Show SPOTLIGHT Draft Draff May Wreck Most Grid Squads By GRANTLAND RICE RACE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE that college football will drop to an even lower level in 1031 1951 than it knew In 1944 and 1945 when only Army Navy z and N Navy a v y Pre Pro flights and ana a few other schools had any r I real e a I 1 teams The other elevens w were e ere r e composed largely of kids and Its It's possible with the increasing de de- Grantland Rice nice mands of the military mill mili tary draft that Army and Navy will have the only good teams left For example I was talking with Jeff Cravath of 01 Southern California about the Army game came next fall faU Army said Jeff wont lose any ny men by bythe bythe bythe the draft Only by graduation Weve We've already lost good men and we are pretty sure to lose others Under these conditions condition 1 I wouldn't want to take a draft- draft ridden team East to be outclassed outclassed outclassed out out- classed and slaughtered by A powerful untouched A Arm Army r m y squad quad consisting of 01 Pollard Pollock Pol Fol lock Johns Johnson n Beck Deck Weaver and other stars We would have little chance with everybody back against this thI 1951 1931 Army Almy line Just a few more young fellows lost to the draft would wreck us This Isn't Army's fault of course Cravath said It is one of the breaks of the defense of the peace Army and Navy certainly lead any college in time of war They do a great job But they also have most of the good football players In time of war There Is a new call of 01 for lor the draft This will be directed at y 1 young o 0 u n rr g fellows largely between the a ages es of 01 19 and 22 It will take more than thana a few baseball stars especially all aU the good rood rookies It also wUl will wreck the cheerful prospects of 01 many a football squad Tn ra 11 the last war the Army abandoned football outside of West Point The Navy was responsible for most of the football played Noone No Noone one ne knows what will happen in 1951 1051 The logs fogs and the mists mist ahead are thick Will wm the Army again give up the game or will the Army Join in with the Navy Will there be more pre pre- fight schools where football will be played Or will the Navy also quit the game and leave the colleges to struggle along without help I I e e Navy Army lt tame namo The Navy Army-Navy game gamo ma may be one of the few big games played next year Army and Navy certainly certain ly will stick to football They need It Other colleges college may need it it but they'll be floundering time Big football may easily grow out of fashion This Thi might help future football When the game has I reached the point where it takes a year to finance a football football foot foot- ball squad there is little of the amateur side left Everyone knows that most college e stars are well taken care of 01 through scholarships and other expenses Everybody knows that many others are paid In cash under the table i not bol by the colleges but bul by alumni Football is i. one of the greatest of all games It is a great sport and magnificent a spectacle when spectacle when It Jt is fa treated as a sport and not big business It is needed as a conr conditioner con can for those who play it in time of war But there is ls where luck breaks against Army and Navy During the last war they had all the breaks in material Through the next year or 01 two or longer they will again get all the breaks In material They will receive no credit for beating draft-depleted draft opponents opponents not not if they win 80 to 0 O. Again this thI isn't their fault But again if the draft begins to cut in heavily Army and Navy cant can't expect ex ex- pact opponents to be slaughtered It may not be bo this bad This may be a morbid view But again It might be even worse In a world that Is still sUII thinking In terms term of 01 suicide and ex U If the first atom bomb ever falls faUs the rest of the story Is incredible chaos chao As an eminent bard by the name nam of William Shakespeare once said i Cowards die many tunes times before I their deaths the valiant taste oi oj death but once S e e eTao Too Tao Much Pressure Apparently few colleges college and still stil fewer old grads cant can't understand that in a football game both teams team cant can't win As a result pressure on coaches has become so heavy that no sane man will ever want the job ob When a great coach such ai as Bernie Bierman has been for decades dec ades ade wants want to quit and when a winning coach such luch as Blair Cherry of Texas is I. also wants to quit youcan you youcan youcan can get let some idea of the picture It is largely a professional I business on a cash basis or at least leasta a semi cash basis Today it costs a college around to run Its football business and this cost demands demands de mands a winning whining team Those that cant can't afford to pay this price must either so go broke or 01 quit football Colleges have been forced conferences conference so they can meet upon I supposedly even terms But Dut all too often otten colleges with much stricter regulations must meet rivals who have few restrictions end nd this thI ii It seldom an even match |