Show Mi te Tougher Tough e r Th han an Colleg Co liege Admits A dm i ts Wh izze r White Wh i te By HENRY McLEMORE United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK Sept 22 Chalk 22 Chalk up another triumph for mind over matter matter matter mat mat- ter because Byron White is In town and he sUit still walks t talks eats sleeps smiles and laughs I Since the first of ot the month this Phi Beta Kappa and Rhodes scholar from Colorado has played in nine football games against toughest professional opposition and i in irs each of them he was the America all-America target He was the one his rivals wanted to hit wanted to show up with as savage blocks and tackles as they could throw He took em high and low from the bruising Bears Giants Lions and Eagles Already he has taken talen a jolt f for r reach each of those he be will get at atthe atthe atthe the end of the season and hundreds more lie lle ahead But he didn't have havea a patch of tape on him or a single bruise when I talked with him last night He was chipper and happy and looking forward to tomorrow night when his Pittsburgh team takes the field i-field against the Brooklyn the Dodgers Dodger Its tough but iut its it's swell Byron Byro said II And to be perfectly honest hones with you its it's a lot tougher than I thought it would be In a college colleg game there never were more than tha thana a couple of fellows who shook yo you up when they hit you But the pros pro start 11 guys guy guy- who half halt kill yo yoon you on each play and when they ge get tired 11 mo more e just a little tougher come in But believe me inc when I te tell you there thera Is little or no dirty foo foot foot- ball Oh every once in a while somebody somebody somebody some some- body will give you a knee but knees knee and fists arent aren't half as common as they are in college games gomes The pros hit you so hard they dont don't have t to resort to rough stuff Take that tha Dave of Philadelphia No Noon on second thought dont don't take him Hell He'll kill you White didn't try to hide his in indignation indignation indignation in- in when I mentioned to him that there were rumors going about abou that his Pirate teammates were jealous of his publicity and salar salary and had n not t been blocking any to too vigor vigorously when he carried the bal ball bail a lie if it I ever heard one he said Everyone on the team from Art Rooney down has been swell to me The players give me everything they've got and my failures failures fail fail- ures urea are my own I threw away that game to Philadelphia right at the start when I fumbled the ball bali but there wasn't one word of criticism criticism cism clam or one dirty look from any of the players S SI I asked Byron if he were as good a football player right now as he hei was when I saw him play for Colorado Colorado Colo Cob rado against Utah in Salt Lake City last fall Im Irn smarter but Im I'm not as good a ball bail carrier or kicker or passer The opposition in pro football has something to do with that of course but so has bas the strain Ive I've been under You know I have been exhibited like a freak since I signed up with the Pirates Not that Im I'm complaining if if I paid a player 15 I would exploit him to the hilt too But its it's tough to play your best game when you feel teet that nothIng nothIng nothing noth noth- ing short of a yard 50 run or a 75 yard pass will satisfy the customers I C find myself pressing all the time in an effort to live up to my tation I try not to but I cant can't help it You know as well as I do that no player ever was as good as my publicity made me out to be Well Wel maybe Dutch Clark is but Im I'm no o Dutch Clark Hes He's the tops pounds of modesty talks as it if he were a flop The figurea figures figures fig fig- ures urea dont don't bear him out He is tied for the lead in scoring coring with 18 points second in yards gained rushing rushing rush rush- ing with and fourth among the pass receivers with seven snagged nagged for 88 yards gained Not bad for tor a youngster just starting starting start start- ing out In Iii the toughest league of them all |