What Do Football Championships Mean?

What Do Football Championships Mean? ? GEORGE WELLS CHAMPIONS a third time in the past five years under Coach Ike J. Armstrong, Utah University's 1929 team has laid aside its equipment for the season. Not only did the cham- pionship represent six conference victories against no defeats, but to the state and the school there came that glamor and glory which in- variably accompanies an institution great in a football way. Nation- wide recognition came to Earl Pomeroy, fullback; Preston Sum- merhays, halfback; and Marvin Jonas, center. Pomeroy, accord- ing to Davis J. Walsh, noted sports critic, was an All American full- back; Jonas and Summerhays, said the four most famous football coaches, Knute Rockne, of Notre Dame; Glenn Warner, of Stan- ford; Tad Jones, of Yale; and William Alexander, of Georgia Tech; were outstanding players of the nation and consequently mer- ited places on their "roll of hon- or." With this recognition to the athletes, invariably the name of Utah University is mentioned, and the two go hand in hand in highly praiseworthy manner. Were these the only fruits of the victory, it logically would follow that a losing football team would not be tolerated by Utah or by any other institution, and as a re- sult intercollegiate competition would die, since not every school can be a winner. But universities recognize generally that this inter- collegiate competition is a health- ful thing intellectually and morally as well as physically to their stu- dents, and rather than decrease such competition, institutions them- selves tend to bring about a con- stant increase in the activity. I HERE are those who might question the value of inter- collegiate competition in athletics to those participating in it primar- ily, and to the non-participating student secondarily. Of the first group, coaches who advocate in- tercollegiate activity can give con- vincing arguments, but stronger arguments still are those fellows who, in their school lives, devote some time to athletics. Uncon- sciously, too, they prove a pow- erful impetus toward more general physical recreation among non- participating students. For the present it might be well to show how the man who engages in in- tercollegiate competition benefits therefrom in a physical, moral and mental sense. A football coach must have athletes who are physically sound. For the most part he prefers large men, yet in our modern football there are few coaches who will rule out an excellent little player in favor of a large mediocre player. The handicap of small size often prohibits a fellow's playing foot- ball when there is present in com- petition a larger candidate who is capable; but otherwise even small size cannot keep a fellow off a team. Physical ruggedness and ability then, more than size, are the determining factors, and it is the coach's problem to discover these qualities and maintain them, once found, in his team members. IN the latter process be- gins the first phase of "training." Seldom does a football candidate ! T, HE coming of Utah athletes into their own has long been a subject of interest to the "Era." This story of the U. of U. football team emphasizes among other things, the relationship between clean living and physical prowess. It dissipates the notion, too, that athletes are not good students. In alt of the major sports, foot- ball, basketball and track, the three Utah cotleges have, in recent years, been winning more than their fair share of the confe fence contests. And not only do they occupy an enviable position in athletics but also in scholarship. Under the leadership of the men who are directing their destinies, it may be expected that real men and women will be developed. report in sound enough physical condition to engage, at the start, in a practice scrimmage, to say nothing of an actual game. The process of conditioning begins, then, at once on the football field, but in the fact that it is carried off the field into the very ordinary routine of an athlete's life, lies its greatest value. Football coaches begin with diet. They request their players to limit themselves only to those things which are body builders and energy producers. Nothing of the annoying diet which a physician might prescribe for certain illnesses is present. On the contrary, coaches, advise athletes to eat of the good things, all his body requires, and to eat regularly. These two phases not only are the essential characteristics of the football play- er's diet, but should be those of all persons. Eating all the body re- quires forbids over-eating, and par- taking of meals regularly is the primary requisite for deriving the greatest benefit from food. Even sweets are not entirely prohibited, but coaches insist that they be eaten at the right time, that is, just after one's meal, for, in the eyes of a football mentor, the greatest sin in diet is eating anything between meals, regardless of whether it is of health-giving quality or not. OLEEP, declare the coaches, is essential to alert football. Some players may be able to per- form creditably on eight hours sleep while others may need nine. In few instances, according to the tem- perament of players, as few as seven hours sleep may be sufficient. On this matter coaches fail to worry greatly but on the matter of reg- ularity of sleep, they are insistent. Coach Ike Armstrong has often in- sisted to his football classes, at the University of Utah, that an athlete who gets six hours' sleep in reg- ular hours each night, is better off than the athlete who one morning may have to sleep until 1 1 o'clock to fulfill his eight hour requirement and the following morning may

The Improvement Era for January 9 1930 191 have had his eight hours at 7 At the start of the season he out- o'clock. Only in regularity of sleep lines his training rules. That's all, will an athlete do his best; other- wise the effect invariably is "loggi- ness" in play. There are two other forbidden fruits for a football player, accord- ing to Armstrong. They are smoking and drinking. Some coaches do not object if their ath- letes smoke lightly during football season, but Armstrong is not among them. Without attempting to control or influence these fac- tors outside of athletes competitive season, Armstrong does insist that football of today demands the ut- most in alertness, and the greatest of endurance, two things smoking and drinking inhibit. The player who is seen indulging in either dur- ing the season need not even report thereafter, Armstrong advises his men. however, for the rest remains with the athletes, and therein lies the benefit of these training rules. room," Coach Ike Armstrong tells his men frequently. "The best man on the squad, ineligible, is worse than a fourth string player. If you want to play football only, Knowing for one thing that they and not study, don't come out. I are more or less on their honors to observe the rules, athletes gen- erally obey them. No pressure, except, possibly, that they might lose their positions on the team, exerts itself on the men. It then becomes, often, a matter of pride in excellent which so carries itself into their daily routines, that it becomes an integrated part of behavior, per- sisting after graduation from the can t use you. And Ike "can't use" them. Eligi- bility rules of the conference tor one reason, prevent a man's play- ing unless he is doing passing work in his classes. The other angle from which Ike looks at the ques- physical being, a pride tion is that the football player who won't apply himself in the class- room won't apply himself to foot- ball. He therefore becomes a "dumb" mass on the field, prac- football field and from the college tically useless, because the football hall, letes on into the later lives of ath- MEANWHILE, what of the intellectual training of the ^j. athlete? Is it being neglected in Y ET, how does a this persistent effort toward the coach know that his players are ob- physical perfection necessary to serving his training rules? There winning teams?> Or are the ath- is no elaborate spying system set letes still pursuing faithfully the up to keep accurate account of ath- things for which they primarily letes during those hours in which attend college? Are games won by they are not engaged in actual prac tice. On the contrary, athletes know that they might, if they wish, violate any of Armstrong's training rules with a fair amount of safety, outside of practice hours. But they al- so know that it will show on the foot- ball field, and no matter how excellent players were a season be- fore, poor training will tell on them at once, and by losing to possibly younger can- didates the unwilling trainers beat themselves out of posi- tions. Armstrong, then, really has nothing to do with the loss of the post be- cause of lack of training. mental alertness on the field alone? If so, does that mental alertness there substitute for the class room effort? By all means, "No." "The first place you fellows win football games is in the class player who does not think does not fit into Ike's system. Generally speak- ing there is little trouble encoun- tered among football players as far as studies are concerned. In fact the average of the 1928 football team ranked higher than that of the fraternities on the campus. For the annual trophy given to the football player with the highest average, Ralph Goodwin and Wes Anderson, halfback and guard re- spectively in 1928, tied. Each had an average of 2.5 or six-tenths above a B average and only four shy of an A average. The general average of the team, 1.6, lacked only four - tenths of a point from being a B average. Few stu- dents, the curves of edu- cational psy- chology tell us, rank that high. There were 50 hours of A work among mem- bers of the football squad. Utah University 1929 Football Squad Top row, left to right, Dave Trevethick, tackle; Evert Lybbert, guard; Don Kirkham, tackle; George Watkins, end; Dean Olson, guard; La Mar Vincent, end; Horace Eldredge, tackle. Second row, left to right, Ike J. Armstrong, head coach; Jay Glen, student manager; Ernest Simpkins, tackle; Leon Jones, tackle; Lee Newman, tackle; Charles Larson, tackle; Ray Price, halfback; Earl Pomeroy, fullback; Sherman Clark, end; Spencer Walker, tackle; Einar Neilsen, trainer. Third row, left to right, Pete Dow, halfback; Reuben Jolley, guard; Elmer Welch, guard; Dean Detton, guard; Myrthen Elliott, fullback; Robert Davis, captain and quarter- back; Marvin Jonas, center; Dan Moyle, halfback; Glen Hardy, end; June McBride, guard; Walt Slater, senior manager. Front row, left to right, James Hodgson, quarterback; Theron Davis, halfback; George Bischoff, halfback; James Winwood, halfback; Preston Summerhays, halfback; Loren Pilling, end; Arlo Fairbanks, halfback; Ray Forsberg, quarterback; Floyd Utter, end. One of the 1929 cham- pion football players who will be grad- uated this year, has gone through h i s college

192 The Improvement Era for January, 1930 career with only one mark lower than A, and that was a B Grade. He is Jimmy Hodgson, who, had he not previously won the award for being the scholarly football player, would undoubtedly be the winner this season. Even though his chances are limited to one award as far as football is concerned, Hodgson is the outstanding candi- date for the annual award given to the graduating athlete who has maintained the highest scholarship during his college career. When one considers that Hodgson, besides his varied activities, has worked outside of school hours to earn his education, his achievement becomes the more remarkable still. Many athletes do not confine their activities to athletics alone. Captain Bob Davis, of the 1929 team, is student body treasurer, one of the most responsible posi- tions within the gifts of his fel- low students. Dean Olson is bus- iness manager of the Humbug, hu- morous publication of the school, Sherman Clark is president of the sophomore class. Ray Price and Earl Pomeroy aided in the publi- cation of football programs during the past season. Ray Forsberg is an aide of the Utah Chronicle sports editor. Others are active within their fraternities, in posi- tions which, though less known to the student body at large, usually are responsible indeed, and are rather thankless jobs at the most IN basketball, too, a trophy had to be awarded two men because of their tying for the scholarship honor among their mates. Frank Jonas had an aver- age of 2.61 and Theron Davis had one of 2.64. Jonas recorded 11 hours of A and 6 hours of B and Davis ranked A in 1 1 hours and B in seven hours. The variation in difficulty of studies, because of their relative classes, was the reason for calling the competition a tie. In track, Antone Cannon with eighteen hours of A work, held the highest average of the entire series of award winners, recording the 3 average which is perfection itself. Thus, two of the three major sports at the University saw two men tied for the scholarship honor and a third one saw perfection of one in matter of application in the class room. This is evidence enough that athletes are not, as many would believe, "dumb". On the other hand they are smarter than those students who do not partici- pate in athletics or in other extra- curricular activities. I HERE must be, other than the mere eligibility require- ment of a "C" average in all studies, other reasons for this seem- ingly high rank in athletes' scholarship. Only one answer can be found, and that is the training of the athlete. Isn't it possible that the regularity of habits for physical perfection which a coach requires, carries over into the class- room life of the student, and gives him a fine balance between mental and physical activity which can re- sult in one thing only, a student of high moral standards? Therein comes the final accom- plishment of the athlete, if he par- takes of the opportunities offered him in the training. Combine with the pride of physical well-being, a scholarly mind, and there remains no time for the moral dissipations which tend to unbalance a person's life. No coach need, then, even attempt to regulate his players' moral habits. His primary train- ing automatically does it, the re- quirements of the game demand it, and finally it, too, becomes an in- tegrated behavior in the life of athletes. Yi ET all this prompts another question. Intercollegiate athletes number only a small part of the enrollment of our universi- ties. What of those hundreds of other students who might, too, benefit from athletic activity? Are they to be denied, either because of lack of physique or time or incli- nation, these seemingly great bene- fits of athletic endeavor? Coaches of intercollegiate teams will an- swer negatively. To begin with, even though a coach must of necessity reduce his squad to that number with which he can best work, he never will turn away the lad who wishes to continue his workouts with the team. In fact a player, faithful in his efforts, often is rewarded with a trip to an out of town game, when he himself knows there is bare possibility only of his being used in the game. A squad of 200 football players is as welcome on the Utah practice field, two days before the end of the season, as it is on the first day of practice. 1 HERE is yet another answer to the question of the phys- ical well-being of the non-athlete. It is intra-mural sports. Granted that the student is willing, there is no sport known, in which he can- not participate in a recreational, keenly competitive manner at the University of Utah. Intra-mural tournaments in basketball, football, baseball, wrestling, swimming, shoe pitching, boxing, and hockey, and an intra-mural department willing at all times to add to its list for the enjoyment of even a few students, guarantees the non- athletes necessary physical recrea- tion. There is, then, no excuse for lack of physical recreation among University students. In either in- tra-mural or in intercollegiate de- partments everyone is welcome. Coaches, though generally con- sidered as hired for the advice and development of only a small num- ber of students, throw wide their doors and welcome any time any student who desires to consult them regarding physical endeavor. At the U. Armstrong is as willing to meet the non-athlete, as the athlete, as willing to advise him regarding physical training, as he is his football quarterback. In fact he asserts that no University stu- dent should deny himself some regular form of physical activity, and he is willing to aid in secur- ing this activity for all students. 1 HERE will always be a question as to whether intra- mural athletics produced the inter- est in intercollegiate athletics or whether intercollegiate athletics made intra-mural athletics a suc- cess. Probably both were mutual aids to growth, for it is obvious that the football player who has made a regular habit of physical training is not going to neglect his body because he is interested in in- ter-collegiate football only. He therefore flees to the gymnasium, home of intra-mural athletics. On the other hand thousands of stu- dents participating in intra-mural athletics cannot help but supply a coach with the first thing he asks in football or basketball or track candidates, physical fitness. Fi- nally, it is significant that both intercollegiate sports and intra- mural sports, have grown to tre- mendous popularity almost simul- taneously.