CHAPTER III

ELBOW TO ELBOW

“I wonder where my shoes are?” “Who’s got my trousers on?” “I wonder if the tailor mended my jersey?” “What has become of my head-gear?” “I wonder if the cobbler has put new cleats on my shoes?” “Somebody must have my stockings on—­these are too small.”  “What has become of my ankle brace—­can’t seem to find it anywhere?  I just laid it down here a minute ago.  I think that freshman pinched my sweater.”

All of which is directed to no one in particular, and the Trainer, who sits far off in a corner, blowing up a football for the afternoon practice, smiles as the players are fishing for their clothes.  Just then the Captain, who has dressed earlier than the rest, and has had two or three of the players out on the field for kicking practice, breaks in upon the scene with the remark: 

“Don’t you fellows all know you’re late?  You ought to be dressed long before this.”  Then follows the big scramble and soon everybody is out on the field.

The Trainer is busy keeping his eye open for any man who is being handled too strenuously in the practice.  Quick starts are practiced, individual training is indulged in.  Kicking and receiving punts play an important part in the preliminary work.

[Illustration:  House in disorder]

At Williams one afternoon, Fred Daly, former Yale Captain and coach at Williams, in trying forward passes instructed his ends to catch them at every angle and height.  One man continually fumbled his attempt, just as he thought he had it sure.  He was a new man to Daly, and the latter called out to him: 

“What is your name?” Back came the reply, which almost broke up the football practice for the day:  “Ketchum is my name.”

Falling on the ball is one of the fundamentals in football.  It is the ground work that every player must learn.  Frank Hinkey, that great Yale Captain and player, was an artist in performing this fundamental.  Playing so wonderfully well the end-rush position, his alertness in falling on the ball often meant much distance for Yale.  He had wonderful judgment in deciding whether to fall on the ball or pick it up.

One of the most important things in football is knowing how to tackle properly.  Some men take to it naturally and others only learn after hard, strenuous practice.

In the old days men were taught to tackle by what is known as “live tackling.”  I recall especially that earnest coach, Johnny Poe, whose main object in football coaching was to see that the men tackled hard and sure.

Poe, without any padding on at all, would let the men dive into him running at full speed, and the men would throw him in a way that seemed as though it would maim him for life.  Some of the men weighed a hundred pounds more than he did, but he would get up and, with a smile, say: