Evening Star Newspaper, November 30, 1930, Page 93

- ALL-AMERICA TEAMS #: BUNK! < Says Gil Dobie 1930. #w Trying to Choose a Super-Eleven From All the Gridiron Stars of Foot Ball Just a Lot of Ball lyhoo, Insists *“Gloomy Gil”’ of C'anéll, as He Points Out the ' Injustice of Plan. dibie Booth, Yale backfield star, was not named on some first-string teams dast year, despite his outstanding play, because he sustained injuries which him out of the Princeton and Har- gasd games. As Told to HAROLD E. JANSEN, HE story was once told me of the much - sought - after campus queen ' who promised that she’d marry the first foot ball man that made the All- 2 America. . Whereupon the gridiron gladiators fought so Waliantly for their alma mater and sweet #deline that four of them were chosen on warious first-string teams picked by eritics. # first sounds, for it has often happened that #&wo, three and four All-America players 1 ape university are picked by sports writers gogle season. If a player isn’t enough to land on the first team chosen &ports staff of the New York Telepathy Mt least be given mention on the second @ood of the Chicago Cyclops, who 'has been him a break in the news all season as a product of the Windy City who is an gmtstanding success in Eastern foot ball, 11 men chosen are without & doubt the “ ones who have been given the most ballyhoo. X & player is popular, a consistent ground #ainer, a stalwart on the offense and defense, mnd, above all, has his college paper, the daily papers in the city where the college is located, &he university publicity agent and the press porrespondents all pushing him to the fore in ghe news, he is bound to be one of those out in the front in the choice for an All-America berth. Many a tomato has been made to look Bike a peach through the pressure of publicity. @nd it's just as possible that as formidable a feam as an All-America could be chosen from among the boys who land on the second and third teams or who don't even land at all, but “at sea” most of the time as to what this ¢to heaven, but from Kennebunkport, Me., to Walla Walla, Wash. ¥oot ball is essentially a game that requires teamwork, co-ordination and good will on the part of every player to do his best. When it is the fourth down and five yards are needed, it is most important to have a man you can de- pend on to send through the line for the first down. But what of the other boys who are right in front of him with interference in that run, and the linesmen who opened up a hole for him to get through? They all deserve a share of the applause. We have had our All-America icemen, All- America janitors, All-America marriages (per= haps followed by a “resignation” from the uni- versity), All - America “through - collegs - on = nothing-a-year-men” and everything else in the way of a story that an enterprising newspaper man could discover or concoct. It is usually the players from the bigger schools that get the most favorable publicity, for they play on the more formidable teame and probably meet stronger opponents, and no matter if a brilliant foot ball man is playing a whale of a game in a smaller college, if that school isn't meeting worthy opponents he has slight chance to be an All-America selection. Two seasons ago Carroll, University of Wash- ington fullback and leading scorer of the Pacific Coast, was considered the greatest all- round player in the game, but he didn’t make the first All-America for the reason that the team he played on was one of the weakest in the history of the university. It is not im- possible that Carroll was as good a player as the one chosen in his position on the All- America, but it's the old story—he - wasn't playing on a winning team, Mm:loodtootbanmsnhubeeneuml- nated from All-America consideration be- cause of injuries that kept him out of a couple or so games. Lassman of New York University, Marsters of Dartmouth, Nagurski of Minnesota and Hume of Southern Methodist were all great players a couple of seasons ago, but they failed to make the All-America because they didn’t play in all the games of the season. Last year Marsters again ran into the same tough luck. He performed brilliantly against Columbia, Har- vard and Yale, but injuries received in the latter game kept him out ef the line-up for the re- mainder of the season. Even though he did not complete the season, he ran up a total of 108 points to stand fourth in the country last year, But no All-America selection for him. Booth likewise was not named on some first- string teams., While all critics and coaches admitted the ¥ale sophomore was a dazzling performer—in running, passing, kicking and cool poise—injuries restrained him from playing against Princeton, and a “charleyhorse” laid him low in the Harvard contest. Tim Moy- nihan, Notre Dame center, broke his leg. These injuries tended to detract from the playing record these men made during the season. There were many other stellar players throughout the country worthy of All-America consideration, Miller of St. Mary’s, who scored 131 points last season to eclipse all other play- ers in the country; Gene McEver, Tennessee’s swarthy halfback, who garnered second place with 129 markers, and Hinkle, Bucknell full- back, who ran up 128 points, might be cited as examples, There were also Dick Gentle, Penn balfback, who ran 101 yards for a touchdown Tim Moynihan, center for Notre Dame last season, was one of the men whose ing in some ofthe games. playing record suffered because of an accident which kept him from participat- S Who will be picked for all-America. honors this year? "It appears cer. tain they will be players on large college teams that have won many games — players t h e * sports writers have glo- rified. Gilmore Dobie, Cornell's famous foot ball mentor, thinks it may be possible to. pick sectional teams with some accu- racy, but not an all-America. in one game; Fesler of Ohio State; Dowley and Hart of Colgate, backs; Heinicke, Stanford center; Barrager, guard on the University of Southern California team, and Cordovano, Georgetown tackle. It may be possible to pick an All-Eastern team, and All-Big Ten team, an All-Southern Conference eleven and others that are sectional with a fair degree of accuracy, but when it comes to All-America choices, some first-string men are sure to be left out. S0 while the critic often ponders pessimisti- cally and seriously scratches his head in order to' locate any material worthy of landing on his own conception of a super All-America team, he really should bury his “ego” and view the situation through clear glasses. There is bound to be a dearth of material in the 500 or more colleges and universities that are repre- sented by foot ball teams each season, ‘The power of ballyhoo may make a few foot ball men greater, but it has a tendency to make many of them light-headed. One All- America man was so proud of his marriage that he posed for the tabloids while scrubbing pots and pans in the kitchen with his wife to show how domesticated he had become, ; G one’s own horn” is frowned upon 3 in sportsmanship, and there is no reason why excessive “verbal splurging” about a foot ball player should not merit equal disapproval in the eyes of the public, for many a conquer- ing hero turned out to be a dud when he came up against some real competition. A smooth-working machine doesn’t function be- cause oil is applied to cne cog instead of eleven, Neither will it aid a human foot ball machine to maintain a high standard of effi clency with one or two men getting all the credit. It may not do harm to advertise the playing of a team, but too many bouquets thrown at one man occasionally lead to a team’s funeral, More than one player who has been picked on an All-America team has slumped the fole lowing season by being unable to carry out what was expected of him when he was supe ported by only a mediocre team. We have to credit the late Walter Camp with Being the originator of this most intriguing and fascinating indoor amusement of picking. Alle America teams, But since this old New England custom was originated, sports writers have dise covered that this choosing of an All-America is' a fickle game and either brands you as & brainless nincompoop who doesn’t know what he is talking about or an Edisonian wizard who ;an t;ebl.l;y ll'nenul telepathy who the eleven best oot players, in their respective are in America. . Mr. Camp had a fairly easy time of it when Continued on Fifteenth Page