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Show I SPOR 717GH 7 1 Pro Football Has Big Job Left ' By GRANTLAND RICE THE PRO FOOTBALL people, after a four years' war of destruction, de-struction, the most costly in sport, have cleaned up at least part of the debris. They have just as big a job left. At this spot their complete future plans are still too vague to be judged. They have a good start with 13 clubs. They yw' need three more t o complete 16 teams that can then be turned into in-to two big pro leagues. I don't believe be-lieve they have a chance for any great measure of success if the 13 of 16 teams are to Grantland K.ce be confined t0 one league. There should be two big leagues, entirely separate and distinct, with two league presidents and Bert Bell on hand as football commissioner. These two leagues must have the keen rivalry that now exists ex-ists between the American and National leagues in baseball. They must be separate organizations. organ-izations. One league with only 13 teams would produce around four money-makers. The old National league in 25 years tried out 35 teams in different differ-ent cities with this result four winners and 31 stained heavily with red. The four winners, financially, finan-cially, were the Bears, Giants, Redskins and Green Bay Packers. It was a smart move to keep both Los Angeles and San Francisco in the new setup; they happen to be much better football cities than New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or even Chicago. Their big crowds, even this last poor season, sea-son, ran from 66,000 to 86,000 far beyond any New York, Chicago or Philadelphia totals. Cleveland had a big drop from other years, but is still capable of matching or leading the top-drawer top-drawer squads. In their search for three other teams, pro football directors can turn to Texas with its frenzied football interests and stadiums capable cap-able of handling 75,000 people. Dallas Dal-las and Houston are two big-league cities worth inspecting. The 13 sets of owners left have had too much experience swimming in red seas not to have learned a useful lesson. Their experiences along other lines must have been helpful. The big drop in football salaries will give them a breathing breath-ing spell. Almost everyone likes to see the player get his share, but not to take it all. Pro football is too fine a spectator's spec-tator's game not to have a bright future. It has one weakness. To make money a team must be a winner or a capable challenger. Collegiate football is different. Traditional contests draw well despite de-spite a team's record. The Top Pro In one old-time gathering they were talking about the star pros of the game, looking back to Red Grange, the greatest crowd-puller of them all. Bronko Nagurski was one of the featured headliners, a great football player. There were Otto Graham and Frankie Albert. Al-bert. There was Jim Thorpe in the old days. The most effective effec-tive combination that ever worked together was Sammy Baugh and Cliff Battles. They wrecked both the Bears and the Giants on successive Saturdays. Sat-urdays. "The smartest football player I ever saw," Bob Zuppke said, "and this goes for college or pro, is Sid Luckman. Luckman is an amazing man. He is a fine football player with his hands and legs and body. But he is amazing with his headwork. I believe Sid Luckman carries 500 plays in his head, far more than any team could ever carry into action. But he can reach in and find tl a right one when he needs it. -.uckman is a master magician with that football brain." There was another famous veteran vet-eran coach in the group. "I'll tell you about Sid Luckman," he said. "Don Hvjtson is the greatest pass catching end I ever saw. Sammy Baugh is certainly as great a passer pass-er andj kicker as anyone would want tcf see. He is an all-around star. Bait for value to my team, I woulql rather have had Luckman than B.augh and Hutson combined. I mear that." Thiis may be overpraise. But it slhows you the deep esteem in v hich Sid Luckman is held by ill who know their football. Sid (should have no trouble getting get-ting a good job coaching some teaim. He happens to be a gentleman gen-tleman on the side. Sajmmy Baugh is another who shouftf finish his football career on thie coaching side. It might be mentioned here that the big majority major-ity ofj the pro teams left are ably coachjed. Greasy Neale is one of the b'est football ever knew. So is George Halas. |