United States Military Academy West Point - Howitzer Yearbook (West Point, NY)

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FOOTBALL ARMY 31 L . of DETROIT 6 ARMY.— 26 KNOX COLLEGE 7 ARMY 27 U. of NOTRE DAME ARMY 19 U. of ST. LOUIS ARMY 7 YALE .28 ARMY 14 DAMS ELKIXS . 6 ARMY 7 COLUMBIA .21 ARMY 44 URSINUS (I ARMY 111 NAVY 3 BAXTER, Cs FOOTBALL, undoubtedly, plays a far more important part in a Cadet ' s existence than any other one sport, hobby or activity. Everybody is interested, from the hardest working, file-boning Engineer to the lowest ranking, indifferent Plebe, who expects to get found at mid-year. There is not a man in the entire Corps that does not get the football spirit just as soon as practice starts in the fall, and tin ' s enthusiasm does not wane until after the Navy game has been played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Studies, femmes, Christinas leave, graduation — all fade into the background before this bigger and better issue. There is nothing that can be compared with it. It holds a unique position in the world of sport and rivalry: it grips you and holds you, though your team lie touchdowns ahead or touchdowns behind. The Army team began the 1925 season suffering from the loss of about eight regulars. Wood and Gillmore out of the backfield and all of tin line except Baxter. The loss of Wood meant the loss of one of the most dependable kickers that the East lias ever seen. In the line, the absence of The Three Musketeers, Garbisch, Farwick and Page two hundred twentj

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hundred nineteen

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Ellinger was particularly deplor- ed. Coach McEwan began looking around about him for successors to these vacant positions. He was not long in (1 i sc-o c ri 1 1 ii- that Schmidt, Daly, and Seeman (the latter alternating with Hammack throughout tli. worthy followers season ' s center another of last Sprague, a fast .f tl pr trie •vious lunders, ar ' s rinds, and sky Plebe from Texas, seemed just cut out for tackles. Horn, who turned out to he our All-American contribution. together with Capt. Harry Bax- ter, completed our regular line. All of these men were forced to extend themselves throughout the season, in face of opposition from other men on the squad, such as Lynch, Listen, Perry, Harbold, Davidson, Heiser. l ' lummer. Brentnall, Klias, and others. In the backfield we had a wealth of good material. except that we had no punter. Hewitt. Yeomans and Trapnell alternated at kicking, hut none of them were above average. They did well though, Considering that punting had heretofore been be- yond their ken. Trapnell, especially toward the end of the season, was getting off some nice ones. In the running, plunging, passing, receiving and general all round backfield work, however, tin Army had a large number of dependable men. In addition to Yeomans. Hewitt, and Trapnell, we had Harding, a very heady quarterback, Wilson. if not e thought nothin; 75 yards for a gator 15u.ll. back. Scheifflei s e 1 y watched. if running 50 or touchdown. Alli- i ten second hall ' . a low-charging. FRANK V, I hard-hitting line plunger. Gil- breth, Allen. Brusher, Hall, and others. Then the 15 Squad men and the l ' lebes on the ( ' Squad were always working hard, fur- nishing strong opposition to tin- first team. No small amount of credit is due to them for their efforts and their share in turning- out a real representative Corps team. So. after a careful in- ventory had been made, and the staff of coaches had ironed out the wrinkles of ignorance from the new men, and pressed tin- creases of knowledge into all men on the squad, our appearance was not so untidy as it first appeared. Glancing perspectively at the record of the team, we pronounce the season a success. Of course, it was not one hundred per cent successful, but the two most important games of tin season were won by good scores. Had we won no other games than these two against Notre Dame and the Navy, had every other team sent us down in defeat, still would we have counted our team as being one among many produced here at West Point. The initial game of the season was an intersec- tional affair with Detroit on October 3rd. Every- one waited the outcome anxiously, for the Army