Show 0 R CE College Football and 1943 What will happen to the colleges colleges- and college football this year In the first place this Is a n matter entirely up tc to td the war department In the second place it is also a I matter that Interests many millions Here is a tip from inside sources In the war department department- In 1943 we will win take over or maybe colleges and universities At least of ot the 18 16 and year 19 old boys will be assigned as signed to this class They will be drafted drafted draft draft- t ed but the pick of a y the draft will sill be tg given over to ROTC v im training These men will be trained for officers especially r. r in n the flying corps where we are lookIng looking look look- Ing for at ot least 70 70 Grantland Rice additional fliers This is a different sort of ot warThe warThe warThe war The only colleges and universities ties that can get by are those picked for war training After 1942 1992 the war department will have full charge not college presidents who are in complete accord with the war department program The New Program It is my belief that so far tar as 1943 is concerned football should be given given given en first place in any physical train train- ing mg Football isn't war war but but it is the closest thing we have to war Football is the best training for war As references Ill I'll giVe gitre you youGen Gen Douglas MacArthur and Capt pt Mike Moran of the good ship Boise who sank six Jap warships In 27 minutes Both are staunch believers in football football football foot foot- ball values for war But what sort of college football football program will we have for 1043 1943 Many in the war department want wantonly wantonly wantonly only an intramural program In Inthis Inthis Inthis this respect they are per cent wrong On both the physical training and the morale sides football football or or any other sport sport needs needs outside tion Men in the service know this much better than head men in Washing Washing- ton These servicemen want to beat somebody else not else not themselves There are too many in Washington Washing Washing- ton who dont don't happen to understand this psychological angle which angle which isan is isan isan an important one There is no way they can get close enough to millions of ot servicemen servicemen servicemen service service- men who know what they want The Needed Program Granting the fact that football is isa iso isa a o badly needed ingredient in our national national national na na- na- na training program which program which no sane person denies there denIes there should be outside competition at close traveling traveling traveling travel travel- ing range There should be no faraway intersectional intersectional inter- inter sectional games But there are any number of teams tennis who are fairly close neighbors where there is a homespun rivalry where traveling distances are short The East can play against the East the East the South against the South South- the Midwest against the Midwest and the Southwest the Southwest the Far West only against the Far West Until the war is over national championships are arc entirely out of order Long trips are out of ot order Intersectional games are out of or or- der Very few people expect sports as usual They know that reaching far changes are inevitable But it so happens this country has teams In every section that can play among themselves on a high basis of ot skill with a neighborhood rivalry that is far tar more interesting than any outside challenge For example Harvard example Harvard Yale and Princeton Princeton Georgia Georgia Georgia Tech Alabama and Auburn Boston Auburn Boston College College College Col Col- lege and Holy Cross Cross Army Army and and Navy Southern Navy Southern Cal and UCLA- UCLA Stanford and California the California the Texas teams teams teams-on on and on With the war department taking over so many colleges and universities ties their major mistake would be beto beto beto to abolish football Their second major mistake would be to abolish all outside competition They should let these colleges carry carry carry car car- ry on with what they have left We Weare Weare are thinking now only in terms of physical condition competitive training and morale These are factors that cant can't be Ignored ig Ig- nored pored even by those in charge at Washington who claim to have more important matters to think about For practically this entire college enlistment will be in war service training only waiting the call to active active active ac ac- ac- ac tive duty i 11 Job The services arc are doing a cent job in maintaining physical fitness fit fit- ness ness army army navy marines and coast guard They are giving millions mil mU lions the chance to box swim wres wres- tie tle run and jump This same program should be carried carried carried car car- ried through for tor the remainder of the nation nation for for the kids coming up and for the older men who have yet to be called We have concentrated ed too much on the outstanding few who needed this training less than the others I |