Show now M TI IP HE E off trails of football that rarely lead to the major headlines can take you into a country just as interesting as minnesota stanford texas A M boston bos ton college and tennessee for example during the late world series in cincinnati I 1 ran across a number of old time football players who told me about a back by the name of jackie hunt of marshall college in huntington W va 1 I played against george gipp one old timer said and id rather have hunt than gipp grantland rice nice 1 I played against cliff battles another reported and ill take hunt over battles he Is just as good a ball carrier a great kicker a fine passer and a star defensive back when good football players tell you about a fellow who is better than gipp and battles you begin to take notice so two months ago I 1 crawled a trifle out on the limb for jackie hunt being on the off trail away from the beaten pack hunt was hard to follow but he was the big factor in beating V P 1 I and also in scoring 19 points against wake forest a team good enough to beat north Caro carolina Una 12 to 0 picking up what I 1 could here and there after all there are arc over colle college collee e teams playing games each week I 1 discovered jackie hunt was doing all right the next investigation discovered that he was the leading scorer of the country well ahead of such people as harmon and kimbrough and the rest J bout about jach jackie ic hunt about this time I 1 ran into joele jock sutherland the dodger mandarin 1 I know about hunt jock said we wanted him at pittsburgh he was the best high school back in america that year big fast passer ball carrier and kicker loaded with exceptional football spirit but hunt wanted to stay in Us his home town at huntington witla with Al marshall arshall ile he felt that huntington was where he belonged even as a high school player be was an outstanding star more than a f few ew leading colleges tried to explain to hunt that he could take the headlines away from harmon and kimbrough from reagan and hunt interested te in headlines he loved football but he wanted to play at home A pound 10 second man who could do about everything this west virginian let nationwide nation wide fame roll by as he went on scoring three or four touchdowns in almost every game for dear old marshall this attitude was more important than all the touchdowns he scored which lead the nation hunt and snead A few days ago I 1 received a screed from a sport writing friend from west virginia who knows his stuff you may remember he wrote that ive only slipped you yoa one tip years tears ago I 1 told you that we had bad a hillbilly by the name of sammy snead who was on his way up with the greatest swing in golf that was before anyone knew anything about sammy snead you printed what I 1 wrote to you now im telling you that jackie hunt of marshall college is a better football player than sammy snead is a golfer 1 I know his schedule what minnesota or michigan faces but I 1 know what he can do id like to see him on equal terms play against harmon or kimbrough tor for I 1 know he can do more things better with a football he can run with either and and both and you cant find a better defensive player hunt Is in the same spot dutch dark clark once held A great player they said but no schedule dutch dark clark is still the all time all ameri ca quarterback in your book and almost every other book hunt is bigger and faster than dutch cl dark ark and can do everything as well no fahe ballyhoo this is no fake ballyhoo for jackie hunt whom I 1 have never seen but when doc spears coach of dartmouth minnesota and oregon now at toledo who has seen hunt play two years adds his testimony you have to listen doc spears believe there is S a better allaround all around back in america I 1 ca and he has no exceptions exception S one of the greatest is the doc S spears pears tribute hunt went to marshall college knowing it would be almost impossible tor for him to make an all amer ica for this one reason the schedule the important question would be asked hunt illint may look good against V P 1 I and toledo and wake forest but let him try to run against big ten teams what then there is something to this angle but I 1 know several pro coaches who would just as soon have hunt when he graduates as either harmon or kimbrough except for the matter of publicity and gate receipts |