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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (Sept. 30, 1897)
do more than double duty, a_half-dis- abled captain was forced into play when he should have had a chance to recu- perate, and even ordinary matches be- came dreaded bugbears, as a result of allowing the material to become cen- tered in too few men. When Dr. Hartwell-came up, the first of November, he found a disorganized team with a very flimsy backing of material, and not enough toughened and willing second eleven men to fill the breaches if the needed rest were given to University men. This year the coach will find an even greater paucity of men and a much shorter season than last year before a vital match. The Harvard game comes on the 13th of November, and it is hard to see how Yale, even with the greatest efforts of her most willing coaches, can make up for the steady diminution of promising men that has been going on for three years. Fortunately the new material is more promising and gives hope that if properly handled it may provide for the future. “THE PLAIN FACTS. To place before Yale men who are looking forward to the Harvard and Princeton games with the usual inten- sity of interest, the plain bald facts of the situation, is simple. Yale was overwhelmingly defeated by Princeton last year. For the first time it became the humiliating experience of Yale men to be actually sorry for.their team, to lose, long before the end of the game, anything like hope of victory in a be- numbing sense of pity for the hope- lessly outclassed eleven who were strug- gling to prevent total annihilation. This year we renew football relations with our old friends and rivals, Har- vard. There is never a time when we do not zealously desire to win, and yet it seems as though this were the espe- cial occasion when we wish to put a strong team in the field, because we wish to retrieve the defeat of last season by Princeton and begin a new page of football records with Harvard by a vic- tory. To have a chance of these desires being consummated, means the most devoted work of the entire University and the alumni. , Yale’s needs are imperative and there are many who are ready to help. But a pell-mell rush of candidates, odd weeks here and there of numbers of coaches—these cannot do it all. Yale must once more be governed by a sys- tem—some system—one might almost say any system, so long as it is a sys- tem and a stable one—before she can begin to retrieve her losses. Plans that are well-laid but last only for two or three weeks and then give way to new plans of similar duration, discourage candidates, befuddle their senses and leave them, in time of emergency, at the mercy of the ruthless one-two-three of method. When a man goes into a big match he must have learned to do many things almost mechanically, in order that his wits may be exercised in other ways than in trying to remember where he ought to be in the play and what he is expected to do. THE YALE COACH. .At this writing there is great hope that Mr. Butterworth, one of the best coaches and most dashing of players that Yale has ever had, may be induced to take the charge of the team for the entire season. The only possible sal- vation of Yale’s football interests lies in that line. Sporadic attempts by one man and another for short periods of two or three weeks and no set plan laid down and followed throughout a season, has been for the last three years Ssapping the very life of what has been in the past a wonderful football school. Last year Dr. Hartwell, who stands at the very top of coaches in knowledge and ability, took the team for the last three weeks of the season. But even his ability was so handicapped by the general deterioration and the lack of system that had prevailed, that he must many times, in looking over his men, have felt almost a despair of getting satisfactory results in the short time allowed him. A revolution in method is the only hope, and still more is the only chance, not only for anything like respectable play this year, but for any results in future years. Nothing less than a return to steadfastness of pur- pose and design can avail anything, no matter what the material, and with such a return even mediocre material may be so brought up as to furnish a nucleus for something like the old successes. WALTER CAMP. bp. gh ee SS = ALUMNI BRIGHT PROSPECTS, Harvard’s Football Season Opens Well. Cambridge, Sept. 28.—Although Har- vard will not open her doors to the students until the middle of this week, the football instructors have been hold- ing two sessions daily on the Soldiers’ Field gridiron. In response to the preliminary call for candidates, thirty- four men presented themselves to Cap- tain Cabot for the first day’s practice on Monday of last week. This number has since increased to fifty, and when Cap- tain Cabot gets an opportunity to look over the men in the entering classes other available candidates will be added to the squad. As usual, Harvard will open the sea- son with the brightest prospects. Her team of veterans—heavier and more experienced than a year ago—is already *talked of as likely to prove a famous eleven, and certain it is that the con- ditions seem to favor the Crimson. But first the coaches. This list of head coaches in Rugby at Harvard during the past four years includes W. A. Stewart, Dr. Brooks, Lorin F. Deland, Robt. W. Emmons, 2d, and B. G. Waters. This season Cameron Forbes has been added to the number. Mr. Forbes has not been prominently identified with the devel- oping of University elevens at Harvard, but he has been in close touch with the Harvard football world of late years and has coached several of the class elevens successfully. He is said to be an excellent organizer and well capable of directing the campaign against Yale this Fall. His assistants will include the more prominent of the recent play- ers. Already ex-Captains Waters and Emmons, W. H. Lewis and Joshua Crane have helped in the work and Dr. Brooks has also taken a look at the material. Trainer Lathrop will again have charge of the physical condition of the players, and it is understood that he will have more authority in this mat- ter than last year. The handicav of poor physical condition, from which Harvard teams have suffered in their big games, has awakened the authori- ties to a realization that greater pre- cautions against injury or overtraining must be taken. , The system of developing the team will be changed in one important par- ticular. Whereas it has been the cus- tom here of late years to constantly change the composition of the eleven, giving a large number of men an opportunity to show their ability and determining upon the final make-up of the eleven only a short interval be- fore the important games, this year the policy is to pick the first eleven at the start and to make changes only when some player on the second eleven shows superiority entitling him to replace one of the players on the University. The unusually favorable conditions this Fall make the plan feasible. The men who have been chosen for the team are, with two exceptions, vet- erans in their positions. The list and their weights are as follows: Name and position Weight. Capt. Norman W. Cabot, ’08, 1. e. 167 Sie Was Wheeler, M:i'S.) deta A 222, George W. Bouve, ’08, I. g....... 214 Ait. Dotcette,.Li..9.,:Chwiaeess 218 Netto Shaw, °O8/ 1s @.455.05.54 203% Malcolm Donald, ’99, r..t........ 18214 Jonn Moulton: 08,0 8: Guat. 173 F449, “Cochrane, 00,0. BD. 444 643 152 R. W. P. Brown, ’08, r. h. b..... 150% Jo As Sullivan, L$. 1h. bias 401856 Percy D. Haughton, ’99, f. b..... 185% Four of the members of last year’s team are missing from the list. These ate: F. Shaw, center, Dunlop and Cap- tain Wrightington, half-backs, and Beale, quarter-back. But, with the ex- ception of quarter-back, there are ex- cellent men who participated in impor- tant games last season to step into the vacant places. THE HEAVY LINE. The strength of the eleven promises to be in its forwards. Harvard has a line which in weight and experience will compare favorably with the splen- did line that Princeton presented last season. At center, Doucette has divi- ded honors with Frank Shaw for two years and knows his duties well. He has 218 pounds to help him in a push. Norton Shaw at one guard has played for three years and weighs over 200, while Bouve on the left of center tips WW HEKRLY the scales at 215 pounds and has had two years’ practice on the _ second eleven. Donald, right tackle, made the University eleven in his Freshman year and Wheeler at right tackle has played more or less on the University for two years, although incapacitated early last Fall by an injured knee. He is the heaviest man on the team, weighing 222% pounds. Captain Cabot and Moulton on the ends are both heavy men for the outside positions and played in the same places last year. Such an array of veteran forwards has seldom gratified a Harvard captain at the opening of the season. The list of substitutes for positions in the line in- cludes not a few experienced men, among them Lee and Swain, who played the tackle positions against Princeton last November. _ Behind the line the material is rather light and this fact has induced Coach _ Forbes to try Haughton, who has for- merly played one of the tackle posi- tions, in the _ full-back’s position. Haughton, as first base on the ball nine, showed a good deal of life, and it is hoped that his weight may be utilized for bucking the line. Brown, who played full-back last sea- son, and Sullivan, who was Captain Wrightington’s understudy, should make an excellent pair of half-backs, although the former’s speed is limited. Cochrane, the present favorite for quar- ter-back, is unusually light, but active - and generally accurate in his passing. With so much beef in the middle of the line, Harvard can well afford to play a light quarter this year, if only one with sufficient quickness can be secured. THE SUBSTITUTES. The names and weights of the men who have been chosen as substitutes for the line men and those who have learned the University formations and signals are: Lewis, right end, 162%4; Lee, right tackle, 18214; Burden, center, 199%; Swain, left tackle, 177; Richardson, left end, 143%. The substitutes behind the line are: Dibblee, 155; Cozzens, 161; Livermore, 149; Wadsworth (quarter), 159; and full-back, Sawin, 155%. Knox, 151, and Brine, 145, are also in the race for these places. The substitute guards are not yet settled. The first game of the season will be with Williams at Soldiers’ October 2d. The rest of the schedule is as follows: October 6. Bowdoin at ‘Cambridge. October 9. Dartmouth at’ Cam- bridge. October 13. Amherst at Cambridge. October 16. West Point at West Point. October 20. bridge. October 23. Brown at Cambridge. October 30. Cornell at Cambridge. November 3. Boston A. A. at Cam- bridge. November 13. Yale at Cambridge. November 20. Pennsylvania at Phil- adelphia. Newton A. A. at Cam- J. Weston ALLEN. Field on — HATS, TOO. When furnishings are from Chase & Co. they are generally counted, - ipso facto, O. K. The same reputation we are confi- dent will attach to our =HATS= We don’t talk much of bargains, but we beg to observe that the CHASE Hat at four dollars is good value. We know about hats, and what they cost. Nothing better than this hat is made in America. That’s a fact. Very choice English hats, too. Drop in on—drop a line to— CHASE & CO., - NEW HAVEN HOUSE BLOCK. Practice at Princeton. (Correspondence of THE WEEKLY.) Princeton, Sept. 25, 1897—-The Uni- versity team lined up for the first time this season this afternoon. The work of the past week has been mainly in the line of light practice, such as falling on the ball, catching and tackling. The scrub and University lined up, however, this afternoon and played two fifteen minutes halves. The scrub team is not as strong as that of last year, but the University showed excellent form. About fifty men responded to the call for candidates, and from these Captain Cochran selected the following as the preliminary Princeton eleven: Lathrop, l-e3 Holst: Edwards, 1. 2: Boot ec Crowdis. rf: dillebrand, 2 £; Cochran. 25> - q. b.; ~ Kelly, ru. b.* Bannard, { and Wheeler, {f. b.. During the practice, Burke and Palmer were both tried at quarter- back, Ayres at full, and Reiter and Reed as halves. Reiter has so far shown the best form back of the line, while Holt’s work in the line gives evidence of equalling that of Church. The line is chiefly remark- able for its weight. Booth and Lathrop will probably retain their places while Edwards will give way to Armstrong, last year’s guard. The quarter-back question is quite a serious one, but it is more than likely that Baird will play the position, surrendering his place at full-back to either Ayres or Wheeler. Bannard is not up to his form at this time last year. The men are being coached by Mr. Moffatt, ’84, George, Church, 8&8, Wheeler, John Poe, and Captain Coch- ran. Moffatt holds the position of head coach, as he did last year. The first game will be against Lehigh next Sat- urday. The men will be taken to the training table on Wednesday. oe, Ca: About a Yale Paper_u It is the aim of the Yale Weekly to give the news and the views of all Yale—to tell about it, to illustrate it, to comment on it, and to co-operate with all who are working for it. It seeks to cover the entire field, Graduate and Undergraduate, Academic, Scientific and Professional. With the co-operation of Yale men everywhere, it has succeeded in so far commending itself to its constituency as to be able to say now that it comes under.the eye of a majority of the entire Yale family. Tf you are a graduate and are not familiar with the paper, you are asked to give it a trial. Undergraduates are reading it more and more each year as a supplement to their regular journals. | The subscription price is $2.50 per year. The office is at Room 6, White Hall. -The post office address is Yale Alumni Weekly, New Haven, Conn.
