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
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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
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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.
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