any more fathers, brothers and sons who have
been equally famous and I ask indulgence for my sins of omission, for
the list is long. Principally, I have recalled their names for the
reason that I knew or now know many of these great players intimately
and so have learned the curious longing--perhaps "passion"--for the game
which is passed from one to the other of a football family. In a way
this might be compared with the military spirit which allows a family
to state proudly that "_we_ have always been Army (or Navy) people." And
who shall say that the clash and conflict of this game, invented and
played only by thoroughly virile men, are not productive of precisely
those qualities of which the race may, some day, well stand in need. If
by the passing down from father to son and from brother to brother of a
spirit of cheerful self-denial throughout the hard fall months--of grim
doggedness under imminent defeat and of fair play at all times, whether
victor or vanquished--a finer, truer sense of what a man may be and do
is forged out of the raw material, then football may feel that it has
served a purpose even nobler than that of being simply America's
greatest college game.

CHAPTER XVII

OUR GOOD OLD TRAINERS

There are not many football enthusiasts who analyze the factors that
bring victory. Many of us do not appreciate the importance attached to
the trainer, or realize the great part that he plays, until we are out
of college. We know that the men who bore the brunt of the battle have
received their full share of glory--the players and coaches.

But there arises in the midst of our athletic world men who trained, men
who safeguarded the players. Trainers have been associated with football
since the early eighties, and a careful trainer's eye should ever be on
the lookout wherever football is played. Players, coaches and trainers
go hand in hand in football.

Every one of these men that I have known has had a strong personality.
Each one, however, differed somewhat from the others. There is a great
affection on the part of the players for the man who cares for their
athletic welfare. These men are often more than mere trainers. Their
personalities have carried them farther than the dressing room. Their
interest in the boys has continued after they left college. Their
influence has been a lasting one, morally, as well as physically.

On account of their association, the trainers keep pace with the men
ab