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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 26, 1908)
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN V 4 THE UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA OLYMPICS -G. E. CONDRA This innovation nt the university was Inaugurated by the entlro student body as a means for the freshmen and sophomores to test tholr enthusiasm and physical abilities Individually and collectively, under the management of the upper classmen. It Is a vigorous substitute for certain weak demon strations which formerly occurred be tween the lower classes and thus mer its the support of all who Btand for big ger things at Nebraska! The event Is an expression of the spirit symbolized by the scarlet and cream. It gives an opportunity for manly contest, un der conditions that attract strong men, not weaklings. No attempt Is made to curb enthusiasm; the reverse Is true. In fact the Idea of the freshman sophomore Olympics of 1008, sprang from a student Ideal, now prevalent, which demands that collego life at Nebraska shall be energized and de veloped along constructive lines. The things that are weak and ineffi cient are to be supplanted by such manners and customs as should be the practlcum of a great university, such as ours. Several things are being done by the students to develop schooj spirit and school standards. As might bo expected, the upper classmen are most active in this regard. They pro pose to give us yells that carry, songs that will live and such class relations as will permit and probably require the Incoming students, entering with out fear, to join in those things which promote the broader life of the uni versity. Introduce the Freshmen. The Olympics serve to Introduce the freshmen to the school. The first year men enter these stunts and bat tle with the sophomores for a class victory. This gives the contestants a chance to show their strength or weak ness as the cnqe may be, and at the same time, the seniors and juniors, act ing as olllcials have a good opportuni ty to discover all of the promising new men. A brief review of the origin of the Nebraska Olympics may not bo out of place in this connection. Our football team was rounding Into form. Min nesota, Haskell, Iowa, and Ames wbre to be met. A rally was called; the chancellor. Professor Barbour, and others talked. Enthusiasm became in- A88I8TANT COACH ELLIOTT. tense. The team won splendid victor ies and. were all In tho game. No one wished to start a llttlo class scrap. Fin ally a larger plan was suggested, that of an annual contest between tho freihmen and sophomoreB. ThiB Idea met with the approval of tho contest ssWr sBBBWir l iissssssss mn sssssi ing classes. Committees wore ap pointed, Mr. W. B. Aten, heading tho committee for the freshmen, and Mr. E. D. Mallery for tho Bophomorcs. Later the senior and Junior classes were naked to take charge of the man agement. Dean Bessey proposed tho name, "Nebraska Olympics," which was accepted. The freshmen and Boph omoros tried their men out for the var ious events and tho upper classmen perfected plans for tho meet which oc curred at Antelope Park, Saturday forenoon, November 14th. A light snow had fallen during the night but this and the cold weather were not sufficient to cause the postponement of a royal contest and to prevent the attendance of a large crowd. List of Events. The events were as follows: wrestl ing, light, middle and heavy weight; boxing, light middle and heavy weight; Marathon race; tug of war, and the battle royal. The wrestling counted five points for each weight. C Collins, sophomore, won the heavyweight over Doyle. De Bolt, freshman, won mid He weight Tver Plasters. Munson, sophomore, won light weight over Swanson. The boxing was greatly enjoyed by the spectators If not by those engaged. Waters, freshman, won heavy weight over Sadellk; Landers, freshman, mid dle weight, over Zacek. Tho light weight between Smith nnd Weaverling was a draw. Ten men started in the Marathon race, live from each class. The course was from Colonel Bryan's place at Fnlrvlew to the park. F. J. Clark and b Verne Bates, freshmen, finished first mil second, closely followed by Mel lick and Norburg. sophomores, third and fourth. This event gave the fresh men 15 points and the sophomores 4. score at this time was freshmen 32, sophomores 16. The leaders were more than Jubilant, the sophs appeared otherwise, but wise. The tug of war, ten men on a side, proved easy for the heavy sophs, giv ing them 15 points, the score now standing 32 and 31 In favor of the f.rst year men. The Battle Royal. ,A call for the battle royal brought out a great event, one in which all men from each class (except a few unroju venated cowards) were entered. It was a dress suit affair, 1. e., the dress suited the occasion. The arena, thirty feet wide, extended across the grid Iron. Its sldos wore marked by hoavy lines. Generals Mallery and Aton mo bilized their forces, one going to the west field, the other to the east. Rules 'jarring only slugging, kicking and tho strangle hold were explained. Referee McDonald entered the arena and called the two armies to the side lines, fac ing each other. The head umpire, tho inspectors and guards occupied positions back of tho infantry, f he ref eree said: "Sophomores and freshmen, .it the firing of this gun you are to en ter this arena, seize your opponents and push, pull or throw them over your own line. Any man found across his opponent's line and free is to bo declared-out of the game. Two host out of three wins each bout continu ing until one class is out of the arena. I command you to represent the spirit of the scarlet and cream!" The gun was fired, the two lines of men met and tiien began the best demonstration of a good natured class scrap that has been seen In Lincoln. Some follows were easy, others working in squads proved more effective. At tho end of five minutes the sophs had won tho TacJnf. The second found and tho vic tory went to the same class. This time the sophomores wore It; they had met and defeated a strong foo In a manly way. Score, Sophomores 66, fresh men, 32. The freshmen, though de feated were not dishonored. They showed up well and are now prepay Ing for the 'second degree In the uni versity, when they are to become soph omores and meet the class that enters In 1909. i Tho Olympic events call for skill; tlioy aro vigorous and perhaps rough, but do wo not know that theso aro but opportunities for tho development of strong men? . Tho-y represont brain as Well as brawn and tholr influonco Is certainly more wholosomo than that of other practices which somotlmcs tako tholr plnco. True sportsmanship has followed since Novombor 14. Tho victory has been sufficient reward to tho winners. President Lawronco abides by tho wishes of tho upper classmen in this -espect. The freshman committee Is to hold over another year and direct the preparation of tho sophomores to 'e, for tho next annual contost. A. tablet containing 1911 opposlto thy year 1908 and under Nebraska Olym pics, Is to bo placed In somo hall of tho university, tho location to bo so 'ected by the seniors and Juniors. Tho Idea of Introducing such a fea ture as the Olympics to take tho place Bvi j HP flPPPJjfBNPJPPPPHkKL COACH "KING" COLE. of miscellaneous class scraps such us cane rushes, tank fights, stealing of class officers and destruction of prop erty, is distinctly Nebraskan in Its origin. The opinion Is general at has come to stay and that the contests the university that tho new function will Increase In Interest with each succeeding year. The upper classes have full management of the program and rules, only "N" men being eligible to referee and umpire. These men car ried out the program of this year with out, a single disagreeable feature. This speaks well for the contestants also since there was no show of unsports manlike conduct. The rules require the sophomores and freshmen to make a good fight according to the standard of the school. Ordinarily the second year men should be the victors and this Is as It should be for a defeat places the freshmen In the propqr frame of mind to advance and grow, If the attitude of the othr classes is right. The vanquished 'freshman of this year should prove victors in 1909. A college paper without tho write up of a football game in it looks decidedly queer this time of the year. The Baker Orange still mourns for the return of football. The executive committee of tho Wo man s League at Stanford has takon tho place of -e conference of young women. The latter body recently dis banded. The regents of K. U. have adotped the plans of the new mining building. It will resemble tho law building, tho main part measuring 62x103 feet. Tho University of Kansas will ask for a larger appropriation for tho pay of their professors. As a rule, tho professors In tho state are, all poorly, paid. TTntnn Sinclair will bo the truest of ' tho socialist club at California. The CornhusRer ?r Coaching' vStaff By Lynum Uloycli. ' Very few peoplo whon thoy nro hearing a play at tho thoator stop to consider tho 'stops which tho actors miiBt have takon beforo thqy could roach that placo whoro thoy woro good enough to I) 9 entrusted with respon sible roles. Tho nudleuco at tho tho ator aro moroly conscloim that tho parta aro woll or poorly played, but they do not consider that a largo part of tho success of a production depends upon tho efficient coaching of tho play era. A parallol caBo la to bo found In football. No mattor how good may bo the individual ability of the players on a Bquad, or how plentiful tho matorlal, yota flrBt class toam can not possibly bo developed without compotont coaching. That this fact is truo haB boon demoi Btrated repeatedly In Cornhuaker football hlatory. At tho boglnnlng of the season of 1907 the outlook for a winning toam was partic ularly bright, but Boveral of the prom ising candidal os failod to show up and as a conaeqiyonco last year's coaches were confronted with the problom of developing from a limited amount of material a team competent to go through one of the hardost schedules which had over boon arranged for a Nebraska team. -But thlB problem was solved successfully (forbidding as It appeared o bo upon first glanco), and nothing jvns more instrumental in (tlie BUcccBsfiil solution of it than of iflclont coach frig. Thus the Importance of tho conchlpg of u team can be soon. I Rewards and Coaches. If the rewards for a successful toam wero moro squltably distributed tho coaches wou d doubtless coino In for much more 'consideration thanthoy do at present. With this princlplo as tho baBls of our actions, then, let us j oxtend our gratitude, appreciation and commendation to this year's coaching Btaff for tholr efficient and untiring work, which Iiub made tho develop ment of a championship team possible. At the head of tho CornhiiBker coaches Is V. ( Colo, who has en deared himself to the student body at Nebraska during his two seasons here. "King' Colo came to Lincoln last year, unknown In western foot ball so far p.n coaching ability was concerned, but In one season ho bo thoroughly demonstrated his worth that it was the unanimous wish of the school that Do guide mo Cornhuskor destinies for another season. "King" Cole had wide experience in football both as a playor and a coach and his reputation, which wns good before ho camo to Nebraska, is now more than good It Is one to bo en vied. His name has gone out far and wide so that "Cole and his pupils" have grown to bo factors in wostern footbnll, whldh cause oven such crafty old coaches as Williams and'Stagg to exnibit some real concern as to tho truth of their supremacy. Cqle at Marietta., Coach Coh played his flrBt college football at Marietta collego in 1899. He began b; r playing end and half back, which positions he played for two years. He waB chosen captain of the team in ' his third year and that season he appeared at tackle. The following fall (1902) ho entered tho University of Michigan when "Hurry up" Yost was at his best, and was played at tackle on tho famous "Yosti machine." ThlB was Colo's fourth year Of collego football, and being no longer eligible to play, he returned to Marietta collego where ho coached tho team, during the season of 1903. The following season he returned to Ann Arbor where he as sisted Coach 1 Yost in 1904. By this time Colo wis acquiring a consider able reputation and he was chosen as head coach n,t tho University of Vir ginia, where ho remained for two seasons, 1905 and 1906. During his second seasop afVirglnla his team met with but p, single 'defeat, which was at Carlisle's hands, and by pnly one point. ' Vest Point was among tho teams defeated that year. 'In casting about for a successor to Coach Foster, ' who nnd "resigned after nn unsuccessful soason In 1906, the athletic board offered tho placo to "King" Coe nnd ho nccopted. Tho wisdom of tho board In making thlB soloction has boon unquestioned and during tho two yoars of his roglmo at Nebraska thoro has novor boon ox prcsBod a Blnglo word of rogrot at that choico or of criticism of hlB moth ods, Two Able Assistants. This aonaon Coach Colo has boon ably assisted by Ray Ifllllott and .ChnrlosBorg. Elliott 1h an old-tlmo ixouraHKa sinr, navmg played Halfback Iri 1899 nnd 1900. Ho has dovotod most or his tlmo thla yoar drilling tho frosh mun squad nnd the scrubs so that tho varBlty might havo somo Btrong oppo sition. His success In UiIb wdrk has boon an Important fuctor in develop ing tho varalty's Impregnnblo dofonso, Borg wns captain of tho Cornhusk ora in 1905 and plnyod four yoars on tho varsity without missing a singlo game of .Importance His attontlon has been largoly givon up to dirocting tho work of tho varBlty lino and more especially tho candldatoB for tho throo central positions. In his day Borg wub generally belloved to bo tho best contor In tho wost, und JiIb work in teaching tho varBlty ilnomon tho flno points or the game has boon invnlu ablo. The coaching stnff this yoar has from tlmo to tlmo been confrontod with porploxlng probloma, but thoy havo uaually made good by coming through with a successful solution for thorn. Many of tho playorB havo ro celved serious Injuries bo that a groat part of tho time tho toam waB not able to put forth Ub full Btrongth. Tho greatest handicap which tho coaches had to fight against, howovor, waB tho unprecedented schedulo which had been arranged for tho CornhuBkors. Many Hard Games. Never bororo woro t.ioro bo many hard gaineB to bo played In one Bhort season and tho strain or it upon tho players was eapeclally sovoro slnco thero wore only about fifteen players of varsity caliber available. It la not surprising that under the demands or such a schedule tho players woro not nblo to stand tho strain, and It is unrortunate that tho break shoujd have taken placo sp inopportunely 'for the Cornhuskers. But notwithstanding A88I8TANT COACH BOft&t this, tho work of tho coaching staff this season merits the highest praise which yie are' able 40 give, 'and "so, longns "King" Colo remains at le braBka; wo 'shall all feel that tho" tiny of tho scarlet and cream ( Is '! tho hands of a safe pilot. Ds) WsHsV- ''JbsssssKsb Bl ' '' .t32 MsssssssV ' VllVrl 'flssssK w mtv. Hv' ' il fsssssssfsBssssssssM '-'," isssVjfn 9Ki - ' iWR WbssssssssP"' 4 iWM Ssssssssssl'?.' Istai vbsssVP. hlv6 . Br ' 'HsssssssHssssssssssssr BsssssssssssssssssssWssssssssssssssssssssssssl sV2ssssssssssssssssssM& !BSL1BSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSmv vPPsSSSSSSSSSSrr? 4 f wii 1 iwTa'i um?Umimeji Li,SaB. LL