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Show V7"EARS ago the brilliant Alexander Pope wrote: "They had no poet and they died." He was referring to the dead and decadent empires of the world "In vain they schemed, In vain they bled. They had no poet and are dead." Yale, this season, has 320 pounds of poet. If Pope was right, Yale football won't die this fall, "We can still lose all our games and look good," Herman told me. "Not to the Old Blue," I said. "The Old Blue neither dies nor surrenders." "What does he do?" Herman asked. "He expects you to win a lot of football foot-ball games with the spirit of Hinkey, Shevlin, Kilpatrick, Pudge Heffelfinger, Clint Frank, Widdy Neale and a few others." "But I haven't any HICKMAN of these fellows on my team this season," sea-son," Herman, the poet, said. This was a big occasion at Yale and New Haven. It was the first time Yale had ever had a poet coaching the team since my old and departed friend, Billy Phelps, tried to help. "It's no use, Grant," Billy Phelps told me once, "they don't appreciate blockers and passers down here. They are so much more important than poets and philosophers. I only wish they knew." Mr. Herman Hickman, the greatest guard fbotbail ever knew, according to Gen. Bob Neyland and this writer, the poet laureate of the Smoky Mountains, Moun-tains, the man who helped to make five great Army lines, now faces only one kink in his happy existence the game's greatest line coach has no line to coach. Has Good Backfield He has a fine backfield, headed by Bull Nadherny, a scrappy hard hitting hit-ting back a fine football player. He has Levi Jackson who so far has never lived up to his newspaper headlines but who is about due. He has other good backs. He has a high-class center in Yale's scrappy captain, Billy Conway. But where are all those Polish names Howie Odell had Barzilauskas Prchlik plus big Davidson a fine tackle and others? "Don't get me wrong, Grant," Herman said. "This line material mate-rial I have is game, smart and willing to give its all. I mean that. We'll make 'em respect us, even if we lose every game. We'll win some games and lose some games." "That's my philosophy of life," I said to Herman. "Take a little leave a little but don't ever take it all." Notre Dame and one or two others can tell you about that. "Don't ever take it all." Life doesn't work that way. Herman Hickman drew at least one lucky break. He came to Yale at a time when Eli was at its lowest ebb. It must have been at a low ebb since Howie Odell, its coach, left for Washington university, where far western coaches don't believe he is headed anywhere. Yale, this season, plays this schedule sched-ule Brown, Connecticut, Columbia, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, Kings Point, Princeton and Harvard. Yale Doesn't Rate I don't believe that Yale rates with Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, or Princeton. Yale should be outclassed by Columbia, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt Vander-bilt and Princeton. I understand under-stand Brown, Dartmouth and Harvard are far better than a year ago. I know Columbia should be a far better team. I know Princeton will be. This leaves Herman Hickman of Tennessee, Army and Yale in a tough spot. The best teams in the Ivy league should be Pennsylvania, Princeton and Columbia. At least they have much the best material. Columbia has the best backfield material and a pretty good line. Princeton and Pennsylvania have the best all-around all-around stuff. Penn State and Army should have two of the best teams in the East with Rutgers and Villanova challenging. chal-lenging. Don't sell either short. But Herman Hickman honestly honest-ly faces the toughest challenge of the lot. He hasn't two men who could make Columbia or Princeton. And Yale doesn't like to lose. My suggestion is that Yale give Herman Hickman a chance and that doesn't mean 1948 1949 any way. I don't believe Yale has ever had a finer coach or a human being be-ing who could mean more to Yale football than Herman Hickman can. Winning is a good, big part of it. But winning isn't everything. Herman Her-man Hickman can do more good for a college losing than most coaches can winning. I mean in the way that counts. . If only winning counts then Notre Dame and Michigan are the only two major colleges left. |