Show G CE CESO SO FAR as excitement thrills bit bit- bitter bitter It- It Itter ter disappointments surging hopes and hopeless odds might go no coach in the country even approaches ap ap- approaches approaches the record of ot Capt Tom Hamilton who handles handIes the Navy squad Captain Tom a rugged individual ID d. d v Id ua I I with unusual charm found his Ius first thrills on the air air- aircraft airy aire I y e i craft cr ft carrier c Entert Enter Enter- Enterprise I t prise in m the th late la e war p where his ship t 1 i was bombed tor ton torpedoed tort pt- pt t t and other other- otherwise otherwise t wise assaulted as in inthe the Pacific Both I x Hamilton and his ship had a brilliant record He was w a s brought back to j handle a sadly de- de Hamilton Navy squad a year ago Navy won its first game in 1946 against Villanova and lost all the others finishing with a great stand against an Army team that had Da Da- Davis Davis Davis vis Blanchard and Tucker enrolled Hamiltons Hamilton's team needed only one final play for victory This season seas en undermanned Navy drew this schedule California Col Col- Columbia Columbia Columbia Duke Cornell Pennsylvania Notre Dame Georgia Tech Penn State and Army This was a terrific schedule for any team Michigan Pennsylvania Pennsyl Pennsyl- Pennsylvania Pennsylvania vania Notre Dame Southern Cali Call California California fornia or Texas It was far beyond the reach of a young Navy team with its limited football personnel Yet as Navy was d over week after week it always came back fighting giving all it had left There were no breathing spots in Navys Navy's schedule A Record for Courage Both Hamilton and Navy have given all they had Both have set a record for courage of battling against odds since the season opened But there isn't isn t too much fun especially for Navy in being knocked down week after week struggling desperately to win one game each year Everyone seems to realize this ex ex- except except except those handling the destinies of Navy football who football who dont don't have to take the weekly beatings Just as the war broke out Navy called Swede Hagberg a brilliant submarine commander to handle an star all squad Hagberg is high on anyone's list as a submarine com com- mander He was completely bewildered bewildered bewildered dered at Annapolis with such men menas menas menas as Jenkins Kelly Scott Whitmire Demaree three stars from Texas and too many others to mention Hagberg was one of the ablest of all submarine commanders He was not a football coach Wallace Wade a great coach for 15 years lost two or ag OJ three coaching years as an artillery major Im so far behind he told me that It will take at least three years to catch up up Other veteran coaches have told me the same thing Yen Yea can drop out two years in this mod mod- modern modern modern ern coaching pace pace and and come back lost in a fog Hagberg never had a chance Then Hamilton was brought in Hamilton had been away from foot foot- football football football l ball action for many years He never had a chance against such men as I Frank Leahy Fritz Crisler Lou Lit Lit- Little Little Little tle Red Blaik George Munger and many more I could mention As smart and as able as Hamil Hamil- Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton ton is he will need at least two more years to have his chance chance to to get his feet on the ground and match the and the and and even then he wont won't have their mate mate- rial Three Years Years Then Then Out The five admirals I talked with at the last Navy Army game told me rite they were going to stick to their present system for coaches three coaches three years years and and then back to Navy service ice with ice with a new man in hi This may look to be a happy plan plan but but it wont won't work Not a chance in the world I would vote per cent to keep Hamilton on the job He will be bet bet- better better better ter in 1948 and much better in 1949 But to yank him out and bring in an an- another another another other navy navy man means Navy suicide It may be Hamilton wants navy service in place of coaching later on I wouldn't know about that But Hamilton now is just beginning to get his grip Red Blaik at Army has been coaching for more than 20 years years- Army Dartmouth and back to Army again Red is a high class professional pro pro- professional professional coach with long experience Navy is the only football squad that keeps changing coaches They are out of the job just as they are finding what it is all about They tell me from Annapolis that tha Navy wont won't have a professional coach or keep such a man as Hamilton in after his three years of o football service This is all right I Ithe if the admirals and the leading navy officials get a kick out of seeing young midshipmen knocked down do doand and hammered around week after r week I dont don't think they do Foot Fool ball coaching today is just as muc much mucha h a science a matter of experience I as handling a battleship or any form m of naVY naw craft |