Lafayette College - Melange Yearbook (Easton, PA)

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Two weeks hefore college opened, at Allcnhnrst, Advisory Coach Newton and Coach MeCaa were greeted by a collection of green material and a few veterans. The coaches keenly felt the loss of snch men as Captain Dannehower, Captain-elect Marshall, Spiegel and Kelly. When the day for the first game arrived there was a hig crowd of enthusiasts on March liield, for l,afayette's playing ability was as yet an unknown quantity. Muhlenberg was no nnworthy rival, and the game divulged some interesting facts. The liastonians plainly had the players, lint the weakness was in team work. There was not the smoothness of play nor the essential snap that marks a team working as a nnit. Close npon the heels of the opener came thecrnshing defeat at the hands of Swartlnnorc. The main-liners sent np an aggregation of veterans, each one of them trained and disciplined for at least a year by the nlatehlcss George llrooke. Tl1e kinks in the team work of the locals were still apparent and the coaches labored for another week to iron them ont. On to Yale! was the ery. At New l-laven the Maroon first asserted its real pnneh. Although defeated to the 'tnne of no o the wisest of foothall men gave Lafayette nnstinted praise. The sporting world marveled when they learned of the attack offered hy the dinxinntive Pennsylvania eleven hefore tl1e lion- 29

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hearted Iilis. Lafayette's clean, open playing favorably impressed the Yale men who immediately expressed a desire to continue athletic relations. , A week later Ursinus appeared on March Field to suffer defeat in a rather unexciting con- test. The Collegeville boys did not present their usual formidable lineup. There was a mild expression of satisfaction over the game, but the time for real rejoicing came seven days later when mighty Penn left Franklin Field beaten and broken by the prowess and the wonderful stand of Lafayette. Penn had experienced an unusual slump, previous to this game, but the mosteonscrvative of Philadelphia's sporting writers predicted a clean victory over Lafayette. The team left Easton with but a flickering hope of withstanding the charge of the Quakers. It is needless to recount the story of the game. Tl1e defense of the Maroon was classed with the most wonderful ever witnessed on Franklin Field. Veterans of the game did not withhold one iota of credit from the Eastonians. They stood in the limelight of gridiron fame while Penn muttered an acknowledgment of its defeat. In quick succession came the tic game with Bucknell and the defeats by Syracuse, Brown and Lehigh. Syracuse won, not so much by strategy, as by brute strength. The scrub lineup that was sent to Brown did effective work and surprised the most sanguine. Lehigh realized her hopes of five years by defeating Lafayette on March Field before tl1e largest crowd ever as- sembled there. It was a good game in which Pazzctti outgeneraled Diamond. The season closed on Thanksgiving day when Dickinson's doughty eleven was defeated after four quarters of real thrills. The Carlisle aggregation was represented by one of the strong- est teams in her history. To Captain Benson belongs the largest share of credit for his consistent work at center. His playing merited for' him a position on several All-American teams. His teammates loyally supported his leadership and all contributed credit to the name of the college. The team of IQI2 won its niche in the Lafayette hall of football fame and will long stand prominent as the team that administered defeat to Penn and played Yale to a standstill. 31