tppi for
Georgia in the l947 game when the Bulldogs licked North
Carolina, 1910
What kind of a backheld would it be If Baugh,
ORourke and Trpp playing at the same time,
with the heavyduty John Kimbrough of Texas A&M as
the fulback? Baugh, ORourke and Trpp they
best remembered so much alike that in departments
In which each shy IN varying degreesblockng pass
receiving and smashing the middle of line-a practical
unit weakness might be apparent
WHEN BAUeH PLAYED in the Sugar Bowl he
a left halfback in TCUs single wing. 1t strange
afternoon for the old Singer He scored" LSUs two
points when wet ball slipped from his fingers and fell
into his end for safety But he also held the
ball for Tile Manton's 19-yard field goal which
Bill Keeie of the Tmes-Picayune wrote in part:
"Baugh lived up to all that was said of him. Only
Baugh went out of his way prove to the fans that his
brilliant passing but small part of his stock in
trade.
playing what probably was the greatest game of
his career, Baugh Al-American. His passing
good-what he did it, his punting mastery,
his blocking and balcayng brilliant and better than
anything else he did his defensive work superb"
RedSkin fans, excepting those who recall the Baugh
of 20 or more years ago. may not picture Sammy as
doing all of those things But originally he more than
the picture passer of his later years.
oRoURKE OvERCAME bad, fumbling start to
become the l941 hero Reedhin like Baugh he passed
down to Tennessees 24-yard when the stood at
1913 in the final quarter Then ORourke faxed pass and
ran all the way straight through the Tennessee right
flank "ORourke rolled into and out of at least half
dozen pairs of clutching arms wrote Bill Cunningham
in the Boston Post ut magnificent to close
a great career"
Trippis year. 1947 found him setting up two of
Georgias three touchdowns with his passing running
blocking and defense. HE played all go minutes and
seemed to improve as the game progressed" George
Barton of the Minneapolis Tribune reported.
Fred Digby himself, at the time writing in the New
Orleans Item was quite impressed by John Kimbrough
as a fulback in 1910 "Kimbrough terrific tremen-
dous colossal stupendous and all the other adjecves
Mr. Webster put in the dictionary" Digby wrote.
He like halfback plunged the middle, took
laterals and was marvellous on defense He played the
entire so minutes"
THERE ARE OTHERS who in finer hours starred
in the Sugar Bowl the last quarter Of century and
maybe an entirely different backhed might be voted.
Certainly plenty choose from including Charley
Justice Leon Heath, Bobby Layne, Dave Smukler, Ed
Modzeewski Johnny Majors Vito Parill Joe Gattuso,
Eddie Prokop Nello Faaschi and of Harry Gmer
Now there is prime candidate-Gilmer. His Sugar
Bowl year was l945 His team Alabama lost to Duke in
an all-time thriller 1926 But it Gilmers day and
no less an authority than Grantland Rice turned lyrical
handsprings Harry.
Alabama had to ride the greater part of the way on
the deadly right of 8-year-od Harry Glmer, the
greatest college paSSer barring neither Sammy
Baugh nor Sid Luckman" enthused Rice This young
Birmingham boy hit squirrel in the eye at so yards
He was the Davy Crockett of the Crimson Tide COM
peted eight of eight passes in the face of hard
charging Duke line There pass Gmer threw that
no one will forget :"
These words and others will be remembered when
the ballots are received But the al-tme Sugar Bowl
team based New Years Day performances is apt to
be more ornamental than practical