Show I v SPORTS I I MIRROR 8 By John Mooney r Telegram Sports Sport Editor j Observation Ward Thy el also to s irv rv who only ony stand and nd wa f wait fp cia x In th th h tau tau- Editors Editor's note The following letter tetter was written as 85 n a tribute to Harvey Holmes former Utah coach who died the other d day Y It was a passed on to us from Horace Hor ace W. W Shele Sheley who was closely associated with Coach Holmes in Utah's Utah embryonic athletic yen Ten tures ture t The passing of ot Harvey Hane R. R Holmes gentleman Is the passing of ot an era of athletic activity from which there are few survivors of whom the writer is one Mr Sheley writes J JI In uIn the summer of 1900 Dr Kingsbury president the of university university I sity called me to him to meet Mr Holmes the new coach because I I was secretary of the Student I Athletic and had been trying I to raise funds for uniforms etc for the teams for forthe the following fall The first thing he needed was a place for the Holmes family which we found The university was moving from the present site of West high to its present locale on the east bench which was covered with sagebrush except where ground had been cleared for the three school buildIngs buildings build build- ings and the heating plant There was no athletic field but architect architect architect archi archi- Kelting had planned for it at atthe atthe atthe the southeast corner cerner of the camI campus cam cam- I pus PUSS where it is today I Then a dime meant far more to the university than n a dollar does docs today to the university and to those who manage athletic functions When hen Mr Holmes came we had no money for uniforms unit uni uni- t forms no place to practice football foot foot- ball bail and track but the money monty I had to be raised somehow This job became the writers writer's business I almost to his exclusion from studies and sufficient funds were raised from townspeople and students students stu stu- stu- stu dents dent mostly the latter to provide provide provide pro pro- vide uniforms uniform for the football players Mr Holmes who had come comeI I from a school liberally supplied with athletic fields and funds t might have bave been disgusted but butt t not he he-he he he made the best of things Most loit of the candidates who came to pIa play football came i under pressure until they met Harvey HarTe and were charmed by i him U If I were to list them here hereIt It would read like Homers Homer's list of heroes who sailed against I Tro Troy so extensive is the roster Most 1 of them are gone Ione their names are past glories remembered remembered remembered by their sons and grand grand- sons In the following spring Harve Harvey took the track team to Reno where we were soundly beaten by the University University Uni Uni- of Nevada The defeat was expected for Nevada had contacts with ith Stanford and California The following spring Nevada visited I Salt Lake and was beaten by the i team Harvey had assembled J A week ago we met and Harvey was talking about his ancient years at the University of Utah Although he had coached larger schools yet yetI I think his heart still rested at his first important coaching job and it was to this city that he brought i his bride He was willing to take a chance against the best opponents knowing know know- jn lag ing that his team could not win in inI ina ina I a spirit of pure sportsmanship darIng daring dar dar- ing to risk his reputation He had pride in his victories and in himself himself himself him him- self but mostly because his boys had won the victories He had outlived outlived outlived out out- lived most of us but he could call the roll ron of names with ruffled drums or be hail fellow well met metto metto t to the survivors il He rejoiced that mostly they I 1 had become good citizens and useful useful use use- i ful to their fellow men He himself i set an example that way and h hIr he Ir always lived as if in training for forI I some athletic event He was the Ideal coach to tp my mind quick to i recognize latent ability Imparting I 1 his enthusiasm and sportsmanship to his men and soothing t their heir hurt spirits when defeat was theirs There have not been many Hare Harvey Har liar e vey Holmes and we shall miss him We Ve are thankful that at j the university and the public were about to pay him deserved honors i HORACE SHELEY |