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Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
Newspaper Page Text
i HE xjnbay Bee. PART THSLtE H'ALF-TONE PAGES ITOI A PAPtK rOR THE KO OMAHA DEE tour MONrra worth Omaha '1 h ( - 4 ) VOL. XXXIX-NO. 19. OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 24, 1909. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS J a FOOT BALL AS A POPULAR SPECTACLE AND AS A GAME Crowds Who Gather in the Stands to Watch a Match Are Quite as Interesting in their Way as the Players in the Field and Furnish Quite as Much Amusement 1 t STAR TIM & A PXl Y JVJJ5XlSKl'S GJLtMPSr JIT Ttt E CrJZJIMD 3TJZMD o MAHA bu again proven Itself the real (porting center ol the west by the magnificent assemblage it turned out to greet the Gophers and Cornbnskers In tbelr annual battle at Vinton park last Saturday. Such a splendid crowd would be a credit to any city, even for a Thanksgiving day game, and yet the battle was played with the foot ball season but two weeks' old and on neutral grounds. For years Omaha has been recognized as the best base ball town In the west and the support which it has given the base ball team has been unstinted. It is now demonstrated that there are thousands of lovers of pure college sports who will support athletics which are known to be right. ' The crowd was several hundred stronger than that which greeted Nebraska and Ames a year , ago at Diets park, and the increase all came from Omaha, showing that Omaha people are beginning to be educated to high-class foot ball. Last year Ames brought over 600 students and this year but a small handful accompanied the Gophers. These 500 had to be made up from Omaha. Last year Lincoln sent up a larger delegation than "this year, for & harder contest was ex pected against the agriculturists, while It was thought to be a fore gone conclusion this year that the Gophers would win. So Omaha came to the front and not only made up for the 600 students whom Ames did not send over, but also for a considerable increase in the attendance. Reserve! seats were early all sold out, and this fact kept many away from the gnrae. as the Impression soon spread that there was limited room. As It was there was room to spare. Football is an entirely different game from what it was three or four years sgo, or since the ten-yard requirements were put in force. Durlng'the winter of 1903-06 it ws completely overhauled, cut to pieces an1 rebuilt into an entirely changed game, and although it is played this fall practically as last fall, it is far more suitable to the tastes of the thousands who witness the annual gridiron battles. Un der the old rules the ball was lost from sight in the scrlmages and the ordinary spectator had little chance to see what was going on. Now all is changed. The new rules make It necessary for the ball to change hands frequently and It moves with great rapidity and fre quency from one end of the field to the other. Teams can no longer hold the ball by gaining the required distance and every two minutes or so are compelled to kick. This throws both teams into open plays, whrVare in full view of all spectators, no matter In what section of thuSell they may be sitting or standing. From the spectator's point of view the most sensational features of the game last Saturday were the running and dodging stunts of Captain McGovern of the Gophers. This style of play would not have been used one-quarter as much under the old rules and the spec tators would have been deprived of the pleasure of seeing the doughty little quarterback run and dodge and squirm his way down the field, shaking off the red and white tacklers right and left. r !-:; -!w Vr'- -v v tA ,U. , . , . . ItA., ' .. .... .... .- ! i ii. ..... : ' v.; MOW THE M5T d IDE or who takes practically no exercise. It is a rough game, and to go through an afternoon of two gruelling halves a man must be trained to the highest pitch. The man who tries to play foot ball without good preliminary training is leadjng himself up to almost certain injury. In the game Saturday Johnston had his leg broken. He was the only player of the twenty four who took part in the game who was In any way lajured. although all fought to their utmost for seventy minutes of actual play. Johnston was the victim of circumstances and it is the Idea of physicians that his leg gave way as the result of the hard work to which he had been put in the Irst half. In the fore part of the game it was Johnston who received the ball after every kick which either Belzer or Franck made1, and he It was who was forced to take all the punishment from the hard throws to which he was subjected. Johnston, the records chow, was forced to make most of the runs with the ball from scrimmage, and Johnston was a tired man when that second ' i 1 i .''.-'' - . 11 ! . -A BE.TWEEM THE. rtALVE.& f mi' I l I MM.'" ' 1 l"Tl I III III 1 ' ' mm corn's REdERfcmcE half started. As a consequence when he sailed throueh the air and inree seasons or inai nave now oeen given 10 me rorwara pass, the Nebraska player seized him by the ankle there was not strength Ther was no wrangling with the officials. When these officials had once made a ruling there was no dispute and all the extra requirements on downs, the onside kick, the neutral aone enough left In his muscles to protect his bones and the bone snapped, took t for granted that the decision of the official was right, and other features of revised foot ball. It took two seasons to try This was a favorite theory of former President Jesse of the Unlver- But once was there any question. Captain Beltxer once out the new game, but last year most of the teams put the new stunts Into elocution and the results were so satisfactory that the commit tee ac$:gi:ei to the task of making the rules decided to .let well enoi gb alone and make no fundamental changes, the only changes praci-iKy being of a minor nature. The college lads who received ti eir coa lilng under the old rules have now practically all left their cg11?&c3 and universities and all now engaged in the great college tprt have been trained and coached exclusively under the new rules. Many changes were recommended at the last meeting of the rules eoxmlttee. but the committee wisely decided that as the game had been most popular in IS 08 it would be far better to let it go with few, if any, changes until all coaches and players were familiar with the requirements of the new game. Many wanted the qualifications and requirements for the forward pass changed, but this part was not changed. Those who were at Vinton Street park last Saturday were unable to notice any changes In the rules except when McGovern kicked his field goal and the scorer gave him credit for but three points instead of four, as last year. The rules of foot ball are not very complex sity or Missouri, it too often happens that the man who is injured Is the one who has been called upon to do the brunt of the work. Foot baU comes nearer to fulfilling the requirements of a college sport than any other game. Colleges are now working along ad vanced lines and most colleges require that a certain amount of ath letic exericse be indulged in each day by the students. No one game be eme pay, the head linesman getting just as much as the referee, has yet been fotfnd which will suit all. At Cornell the 6tudent is These four men cost the management over 1400 in their pay and questioned an interpretation of a rule and protested. The rule book was soon forthcoming, the captain was shown that he was wrong and nothing more was said about It To be sure. Manager Eager had provided excellent officials, men of reccgnixed ability. He had four men as officials, all of whom drew HL0N(r THE? WEST SiDEr permitted to select his own game. He may row or play foot ball, base ball, tennis, golf, field sports or walk. In most universities all classes now have their foot ball teams and intercalls matches are ar ranged by schedule. Thus at the larger universities hundreds of Students don the moleskins in the fall. There is no longer any doubt but that a student needs a certain ameunt of exercise and those who go through a season of training for the foot ball teams, the base ball teams, the crews or the trsek teams are better physical men at the end. A brilliant mind is of little value if a man has a broken constitution. A student who has worked on one of the many teams is not the one who becomes sick iru ciubc connnemeni to nis room; neither Is he the one who fails expenses, but they were worth it to the game, for that is what helps to make the big university games so high class. When a person pays a high price for a seat at 4 foot ball game he does not want his view of the game obstructed by a bunch of sub stitutes running up and down the slie Jine. Neither does he want the game interrupted by useless wrangling. Competent officials should be secured, and when they make a ruling there-should be no wrangling. If the captain wants to make a protest against a ruling he may, but the rules distinctly say that he is the one person to so do. ) What sn exhllerating sight it la to see a typical college crowd at one of these-great foot ball games? How different is the crowd which turns out for ordinary sports? Here the band plays and leads The yell masters, with their mega- Cornhusker-Gopher game had been played in Omaha on Thanksgiving day there would surely have been a record-breaking crowd. Lincoln made the mistake by sending out bear stories about its team. There is no reason why Minnesota would always win from Nebraska. The Comhuskers have just as good a coach as have the Gophers and Ne braska brain and brawn is just as good as that from Minnesota. Ne braska was apparently lacking in substitutes Saturday, for the reg ulars played Just as well as did the Gophers tn the first half. It la ft mistake to be afraid to change men during a game. When m man Is Injured and all in he should be taken from the game. Those sub stitutes along the side lines were aching to get Into the fray. They were full of ginger and any one of them might have been able, while fresh, to get away with the sprint which would have changed the tide of battle. Tale showed the value of substitutes on the tame day, when twenty-three men were used to. beat West Point. Omaha will have more games to watch this fall, for Nebraska may return for a game Thanksgiving day; At any rate. Creichton and ana a casual observer attending ma Brst game will soon get onto the la his studies, for statistics show that some of the w .fhi-.. t. w.. , .v., general run of play The only complications, are the onside require- the various universities have stood at the head of their classes; nor phones, lead in the yelling, and so time their efforts that the entire th Omaha High school will have garnet and the lovers of the great menu especially in the rules governing a forward pass. l, the average below that of the average student, but . rather far section of the stands Joins in one united college yell. Colors and Prt ,n mh ave many more chances to turn out and exer- iu.vruu.ui iu.u. "- uimrm w m. were SDOVO. It takes S bright fellow to Dlav fnot h.ll .. It v. .. . ..j w u .w v .v rta tfcplr l.itir. . .wu,u yuuatui uj uu mn Biura iuu uu5 iui ; ao.ii iiicui tiUii euuw l u e proper played. What person who saw McGovern handling his team with colors. The college lad in the exhuberance of youth cannot see any- ball is a great game, not only because of the physical and such a clear brain, and knew lust what to do all thm of a chap? He xertioo mar not be exactly right, for cheer after cheer were given 11 uppliea the lack of rigid discipline for which the youth of this fit were In changing the value of the three varieties of goals from the field. v Many years ago these were worth five points. They were then change! to four points and bow drop kick goals from the field, goals for a minute that he was not the brightest kind , -".u. u iu-ceiueui. necessarily Had to think as fast as a flash. He did not have time to behind the lins of scrimmage count for but three points. wait and think over what he w , going to do after he caught one of i Change or no change, the old collegia who witnessed the game Belxer's long punts. He had to think on the instant. In fact he I lMt Strdy was able to enthuse Just as much aa la the bygone days had almost to make up his mind in advance as to which wsy he was Iwhen he attended college. There is now more chance for Individual to run. spectacular play to draw forth applause from the gathered thousands. Crelghton university and the Omaha High school teams witnessed I for as the rules make the came mon ami an indlvidnal mora tf ma th. . c..- . - i ... . . I - vutj uuiu csa a cnance to see a game run as - ! ; un"" "P0" 9wm resources as to wnst tt should be run. There were so many features apparent that were ... .. . e.-""- tuu uj ucm scuoots insi tu enumeration ; There Is no doubt but what foot ball la a most strenuous game, of a few might assist tn teaching a lesson In the great college game 4 ?" V ' " ' U"enled t0 - yoth who haa practiced on la the first place, spectator, on all parts of the field could see every N Ike foot ball field all afternoon is not In a humor to go forth la the play because there was not a maa except the four officials and the evening to do some deviltry In violation of the Tillage lawa. It gives linesmen allowed to stand on t. fl.i.i t. ..,.,! j hundreds of students a good chance to work off their animal spirits seated along the aide lines and were most careful about getUna: be- Missouri 1 and keep thera out of mischief. Foot ball 1. not a game to be played tween the spectators and the field of play laltfew Saturday afternoon by soma clerk la aa offica who U not la training. Another featura of most game, was also aotlcaable by Its abseaca. than r Johnston when he was hurt last Saturday, and the good runs of Mc Govern were cheered, but the lad was soon rooting for Beltxer to boot the ball or for Bentley to circle the ends. Staid Omaha business men were to be seen in the stands, forget ting their business troubles as they watched the game, or what was just as interesting the college lads whoop snd yell. Omaha welcomes the University of Nebraska and the citizens f country lack in comparison with other countries. The rigid training of a foot ball season not only establishes self-control for those who play, but it alsq holds up a standard of d eclpline for those who watch the players on the gridiron. The game Involves personal con tact physically with an opponent, and thus always will be a most strenuous sport, appealing at all times to strong, healthy boys and young men. The sport must serve some good purpose to survive all There were so many features apparent that were this city hope that the athletic managers will see their way clear to be adverse legislation to which it has been subjected for centuries. give Omaha one cr more of these great annual games each year. Omaha promises to do its part in the way of crowds and all that it wants Is a ohance to show that it has true sporting blood and wiU support pure sports. Kansas City has made a great reputation for itself by the way It supports the annual game between Kansas and on Thanksgiving day. and yet IV has only been within the years that Kansas City has turned out any larger crowds greatod the Gophers and Comhuskers last Saturday. If the For this reason instead of talking abandonment of the game, those who have the welfare of the sport at heart strive to provide rules which will make It meet with popular favor without taking away Its sterling qualities. Omaha haa several more good games promised for this year aad the promise of the management of the University of Nebraska for one of Its big games next fall. The patronage of the game lasuraa the best to be had La the future.