Evening Star Newspaper, November 23, 1930, Page 83

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, NOVEMBER 23, 1930. ‘Gil Dobie on East Against #est in Foot Ball How Cornell’s Pessimistic Philosopher vf the Gridiron Looks on the Rising Popularity of Intersectional Games, and the Moot Question of Which Part of the Country “Produces Best Teams. BY GILMOUR DOBIE, In Collaboration With Harold E. Jansen. NCREASING prominence of intersec- tional foot ball games has given rise to gossip, debates and friendly con- "= troversies to add to the other stirring questions of All-American players, proselyting, sportsmanship, and alumni slush funds. The question waxes hotter every year among followers of foot ball as to whether the South has as good teams as the North, whether the Eastern teams are as formidable as the mem- bers of the Big Ten, and if the Southern Con- ference teams are as high caliber as those in the Pacific Coast Conference. But the greatest controversy evolves on whether the East turns out stronger elevens than the West. For foot ball has become largely Intersectional since the World War. And col- lege athletic associations have found that the public parts with its hard-earned dollars for admissions to intersectional games in a way that is unequaled by others, except in cases of traditional rivals. « Even the more conservative universities are allowing their teams to go on long trips. has been argued that extended journeys foot ball and sport in general take on an of being more prominent in a player's than his education; that he misses impor- t classes and it is difficult for him to catch in his studies. It is also claimed that long rides, and often a considerable change in climatic conditions, are a distinct disadvantage to the visiting team. Nevertheless, colleges go * on arranging intersec¥®mal gridiron struggles in increasing numbers, as long as the public - demands them, it is likely they will. © Many schools, however, are declining post- games. Maj. Gen. W. R. Smith, super- intendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, announced after the disastrous trip of Army to Stanford last season that it would not participate in any more post-season - games8 because they interfere with academic ‘work. While this has been the attitude of other , very few of them turn down an op- to participate in the Tournament or other East-West extra-schedule struggle, because the players—and the univer- e band, too—are usually partial to such a and the good times and change in atmos- connected with it. And the athletic as- sociations are not shying away from their share of the gate receipts. Onuxefweoffluresulhofhst-wmool- legiate foot ball contests over a period of Never was this supremacy more - marked than last year. Throughout the season Notre Dame and Georgia Tech have the dis- tinction of being the only elevens east of the Mississippi River to beat a California team, and thus be able to lay claim to a national cham- pionship. Many times these questions have been asked me: Are Western teams stronger than those of the East? 1If so, why? Do they have better material? Better coaches? Is the climate more eonducive to turning out bigger, better and more experienced men? My opinion is that the West has placed stronger teams on the gridiron in the last 10 years than the East. The latter has just as good men—big, brainy and egperienced—who enter college with enviable high school and prep school records as the West. A city lad has just as good an opportunity, and probably better, to make a foot ball team than a youth who has been brought up on a * farm or ranch, or one who has come from a small town. For, whereas the farmer lad or the overly large youth may have weight, brawn and stamina, he may not have the foot ball playing experience with its essential require- ments of speed, agility and mental alertnéss, that his city friend has acquired under the tutelage of a coach who is probably more capa< ble and who has arranged games with stronger teams. If the Eastern colleges have just as good ma- terial, why don’t they win a fair percentage of the games? is the logical question. Undoubt- “edly they do, if one considers the Mississippi River as the dividing line between the East and the West. But if you consider the Pacific “Coast against the States along the North At- lantic seaboard, the story is entirely different. WIBTEBN institutions of learning are largely & State universities, and a large percentage of the students of the State enroll in them be- -eause, for one reason, they can obtain free tuition. California, the second largest State in the country, has three prominent universities that have won their spurs and renown for turning out great foot ball teams. Stanford is the only one of these that is not a State insti- tution. State-controlled university in the West logical place for the student, for it is y the best in the State. A lad by the he reaches high school thinks of little but of going to “State,” the same as his and mother perhaps did, for it probably one of the first universiites in the State. the East, however, the privately-operated endowed colleges were the first to rise, and is a far greater variety of schools, most f charging substantial tuition. Whereas the old conservative Eastern colleges hasten to tighten their entrance requirements and limit their enroliment if the latter is increasing too rapidly, the State university and the State leg- islators would immediately hear from the tax- payers if they attempted to do these things. Although some universities with a large num- ber of students turn out only mediocre teams, it is generally conceded that the greater the material and interest in the sport, the better the team. The alumni or tixe athletic associa~ tion are not forced to go out and offer induce- ments to athletes to get them to enter the school. In the New England or North Atlantic States there are colleges dotted here and there over the landscape, there sometimes being sev- eral in one city or spread out through the 8 within a radius of 50 miles or so of each . They all strive desperately to turn out a team, for probably no sport and perspiring athlete make himself athlete ability and is not afraid ter he tennis, basket which keep one many athletes for they lie idle Another chance of making the seize the opportunity to play aggregation. There’s many a good foot man to be found on the soccer, tennis, lacrosse, Gil Dobie’s wide experience in- cludes three years _@s quarterback and end at Min- nesota, four years as assistant coach there and 24 years as head coach at North Dakota Ag- ricultural, Univer- sity of Washing- ton, Navy and Cor- nell. has had previous training, and can, rather than go in for There are always interclass, in intercollege basket ball, bowling, other sports to attract those who are enough to play on the major teams wish to play for the fun and physical of the game rather than the honor. memummmmm team has had to face in the annual East- West intersectional clashes is that of radical change in climate. Noteunenneonefm-_ the mountains of the East or from the Northern seacoast cities, in the cold weather of Deceme ber that may be down to freezing, to the warm and sunny climes of the seacoast towns of California and display foot ball generalship and flash that is up to its standard. Nor can a that is accustomed to play in a relatively altitude readily adapt itself to playing warm, muggy seacoast atmosphere. There have been many reports during past few years of the effect of weather and climatic conditions, particularly that of heat rather than cold or rain, on teams engaged in intersectional clashes. Mal Stevens’ Yale Bull- dogs, who had a much better season last year than in 1928, winning from Princeton, Vermont, Brown, Army and Dartmouth, and losing to Harvard, 10 to 6, went down to defeat on October 12 at Athens, Ga., before the onslaught of the University of Georgia eleven. The Georgians auspiciously opened their new stadium on this occasion with a 15 over the Northern invaders. And reasons why the Southerners, who little Oglethorpe the week pre were able to conquer Yale is accustomed to the balmy was & bit more torrid than the that prevailed at New Haven, north. Western teams likewise have the radical change in climate on the East and South. But it is much a team to display its worth in a cooler than in a warmer one. The chilling air, a fall of snow perhaps, and a temperature that is around freezing is much more conducive to gressive foot ball playing than a sweltering which shoots down on the players burdened with shoulder pads, knee pads, headgear, ete. ANO’I'BER example of the drastic change in climate and temperature was when the University of Oregon eleven from the moune December for a game with the University of Florida on Christmas Day. The balmy Florids temperatures so bothered the Westerners in the last half of the game that most of them played minus their jerseys. Toward the late part of the afternoon a cooling breeze came in from the ocean and made it possible for the Web- foots to push over a touchdown and stave off a shutout. The game ended 20 to 6. The Oregon team was tied with California, Southern California, and Stanford for the Pacific Coast title last year, and there is every reason to bee lieve that it would have made a much better match for the Gators if it had been playing under climatic conditions similar to those on its own fleld. Florida had a pretty fair team, every one admits, but it fell before Harvard, 14 to 0, at Cambridge well along in the season, and the Crimson did not have to extend itself either. Possibly the same handicap that bothe ered Oregon in Miami was somewhat of a buge bear for the Gators on their Northern invasion. In the New Year Day game in California the Eastern or Northern university also has the hlndlupofhavln;hkeepinh\lnm;tcu whole month after the close of the season, under adverse weather conditions. On his home gridiron there may be several inches of snow, requiring indoor practice, or it may be so cold that a player's fingers get numb from trying to hang onto the ball. After three or four weeks’ let-up in practice, to travel to a place where the thermometer is likely to rege ::r:oorlode:reuhlgher.hnmhm-