Football, Today and Tomorrow
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TB LL TODAY AND FOO A , TOMORROW AM B l R PE By W I LLI W. ( i l" O R Princeton 1 902 I llus trated fr om Pho togr aphs DUFFIELD AND COMPANY New York 1 92 8 C ONTENTS FOOTB ALL CLASSI C THE TRAI NI NG OF A M ODERN THE QUARTERBAOK CARRI ES THE MENTAL BU RDEN BY THEI R PLAYS YE SHALL KNOW BETWEEN THE HALVE S I N A FOO TBALL THE PSYC HOLOG Y OE FOO T B ALL ANY BOY CAN BE A FOO T B ALL PLAYER THE VALUE OF FOO T B ALL WHAT TS WRONG WI TH PROF E SSI ONAL THE MODERN GAME I LLU STRATI ONS arvar d- Princ et o n o o t all ame The last H f b g , rid es o f P rinc et o n c ar r in the B g , , y g ball (fr ontispiece" Beattie Princ eton ac k r eakin thr o u h the , b , b g g Chic ago line f o r a clear gain i wit the all ei Walker Of St anfo rd r unn ng h b . W bel Of No t r e Dame ho t a fter him ’ Dan aulkins P rinc et o n s a le field ener al C , b g , sc o rmg first t o uchdo wn again st Yale in 1 926 game St an o rd- ali o rnia ame witnes sed b f C f g , y people The Ar my and Navy s t ruggling in the mud and r ain Of the 1 923 game at the Po lo gr o unds ” Red Gr ange ’ What s wro ng with Pr o fe s sio nal Fo o tb all ? McPhail Of Dar tmo uth aided b er ec t t er , y p f in er ence r i in Off a ai in H d f , pp g g n arvar ame 1 92 g , 6 Dixo n Of Califo rnia t ackled by flying Wa shing t on end F O O TBALL Today and Tomorrow F BALL DAY AND OOT , TO TOM ORROW CHAPTER I A FOOTBALL CLASSI C o T was not mere fo tball, that whirlwind finish Of Princeton against Chicago in the memo ~ l rable intersectional game Of 1 922 something more compelling and bloo dl stirring ; football m in drama exe plified the last mad, wild twelve minutes Of play which left the spectators limp c and voi eless . Chicago held a lead Of two touchdowns in the to final quarter and, the casual spectator, had the game sewed up tight . Then, like a bolt from c nl a the blue, Prin eton u eashed daring, insolent ' Offense into which enough spectacularly thrilling football for twenty games was packed . During the first period, the Tigers were weak driv in spots , brilliant at intervals , but lacking in bi ing power and a sus tained defense . The g Maroon backs battered and tore the Princeton Fo o tb a o a and o mo r r o w ll, T d y T The line to shreds . Easterners fought stub bornl y, but without avail. The first time Princeton had e ver played in the West, enthusiasm was at a high point when the team reached Chicago the day before the game . Alonzo Stagg, the Chicago coach, and o ne I Of the finest sportsmen have ever met , s greeted us at the tation, told us arrangements had , been made for our squad to practice at the Stadium that afternoon . The Princeton players r eflected the growing excitement in the game as they wandered over the excellent playing field; I have never seen — a better conditioned field almost as smooth as Of The the puttl ng green a golf course . boys were particularly enthusiastic about the springy turf. The backs said it was superb for running . Our courteous hosts informed us that every s eat had been sold in advance , that forty thou sand people would be crowded into the stands , with o ne hundred thousand clamoring for admit Sl r Yes , bemoaned the Chicago manager, I ’ could have sold seats . I ve never heard ” o f such a demand to see a football game . our Back at hotel, where many Of the visitors Fo o tb a o a and omor r o w ll, T d y T I m H John Tho as , with his brother arry, and P ott Jim y , ripped the Tiger line wide open and paraded sixty yards in the first quarter for a wn s . touchdo . They found our tackles ea y marks Swiftly Chicago struck at them again and — again in the second quarter and always with the for same result . Again they marched through a n SO —a touchdow . did Princeton long, beautiful pass followed by four thrusts at the line and one o f our backs tumbled over the goal line for o ur first blood . I rr c the third quarter, the Chi ago backs plo ughed and hammered their way through for a third touchdown. Still the Princeton team strove valiantly but in vain to turn back the Maroon tide which rolled against them . With the western sun slanted acro ss the 1 8 - 7 m the Stadium, and the score against the , Tigers were still fighting back, courageous as un n before, co vinced that defeat had overtaken t e re them, hop ing somehow, to break clear Of h lentleSs Chicago defense and retrieve the day as Princeton teams had done on many another field . n afi ord t o After all, Pri ceton could not well e lose to Chicago . This was list d as the last inter sectional game for some time and there w as at 6 . A Fo o tb all Classic our had obtained rooms, the Old colored waiter at table commented : “ ” ’ - Ah so Boss, he said, wide eyed, ain t seen ’ much excitement in Chicago Since COln l Roose ” velt brought his Progressive Party out here " As the time for the game approached, excite ment was at a fever heat yet for all that, the spirit Of friendship between the two teams and in their supporters was never lost . While the W ning Of the game w as a vital thing a spirit of friendly rivalry was manifested in the attitude o f o on the tw teams the field . Chicago was about to match brain and brawn with Princeton. The West would tourney with TO the East in a test Of skill and courage . every Princeton player this Invasion into a far country was an adventure colored with romance . The x game had no more than begun when we realized that o ur Princeton eleven had never battered itself against a forward line like Stagg’ s , t Maroon phalanx . It was massive and ye mobile . Against it the initial assaults Of our backs were t futile . We gamed very li tle ground while the powerful Maroon backs, when they swung into action, moved as one man, with the Princeton line reeling before them. A Fo o tb all Class ic stake the supremacy Of the East or West on the - white ribbed gridiron . This extraordinary Princeton team, which was never to know defeat and magnificent in the role o f undertak an underdog, felt no trepidation in I n - filter g the daring, hair raising plan Of attack o f Ing through the mind Johnny Gorman, the alert little quarterback . The fighting spirit Of the Tigers was superb . Every man was imbued with the idea Of doing no something for Princeton and t for self. This Spirit i s something I have always tried to I ncul cate and I honestly believe it has much to do with winmn b g foot all. Just that morning, at a coaches meeting, we i our dec ded to change lineup , substituting Charlie Caldwell for Harvey Emery at full back savm E and g mery for reserve work . I thought it fair to tell Emery and when I did he gave me an answer which I will never forget . “ i ” S I th nk you are right , he aid . I believe om Caldwell is the man to start . He has been g g ” much better than I have . This incident exempl ified the feeling Of every player and showed their willingness to sink one ’ s individuality for the good Of the team . It made little difference that day to any man who started ; - Fo o tb a o a and Tomo r r o w ll, T d y everyone was interested in w inning from Chi cago . s Up in the stand , we all knew, were a multi tude Of Princeton supporters, filling the aisles flow m like a swirling tide, g over the terraced r rows Of seats, crowding down to the field in thei determination to lend vocal and moral support to the Tigers . Gray-haired Princeton alumni With their families who had waited many years to see the Younger alumni settled in the great Open country who had travelled miles to see their alma mater trI umph over a powerful western e o f team. Mothers , fathers and sweeth arts the men down on the field caught up in the whirl — Of big game excitement . Unl on Mr. Gray, president Of the Pacific \ Off Railroad , had called a Board Of Directors meeting scheduled for that afternoon in Chicago see son in order to his , Howard, the Princeton SO end, play against a heralded Chicago team .