Up-to-Date News and Gossip of Interest to Sport Fans
Gridiron Stars
After Cage Jobs
at Nebraska
Lewellop and Dewitz Among
Squad uf 50 Working Out
for Dusker Basket
Ball Team.
Lincoln. Neb., Dec. 23.—a con
tender for basket ball honors in the
Missouri Valley conference, Nebras
Ua university undoubtedly will have
to be seriously reckoned with this
year.
The Cornhusker squad is being de
veloped from a squad of 50 men. Of
tills number, six are letter men from
the 1922 squad, and the rest last
year's varsity aspirants or members
of the 1922 freshman team.
Letter men reporting daily for
practice include Capt. Glen Warren,
center; C. Tipton and P. Tipton, for
wards, and Kohl, Russell and Riddles
herger, guards. While these men aie
considered topnotch performers and
calculated to make a strong bid for
regular positions on the team this
season, some of them will find compe
tition strong among the other uspir
ants.
Lewellen a t ager.
Among the outstanding new men
are Lewellen, captain elect of the
Cornhqsker football team, who plays
a guard position In husket ball, and
Holland, former captain and forward
of thi^ Lincoln High school team
which won the Nebrasku-Colorado
championship In 1920. They were out
ctf the game the major part of last
season wllh injuries, but promise to
make a lively bid for positions this
season. Freshmen players of last
year who also promise competition
are Bixby. Ooodson, Cozier, K. De
witz. H. Dewitz, Klepsor, Usher, Pet
ty, Voltz, M. Tipton and Lunner. The
Dewitz brothers are members of the
footbull squad.
Usher and Klepser, the smallest j
men o4 the squad, both forwards. j
show plenty of speed und basket
throwing ability. These dlniinlutive ;
cagesters played together for a num
ber of years with amateur teams in
Omaha.
Dewitz a Guard Prospect.
Goodson is a promising center. He !
Is a former Lincoln High school cen
ter and captain. Cozier, H. Dewitz,
Bixby. Petty, Voltz and M. Tipt6n
are prospects for guard positions.
The lust named was a member of the
Tabor (la.) High school team of two
years ago, runnerup for the state
championship of Iowa. He is a guard
of exceptional ability, playing that
position almost on a pur with his
brother, Paul, a Cornhusker letter
man. a forward.
Iowa Drilling
for Cage Opener
Iowa City, la , Dec. 23.—Cutting his
squad to Ifi men In order that ho may
have more time for Individual work,
Coach Bam Barry uf the University of
Ipwa is fast rounding his varsity in
to condition for the opening of (lie
“Big Ten" basket hall race early in
January. Coach Barry had 35 men on
the squad at the beginning of prac
tice.
With Captain Wayland Hicks.'
Brooklyn, la., and Boh Burgitt, Spen
cer, la., regulars on last year's quin
tet as the foundation upon which to
build his first team. Coach Barry has
selected two teams which appear even
ly matched. The final selection of
the varsity will nut he made until af
ter the holidays.
On the two teams picked thus far
are Captain Hicks and Jack Funk,
Fort Dodge, at guards; 1 lector Janse,
LuVfrne. la., and James Latlde Mon
tlcello. at forwards, and Bob Burgitt
af center, forming the so-called var
sity. Dick MeUovney, Iowa City, and
Paul Barton, Fort Dodge, at forwards.
Clarence Duhm, Sterling, 111., and Kd
ward Voltnier, Sigourney, at guards,
ami Ted Swanson, Cedar Rapids, la.,
at center, moke up the other team.
Prpspocts appear bright for a good
team this year. While Couch Barry s
basket hall methods have yet to be
tested here. University of Iowa bas
ket hall funs believe the record by
made while at Knox college indicated
his ability as a coach. The games
will be played again this season In the
new armory, where 5,900 spectators
can be accomodated.
Waco Wins State Title.
Fort Worth, Te;:.. Deo. 23.—Abilene
High school yesterday lost the state
high school football championship to
Waco in a hard-fought game that
ended with the score. 13 to 10. in fa
vor of the*Waco team.
Boody Johnson was unquestionably
the star of the game for Waco. He
scored all of the points made by his
tsain—one touchdown, one goal from
touchdown, and two droplocks that
snatched victory from defeat in the
last period. One was from the 17
ygrd line and the other from the 37
ygrd line.
Hit in Eye by Golf
Hull, He Asks $5,000
Syracuse, N. Y.. Dec. 33.—Is a
municipal gulf course a nuisance?
VYUliam Kelly of this city, hit
in the right eye by a flying gulf
hall while he was crossing Burnet
park on his way home from work,
avers that it is.
tin this basis lie depiands $5,000
damages from the city of Kycarusc.
Duffy Lewis
Busy Trader
at Ball Meet
Salt Cake City Mauager Swaps
(Intck Shortstop to
Phillies for Four
Men.
New York, Dec. 23.—(Special.)—
Duffy Lewis, former Yankee left
fielder, was one of the biggest traders
at tlie annual sessions of the major
leagues. Lewis is now manager of
the Salt Lake City club of the Pacific
coast league, and as the result of his
activities in the baseball marts of
trade, two budding young stars will
get their chances in the majors.
Lewis traded his crack shortstop,
Henry Sand, to the Phillies for four
players and cash, while he sold Hollis
Thurston, a right-handed pitcher, to
Bob Quinn of the St. Louis Browns
for $15,000.
(atelier I’eters Traded. '
In exchange for Sand the Phillies
gave up Catcher John Peters, First
Baseman Roy Leslie. Utility Infielder
Jimmy Smith and 1’itctoer Johnny
Singleton. Having acquired Holke
from the Boston club, Leslie'no long
er was needed as a first baseman. The
other playors involved are a more or
less mediocre lot, though Peters can
thump a baseball.
The acquisition of Sand means that
Fletcher will be a bench manager next
season. Now that Arthur intends to
try his hand as a manager, he wants
lobe relieved of the burdens of playing
every day. Sand comes well recom
mended, and was one of the • beat
shortstops in the Coast league last
season. He hit only .280 last season,
bu the year before he whacked the
ball for .320 average. His 1922 crop
of hits included 22 home runs.
The acquisition of Sand by the
l’hiliies was a keen disappointment to
the new Bed Sox manager, Frank
Chance, as be began negotations for
Sand as soon as he became manager
of the Red Sox.
Gave I'p Four Players.
Pittsburgh gave up ftntr players and
$7,500 for K. D. Kunz, a pitcher who
won 18 "games for the tallend Sacra
mento club of the Pacific feast league.
The players to go to Sacramento
for Kunz are Chief Moses Yellowhorse,
an Indian pitcher who has been up
for several years; Infielder Claude
Rohwer, Hughes, a pitcher recalled
from Rochester, and Harry Brown, an
outfielder, recalled from Flint, In the
Michigan Ontario league.
The Sacramento club then sold
Holmes to George Stallings of Roches
ter tn an other transaction.
Bambino Declares
He IT ill Hit Fences
W herever They Are
New York, Hoe. 23.—Babe Rulli is
coming from bis farm in Sudbury,
Mass., in a week or I wo to visit the
Yankees’ new stadium and hat a
few drives over tile fences just to
prove that zoning rules for home
runs would mean nothing to him.
In a letter to Col. 'C. L. Huston,
who is soon to retire as part owner
of the Yankees, made public today,
tlie Bambino says: *'l don't care
whore the fences are. I can hit ’em
anywhere. Put the marks anywhere
you like."
Babe added that lie was working
hard every day, was down to 210
pounds and .still dropping.
Leading Bowlers in ©maJha’s Premier League
i i ■ 1 ■ —■
-
•J
r -_i
j Geatv? pay j
he , i
I .*.. i*«* I
McGraw Suggests
Benefit Fund
New York, Dec. 23.—Manager John
J. McGraw of the New York Giants,
who is opposed to
the proposed base-1
hall players' union,
suggested today
that it the union!
wants to do some
thing worth while
it raise a fund for
impoverished play
ers.
"Some very pa
thetic cases have
been brought to'
tny attention,” he
said. "Many old
■■■> ••. ... J
oTrJiruj.^PGra^
time stars have been discovered with
out a penny to their names. Let the
union take its dues and devote the
money for this cause instead of spend
ing It for high salaries for the organ
izers and delegates.
"The major leagues will help and
many thousands of dollars could be
raised by an old-timers’ benefit game
once a year.”
McGraw said he soon would under- j
go an operation to have a section of
ligament removed from his nose. Sur
geons have told him that the nasal
passage Is blocked, preventing free
breathing. The trouble is the result
of an accident 15 years ago when
Dummy Taylor, the Giants' mute pit
cher, threw a ball which hit McGraw
on the nose. The bone was- broken
an artery in the throat also burst.
For several days McGraw's life was
despaired of, but surgeons ^n Phila
delphia finally stopped the flow of
blood. His nose was patched up, but
it has given him trouble ever since.
As soon as his operation is over
McGraw, will make his annual trip
to Havana.
Allegheny College Favors
Credits for Athletic Work
Allegheny college of Meadvllle, Pa.,
beginning this year, is one of 150 col
leges and universities which recognize
the importance of physical education
by permitting credits for this instruc
tion to count towards graduation.
Northwestern Gridster Valuable
. Although He Played With Scrubs
"He played four years on the scrubs
—he never quit.”
This epitaph appears on a 10-ton
granite bowlder unveiled at North
western university in honor of the
memory of David Thomas Hanson,
graduate of the medical school.
Hanson, while in the medical serv
ice in the United States army, was
killed in France attempting to carry
a comrade to safety.
"Hanson played on the scrubs three
years that I coached the Northwestern
team," said Wallie McCornack. "Two
of the men who were on my squad
were killed in France. One was
Jimmy Turner, the end, who could
! have made any football team in the
I country. The other was Dave Han
son, who could never have made any
eleven.
"But Hanson was a wonderful lead
er. He had a great disposition. To nte
he was a lot like Bob Zuppke, now
coach at Illinois. Zuppke couldn't
make a regular eleven. He was on
the scrubs when in college. But he
was. and is today, a remarkable lead
er of men. And such a type was Han
son.
“He didn't play any particular posi
tion on the scrubs. He filled in any
where. His Judgment was wonderful.
He had superb spirit.
"Often when I had to call a certain
player for something and he got
angry about it I would send Hanson
to jolly him up and get him back in
the right spirit, A most splendid type
of manhood.” •
) These seven bowlers arp at the top,
of the standing column in the Greater
Omaha league. Al Wart chow Is set
ting the pace with an average of 195
for 42 games. In which he has col
lected 8,161 pins. €. Wesley is sec
ond with 8,137 pitts in 42 games, an
average of 194. Henry Fritscher has'
1 toppled 8,090 pins in 42 games for an
! average of 193; Gill Ham, 7,473 pins
in 39 games, an average of 192; Torn
Hcftou, 8,005 pins in 42 games, an
average of 191; George Kennedy, 7.432
pins in 39 games, an average of 191,
and Frank I*epinski, 6,243 pins in 33
games, an averagp of 190. It will be
noted that there are only five points
difference in the game of these
bowlers.
Coyotes to Make
Hilltops Hustle
Although Creighton is conceded an
edge on the North Central conference
basket ball chnnipicnship, South Da
kota State college, with a nucleus of
all-state stars, is expected to give the
Hill toppers a close race.
Last year State college had what
was probably the best cage team In
its history, winning the intercollegiate
and South Dakota: and losing only to
Creighton.
Frank Welch and Carey, at for
wards, Lars Terhune at. center, and
Schutte and George Thompson at
guards, last year were the men se
lected for the all-state basketball team.
All were State college players and
all will be on the Brookings squad
again this winter. All of these men,
excepting Thompsop, are on the 'var
sity football squad and they are ex
pected to be in excellent form for the
opening of the hoop season.
Tlnmo at rented and Carey at for
ward are seniors and have been on
the State team since they were fresh
men. They are relied upon to give
the team speed and strength to win
the titles. Capt. Thompson is a JunlQr
engineer and has been a big factor
both in offense and defense during the
past two seasons, and should be an
even belter man this season. Schutte
at standing guard is a bearcat at
getting the ball off the opponents’
back and is a hard man for oppos
ing forwards to get behind. He will
be out again for his old Job thia year.
Frank Welch at forward is a sopho
more agricultural student and first
gained basket hall fame when he cap
tained the Madison High school team
■which won the championship of South
Dakota In 1921.
All of State’s second team of last
yegr are back In college this year:
Frank Coffey, Bob Coffey, George Pat
terson, Larry Seaman, Bruns, Jtoss
Owens, John Lee, Clobes and Kreuger.
In addition to these men several high
school stars may be found in the
freshman class: Russ Osborne of last
year's Cresbard team. Early Welch
of Madison High school, Stewart,
Schmitz, Popowski, Maimer, Britzman,
Clark and several other men who have
not been playing football.
Sets Trap Record.
Fred Tomlin of Glassboro, N. J.,
established a new world record for i
four days' target shooting in the
Pennsylvania state championship tour
nament at Lancaster by breaking 596
targets out of 600. Tomlin broke 159
out of 100 the first day. 157 out of
160 the second, 200 straight the third,
and 79 out of 80 the fourth. That's
| what vve call real shooting.
») 1
Managers of ‘Strangler’ Lewis
and John Pesek Admit They’re
Brothers, But Deny a ‘Combine’
By JIMMIE BAl'GII.
Brothers can be competitors in the
business world without meriting sus
picion.
But let brothers be rivals in the pro
motional end ot
sports and suspici
ous sportdom im
mediately rolls its
eyes in an "owlish"
way and carols:
"There’s some
thing crooked."
And no one
knows this better
than Maxwell Bau
mann, manager oi
John Pesek, the
cX<V&S* Nebraska grappler,
and Billy Sandow,
manager of Strangler Lewis.
They're brothers and Just now are
coming In for an unwarranted publici
ty of a serious nature that only works
an Injustice upon the efforts of Bau
man to force Lewis Into giving Pesek
a title match.
Wrestled as “Sandow.’'
Neither Billy Sandow nor Maxwell
Bauman deny being brothers, but they
do unite in denying the reports pecu
lated from various sources that they
are cousins and that they are “steam
ing up” a title match between Pqeek
and Lewis merely for the purposes of
pulling down some big coin and
handing the public a dead package.
In fact. Maxwell Baumann has
been nagging at bis brother for over
a year to let I^wis meet Pesek but
Billy Sandow always evades the
proposition by saying It would look
bad to have the two matches In a ti
tle bout in that it would be two
brothers managing the title holder
fend contender.
In the beginning, his real name
was Billy Baumann. Years ago he
was a corking good wrestler himself
and wus dubbed "Chicago Billy San
dow” by his then manager and on
strength of this, Lewis’ present man
ager transacted all his business un
der the name of Sandow.
• Retained Mat Name.
When he retired front the wrestling
game as a wrestler, he had his name
changed from Billy Baumann to
Billy Sandow in court, and has car
ried the name ever since. After pick
ing tip Lewis and developing him in
to the greatest drawing card the mat
game ever had, Sandow retained his
name and could see no reason for
shifting back to his original.
Later, Maxwell Baumann, his
younger brother, became interested
In the mat Bport and together with
Larry Litchenstein, they obtained the
contract that gave them managing
privileges of John Pesek, the Ne
braska wonder. Several months ago
Maxwell Baumann bought out
Larry's interest in the contract and
is now sole manager of the Nebraska
wizard.
Notwithstanding the fact • that
Pesek has thrown the most notice
able men standing between himself
nnd a crack at Strangler Lewis’
throne, Maxwell Baumann has not
yet proved successful in getting his
brother, Billy Sandow, to give his
Pesek a match for the title.
To show how Sandow has evaded
Pesek, perhaps the best and most
convincing way to bring it put is to
say that the Theodore Roosevelt
American Legion post of Chicago re
cently offered Lewis $25,000 win, lose
or draw for a bout against John Pes
ek. But Billy Sandow flatly refused
the offer on account of Maxwell Bau
mann’s connection with the Nebraska
Tiger.
True, Pesek and Lewis met back in
1918, but at that time Pesek was a
youngster. Since, he has developed
wonderfully, mastered the art of the
mat game from A to Z and back
again, invented three new holds that
are strictly his own and has proved
to those who have witnessed both
himself and Lewis in action that he is
deserving of a crack at the champion
ship now. ^
Bring on Paddock.
But the combination of two broth
ers managing the two of tho greatest
wrestlers arises again. As a result,
they have come In for disagreeable
publicity from different sources.
However, it must he remembered that
had it not been for Billy Sandow and
Strangler Lewis, ‘wrestling today'
would be in a very sad state indeed.
For it was Lewis and Ills headloek
who revived the sport buck in New
York, by throwing over 50 aspirants
with his headloek that pulled the mat
sport out of the depths of oblivion
and re-established the game with the
sport public of America.
Maxwell Baumann is willing to let
Pesek vWcstle Karl Caddock, Joe
Steelier or Zbyszko, or any other chal
lenger to Lewis' title, and then, if lie
is successful in disposing of those
men, Pesek and Baumann can see
nothing ahead, but forcing Billy Son
doiy and Strangler Lewis into giving
them a shot at the world’s heavy
weight championship.
But front tire publicity scattered of
late, it looks as though what few title
contenders there are, are trying to get
to Lewis without first disposing of
John Pesek, the man who will even
tually prove to the whole world that
he is the one deserving of a title bout.
Women In Japan can now become
students of medicine and engineering
at the Imperial university.
Iliiskers and lllini
in Unique Agreement
Comb usher fuolball folks will
watch with Interest the result of
t|in game between Nebraska and
liynois on October <* next year
This game will be (he first of the
>ear for both teams. But the novel
imr< of this voidest is going to lie
ill the fart that eaeli coaeli, Fred
Dawson of the ('urnhiiskers and
/uppke of the Illinois, will ex
change a complete diagram of plays
that will be used iu the contest.
Tilden "Building
Up New Style
of Tennis Play
•
Loss of Middle Finger of
Playing Hand Cause
of Action of
Champ
New York, Dec. 23.—(Special.)—
William T. Tllden, tennis champion, is
building up an entirely new style of
play for next season to conform with
the limitations of |iis maimed hand.
For the first time since he suffered
the loss of the middle finger of his
playing hand, which lias been ampu
tated down to the first joint, the
tenniq champion discussed his Injury
and the effect in detail that it would
have on his play.
“I will have a nice, orthodox game
next year," lamented the champion,
"a game of the N'at Niles style; noth
ing flashy and few forcing strokes.
"1 am certain now that what Is
left of my middle finger will be stiff
and virtually useless in gripping a
racket. That means all my strokes
in which this finger plays a part will
have to be changed or modified.
The other day I saw that some
"expert” stated the stroke of mine
which would be affected was my back
hand drive. I had to laugh.
"My backhand drive and my alleged
forehand drive are the only strokes
that will no% be affected."
If this works out as Tilden ex
pects, and "Big Bill" is a remarkable
diagnostician of his own game, he
will still retain that great offensive
weapon that virtually carried him
through his match with Bill Johnston
to the championship last summer.
Siki in Court
to Regain Title
Paris, Dec. 23.—Battling Siki, for
mer European heavyweight champion,
has started legal
■ proceedings against
(the French boxing
federation, which
Recently deprived
him of the title he
won from Georges
Carpentier, and
suspended him for
nine months upon
charges of various
escapades brought
!> ijjjainsrt him by
? French sportsmen.
% A summons has
if been served on
V' y Paul Rosseau,
v~' president of t li e
SjK[ c] federation, direct
ing him to produce
within lliree days the records upon
which Wiki was disqualified. The ‘
document maintains that the federa
tion is without jurisdiction in ai}>' ex
cept purely boxing matters, and that
the disqualification was based upon
alleged conduct not relating to boxing.
Would Add Ice Skating to
Official Olympic Games
The Intel national Skating union has
asked the American Olympic commit
tee to request the French Olympic
committee, in charge of the Olympic
games to be held in Paris in 1924, to
add speed and tigure skating events,
bdt not as official events, because
their being held so long in advance
of the other sports.
Jack Curley Will Sic German
Wrestlers on American Grapplers
*_.
New York, Dec. 23.—(Special.)—
The German boxers gnd wrestlers
imported by Jack Curley have begun
their training here. The wrestlers
will work at George Bothner's Gym,
where Cyclone Bees and Bothner
himftelf are ready to assist the two
giants, Ernest Siegfried, the unde
feated German Oak, and Seppel Lob
inayer, the Austrian Bavarian cham
pion.
The boxers are going to Billy
Grupp's ftym and Gus Sprenger will
arrange some special hours with
Grupp for them. The most popular
of the boxers Is Urban Grass, the
bantam king of Germany. Austria
upd Switzerland, whom the Ameri
cans on the Hhine named “the little
heart.” Willie Antunowltz, the
Bremen middleweight, and Max
Dahling, the Hamburg heavyweight,
should make a good impression.
Grass conies from Koln on the Hhine.
He is 21 years of age and three years
and six months in the* boxing game. ‘
Jack Curley intends to match these
wrestlers with some of the hlg Amor
ican wrestlers.
Near (Jiampion
Misses Chance
to Win Crown
Mexican Vi ho Kapped at 1 itlc
Door Drew Copiously From
Whisky liotth; anil Whiffed
Cigars Between Gongs.
On any one of the sun-scorched
streets of Bakersfield. Cal , you are
quite likely to encounter today be
neath the striped awnings shading the
sidewalks, a swarthy, compactly built
Mexican, whose graying hair contra
dicts the message of his boyish gait.
Ids steady, complacent eye, and the 47
years he must, perforce, confess to,
if you might ask hts age.
Introduced to him. you will observe
that his nose bears numerous
cicatrices where meat and rartilege
have been torn away from the nasal
bone, that his ears are thick and twist
ed lubs resembling singll segments of
cauliflower, that his eyebrows find In
hospitable soil In the scarred and bat
tered flesh beneath them; and the
hand you grasp is rough and knotted
as a huge pretzel and aa hard as
horn.
You arc talking to Aureiio Herrera,
well-to-do business man and erstwhile
prize fighter, whose exploits to this
hour will agitate the memories of fans
fortunate to tiave watched his aston
ishing career, say, during the eight
year period of 1898-1960. Herrera is
one whose finger tips on several oc
casions reached out to touch, but
never clutch, the pedestal on whose
cup successively have Etood the light
weight champions, from Jack Mc
Aullffe to Bennie Leonard.
He Was a Knockout King.
If you will glance down Herrera's
record, as set forth in any complla
tion of ring statistics, you will find
many a ''K” separated by a dotted
line from the names of men he has
fought. Perhaps the proportion Is
greater than that of afiy fighter who
ever lived, with the possible excep
tion of Jack Deyipsey. present white
heavyweight champion and a monarch
of an epoch when only second-raters
were to be met.
From 1898 to the autumn of 1906,
the Bakersfield Mexican met 79 men
In combat. The list includes the best
lightweights of a time when splendid
fighters in that division were far moro
plentiful than a^ present.
Why He Didn't Reach Summit.
Knockout after knockout was writ
ten in his record, and victory followed
victory on his score. And, suddenly,
the sporting world began to question:
"Why isn't the Greaser the light
weight champion of the world?"
I’ll tell you why.
Down the center of his heart,
mighty when the tide was running'
his way, ran a tiny strain of saffron.
Everything else in the boxer’s reper
toire was his. No entry In the index
of a champion's qualities did he lack
save the fighting heart. Three times
he fuced genuine heroes of pugilism
and three times did he falter when *
and where a fighter of potential
championship caliber would have
summoned his last fading ounce of
courage aifil consciousness and bat-,
tied all the more desperately.
Dynamic Jewish Featherweight.
Abe Attell, San Francisco Hebrew,
whose heart was of the red and fear
less fiber that scorns the hardships
and anguish of the losing fight,
weighed 15 pounds less thau the mar
velous Mexican—and whipped him to
a whimpering frazzle in Oakland in
15 rounds on October 15, J902.
But Herrera was too great a
natural fighter to be permanently dis
couraged by these two defeats. Once
again he commenced to chalk up his
victories, sweeping all before him.
unt)l September 0, 1904.
That date was the turning point In
his life. And the man who started
Herrera down the hill to “draws"
and "no decisions" and "knocked out
by" was the garnest man who ever
reached up with blood-soggy gloves
to pry open his blackened, blinded
eyes until lie found tiis enemy, that
he might tight him still more fiercely
and never give an inch — Battling
Nelson!
Freak As Well As Fighter.
The celebrated mannerisms of Her
rera might be dwelt upon—how he
smoked a big black cigar and drew
copiously from a whisky bottle instead
of sniffing smelling salts between
gopgs; how liq taunted the/men he
beat insensible—but it would serve
little to the purpose of this narrative
except perhaps to show that liis body
could not forever withstand that
abuse. .mA
The point of this story Is that had
his Latin forebears, the type of
human that gloats over disembow
eled horses in the bullring, been able
to transmit to Aureiio gameness com
mensurate with his other remarkable
abilities, he would have become a
champion with whose tributes the lit
erature'of prize fighting never had
been surfeited.
New Jersey national guardsmen
will promote indoor sports in the
armories this winter, ltasket ball will
be played and an effort made to have
the winners clash with other state
champions. «
Nebraska Football Teams of Present and Past, Compared by Former Captain
---
Editor'* Note—Suppose you so* Brs* |
chance to ploy on » university football
team In the tint gome of your first sea
son. Amt suppose It was one of the big
games. You played a dismal game and
"he nest time you reported Jor practice
tile coarhes did not seem to be owure of
?*iir piiittfnrp. „ , ..
Suppose this is kept UP for weeks. Would
,a'.1 ••Buck” Beltier didn’t. And as
a result he won a regular berth In the
fcaakflelds of Nehrasku's team of IBO.-im
ni' nnd was captain nf both football and
baseball teams his last year. Buck Is now
Mil-owner and manager of the Lincoln
MBfa laauge hall club.
At the request of The Bee. Buck
bag written the following article, In which
hb relates some gridiron ex|»erleiiecs, edl
tarts!lies a hit and makes a highly In
IStealing ysrn. _
By O. A. “BUCK” BEI-TZER.
BEING asked as an "old-timer”
to write somethin* of Nebras
ka's early football, comes to
Ete as a distinct shock- Unless I count
th« yaara U geemg but a short time
Eure I was on the team
Ur lint year, 1907, was tha last aea
son in which the football field was ;
located where the physical building
now stands. My second year we play- \
ed at the old Western league ball j
park, Twentieth and M streets, where
the municipal pool is now located,
and my last year, 1909, was tlie first
year for the present playing field,
which is now being torn down to give
way for the big memorial stadium.
1 came to the university from
Arapahoe, where I had played three
years on a high school team. As X
was quite good in that class of foot
ball, X was told and believed, that if
I was lucky and worked hard that
I might place on the scrubs. X was
therefore much surprised to be placed
as a regular at end of my first year.
A Battle of Fists.
Xu those days our big game each
season was with Minnesota, and as we
were considered a practice game for
them, we always played early in
the season, usually at Minneapolis.
This game in 1907 was my first with
Nebraska and came nearly being my
last. When Minnesota had the ball,
their ends spread and played on each
sideline boundary.
Of course I did not dare let my man
get outside me, for fear a forward
pass would be flipped to him. So 1 fol
lowed him out each time. He was not
used in many plays so when tlie ball
was spapped he would step across rhe
line and start slugging. After 1 re
covered from my surprise I came
back at him the best I could. There
we fought, from the time the ball
was snapped until the final whistle
blew. And I think almost any referee
in the world would have given him the
decision. A rule hdd bet n made that
year against slugging, but l suppose
it was a little too new to be enforced
at that time.
faille More Refined.
When we hail the hall, my duty
was to help block the tackle on my
side of the line. Having never before
played a line position my idea of the
way to block was to dig in ,and stop
him, instead of charging and hitting.
Tile tackle against me was Young, an
ail American man weighing well over
200 pounds. Every time ho hit pie I
went sprawling back into our back
field men and broke up the play they
were starting. When that game ended
tjie expression, “beaten to a pulp,”
fitted me perfectly. However, it was
a good game, the final score being !i
to 5 ip tlieir favor, Minnesota ,count
ing *<n two dropkiiks and Nebraska
making a touchdown.
In those days a dfopkick counted
four points and u touchdown five. Af
ter my dismal showing in that first
! game, the ueJct time 1 appeared at
i practice the coaches did not seem to
know who I was nor that I had ever
played on the team Another man
was placed at end and it looked like
my football c&reer had ended at Ne
braska. A lucky happening in con
nection with the forward puss gave
men another chance.
i’asging llis Forte.
As 1 recall it, the first year for tlie
forward pass was 1906 and In 1907 It
was still in its infancy, a crude affair
at best, Ohalk lines were drawn
lengthwise on the field, five yards
apart amj called five-yard zones. A
ball could not be passed over the line
of scrimmage unless it crossed five
yards from the center. It was legal
tor ths man who was to receive the
hall to be protected by his teammates.
Our best forward pass play was a for
mation where all members of the team
excepting the passer rushed down the
field and surrounded the man who
was to taka it, forming his interfer
ence after he received it.
The manner of passing the hall In
those days was entirely different
from the method in use now. The
passer, for short distances, clutched
the hall in both hands like a basket
hall, while for the long passes lie
would let the ball rest on the palm of
his band, using an underhand de
livery. Some of the fellows could
pass the ball a long distance in this
manner, but they were not accurate.
As I was not used on.the team in
practice any more, 1 had nothing to
do during the workouts except throw
the ball around. While doing this 1
happened to hit on the plan of grip
ping the hall in one hand and pass
ing it overhand. This proved a great
improvement over the old way, as [
it was much more accurate and the j
hall could be shot with gerater speed. |
«
My ability to pass got nie back on
the team. I was used In the back
field in our last gume of the season
and was a regular halfback for tb«
remainder of my career.
Taains Stronger.
Football in general does not seem
to have changed a great deal since
my time, although the teams h*ivc
grown much stronger from year to
year. It seems that the gamo hag
grown cleaner and less dangerous.
It would seem strange now to see a
game where slugging was not barred
A player receiving a punt had no
chance to make a fair catch in my
time, and while his arms and bead
were raised It was very easy to
knock him down in such a manner
that he didn't know what happened
until he 'came to.’ In those days a
punt was anybody's ball as soon as
it struck the ground.
As to the relative strength of the
older tennis with those of today. It
seems to me that the present teams
are much stronger. In my time we
were glad to win the Missouri valley
Conference title, but now we are not
satisfied unless we have one of ths
best teams In the United States. In
my opinion ths teams at Nebraska
the last two years ara the best that
have ever represented the university,
unless the teams during Quy Cham
herlain's career ate considered. And
the latter teams were great principal
ly because of Chamberlain himself
and as a whole did not compare witlr-JV
the present elevens.
It is a pleasure to see Nebraska so
strong In football and to feel that at
one time I played on a team repre
senting a university which ranks so
high in American football as Nebras
ka now does.
