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Show rETROIT. Hurry-up Yost is still wearing the same old Will Rogers Rog-ers grin. The man, who came to Ann Arbor as head coach with Willie Heston 40 years ago, today as athletic ath-letic director looks at Tom Harmon, one of the greatest running backs of all time. Forty years age Wolverine supporters, sup-porters, chanting -The Yellow and the Blue," looked upon Willie Heston Hes-ton as the nonpareil. Today the sport-loving city of Detroit can't believe be-lieve that Heston was another Harmon. Har-mon. As long as both belong to Michigan football history, Yost merely grins. "What about an all-time Michigan Michi-gan backfield," he asks, "with Benny Ben-ny Friedman at quarter, Heston and Harmon at the halves and Johnny Garrels at full? What other all-time college backfield could ever equal that bunch? Name one." The closest we could think of Included In-cluded Thorpe, Calac, Guyon, and Hudson or Mt. Pleasant at Carlisle or Gipp, Savoldi, Eichenlaub and Carideo or Dorais of Notre Dame, not overlooking Marty BrilL The Michigan collection still leads. The Harmon Case When you get right down to the facts in the case, Tommy Harmon of Michigan has already proved his ! place in the football roundup. j In the 21 or more games of his career he has been a star at almost every start They have checked him and there as Bob Zuppke did a year ago. But don't forget that even - - , - L - , J--; a TOM HARMON ! the brilliant Red Grange knew games where he failed to pick up two first downs. I saw one against Nebraska. Football has known too many great backs to offer you any complete com-plete list it had known some even before the days of Snake Ames at Princeton, one of the best, around 1SS9. Heston, Eckersall, Thorpe, Coy, Mahan, Tryon, Gipp, Ncvers, Grange, Nagurski, Jocsting, Stevens, Stev-ens, Dutch Clarke, Whizier White and a long list of others have led the parade at one time or another. Don't believe for a second that all had nothing but big days. They have I all known dark days on one or more occasions. Grange Stopped I still recall the day when I traveled trav-eled with "Our Town" Frank Craven, Cra-ven, the football loving actor, to Ur-bana Ur-bana to see Red Grange run against Nebraska which had a tackle by the name of Weir a 220-pound hurdler. That day we failed to see the famous fa-mous Redhead cross the scrimmage line. Frank Reagan made over 300 yards against Princeton but only I six yards at ball carrying against Michigan. I Fritz Pollard at Brown was a star 1 back, but Colgate stopped him cold-i cold-i cr than two dead mackerel. No one can keep running for ever. There were few backs the equals j of Eddie Mahan, the Harvard Scythe 1 but Cornell arrested his march at : the line of scrimmage one afternoon. J There is a big argument now un- der way from Berkeley to Cam-j Cam-j bridge, meaning the Pacific and the j Atlantic, as to where Harmon be-I be-I longs In the galaxy of stars. Many 1 of thrin will tell you Fvashevski ! made him. Harmon will say so. j Self -Made Bach ! Evashcvskl is one of the best J blocking backs of this generation. A grand football player. But he ' didn't make Tommy Harmon. Harmon made Harmon. When Evashcvskl wont out in the IVnn game and his substitute entered. Harmon picked up even more ground. Great backs make themselves not their blockers, who can certainly help. But the main job is still up to the outstanding ball carrier, given any sort of a chance to get in motion. mo-tion. The point In that Harmon has been a utar since his first gain a star from his first game In ltKtS to his lust charge against PennsylvaniA. When he ran wild against California, Califor-nia, starting his last college season, scoring 2rt points, they nil said tho Gohlen Hear was only a fu.-y kitten. kit-ten. But the Golden Hear came back to bent St. Mary's, the team that bent Fordham. nnd to hold Washington to a 7 B decision after Washington had played Minnesota practically to n standstill. So California Cali-fornia must hnve bud a few good football players on the field. |