Signals

Young men swore, sweated and scrimmaged last week all over the

U. S. The football season of 1927 went into the intensive training stage and some few teams heard the whistle of their opening games. Falling on the Ball. Thousands of boys and young men scowled blackly and flung themselves upon one another. Also, they flung them selves at footballs bouncing on the turf, and lost their tempers. The time-honored opening exercise of football practice (falling on the ball) vexed them.

Falling on the ball is one of the most important features of a player's skill. He must be able to dive at a loose ball from any posture and land with the obloid caged by arms, stomach, legs. Thus are fumbles retrieved in football games; thus are fumbles, unexpected flukes of fortune, re covered. Many football games have been won by fumbles promptly pounced upon. Since a football is not round, but bounces drunkenly, the proper pounce requires flashing speed, intuitive judgment, and tire less practice.

Tackling practice tried tempers. Tackling has been called the most valued weapon of a player's arma ment. In games, tackling is the swift answer to an enemy chal lenge; fraught with an emotional energy that softens, psychologically the bumps. In practice, it is a dull business hammering with the shoulders the piston hammers of another man's knees.

Interference (knocking another man down without using the hands) is bumpy work; smashing opposing line men from the crouch brings bruises, bloody noses. Football practice is no fun.

At Michigan, for the first time in 25 years, the punishment was not directed by Coach Fielding H. ("Hurry Up") Yost. Overwhelmed by duties incident to the general direction of athletics at Michigan, the grey-haired gridiron notable turned the post of head coach over to his right hand man, Tad Weiman. One of the most famed coaches of all time, Yost has won nine Western Conference championships out of 15. Since 1901, his teams have scored 5,989 points; their opponents 834. Yost's retirement came almost coincidentally with the announcement from New Haven that famed Tad Jones was in his last year as Eli coach.

Including Weiman's Michigan squad, some 1,000 men reported to coaches of the Western Conference.

In California, the Pacific Coast Conference worked for the glory of Far West. "Pop" Warner called his Leland Stanford hopefuls together around a blackboard to instill the rudiments of theoretical strategy. Scouts scattered to spy upon opposing teams. The Pacific Conference recognizes scouting, favors it; arguing that the Eastern attitude is silly since loyal graduates will scout opponents surreptitiously despite rules.

Penn State rejoices in 13 veterans struggling for the eleven positions on the team.

Syracuse, on the other hand, labored frantically to whip up a crowd of rookies, including a completely green line.

At Fordham, Captain William Feaster tore a ligament in his shoulder (tackling) and will be lost for early games.

Pennsylvania returned to Franklin Field, Philadelphia, after preliminary weeks at Sea Girt, N. J., pleased that the famed drop kicker, Folwell Scull, has recovered from injury.

At Princeton, a race of giants were reported trying for the line. Captain Hannegan of Navy will be out of the first few games, owing to an injury incurred in baseball practice last spring. Bruce Caldwell, star Yale back, reported complete healing of an ankle injury received in last year's game with Georgia, which kept him out of football last fall and baseball last spring.

At Louisiana Tech, Ed Shirley arrived to help coach. As all-southern half back from Auburn he was famed for football, but craved a professional baseball career. He returned to football when eye trouble (double vision-- similar to the affliction which drove famed George Sisler off the St. Louis Browns in 1925) spoiled him for baseball.

Harvard scored five touchdowns against the scrubs one afternoon.

New York University made a bid for the title of the best-dressed football team in the U. S., adopting armor of sheer violet stockings, thin violet jerseys, pure white dome headguards, white shoulder strips, short canvas trunks (for backs & ends) leaving the knees exposed for freer action.