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. Coaches Pleased With Spring Practice
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SPORT
FODDER
| Eset |
With eleven games carded in-
cluding every conference team and
three intersectional opponents
Homer Norton and his first Aggie
eleven will have their hands full
next fall. Centenary at Beaumont
and Michigan State at San An-
tonio are games of particular in-
terest to the A. & M. men of those
sections. The Temple University
tilt at Philadephia will mark the
first invasion of an A. & M. team
into the east.
Temple University is not widely
known in Texas but is an institu-
tion of some 12,000 students,
located in Philadelphia. They have
their own big stadium and with
the hiring of “Pop” Warner as
football coach have announced
their intention of taking their
place in the athletic world. They
are slated to have one of the most
powerful teams in the East this
year. The coming year will be
‘Warner's second at Temple.
Michigan State at San Antonio~
on December 8 will furnish another
real intersectional battle as will
the Centenary game at Beaumont.
None of these games will be any
tougher than those against con-
ference members and even the
opening games against Sam Hous-
ton and Texas A. & I. will be hard
fought battles. There are no
“preathing spells” on the calendar
once the season opens.
“Stumble” Jordan and “Peck”
Merka, veteran Aggie tackles, are
bearing down in spring practice.
Both of them can see plenty of
competition for their jobs right on
the field beside them. If tackles
can make a football team the Ag-
gies should be well fixed for the
next few years. Among the
youngsters coming on with three
years of competition ahead of them
are “Pete” Barber, 200 pounds,
from Abilene; J. T. Whitfield, 215
pounds, Itasca; “Red” Murphy, 210
pounds, Beaumont; Selmer Kirby,
210 pounds, Amarillo; Nick Willis,
190 pounds, San Antonio; F. B.
Bayless, 200 pounds, Houston; W.
H. Miller, 260 pounds, Temple, G.
J. Clark, 200 pounds, Breckenridge,
and one or two others.
Watch Leslie Cummings, Bryan |
lad and a brother of last year’s
football captain. He started as a
guard this spring and has been
moved to the backfield. He weighs
around 180 pounds and is the type
of man who can play anywhere.
He'll be hard to keep off next
years team at some position.
Baylor’s football prospects have
been dimmed a bit by the recent
withdrawal from school of Aubrey
Stringer, regular back last year,
and the ineligibility of Parry and
Barclay, ends counted upon to re-
place the brilliant James and
Petty. If the loss of these men is
as serious as is claimed Baylor’s
football prospects will come down
into the uncertain class along with
A. & M., Rice and T. C. U.
The conference this fall will have
more star backfield material than
at any time in its history. Bohn
Hilliard heads 8 lettermen back-
field performers at Texas, Robert
Wilson and a half dozen others are
at S. M. U., Jimmy Lawrence will
represent T. C. U., Ralph LaForge
and others are lurking in the
Arkansas Ozarks, and Baylor's
Pierce was not far from the best
back in the conference last fall.
Rice gets back into harness Bill
GRID SCHEDULE
COMPLETED WITH
SAN TONE GAME
Three Intersectional Battles
and Full Conference Com-
petition Make Up Gruelling
Program for Cadet Eleven.
Balancing a full Southwest Con-
ference schedule with a colorful
three-game array of intersectional
battles, Coach Homer Norton’s
Texas Aggie football team will
play eleven games next Fall, Dean
E. J. Kyle, athletic council chair-
man, has announced. The Maroon
and White jersied Cadets will play
in a total of six different cities in
addition to their five home tilts.
The Aggies’ 1934 football sche-
dule will set an unusual number of
records for the Cadets. It will be
the first time since the Southwest
Conference has had its present
complete membership that the
Cadets have played a full schedule
of six conference games, and the
first time in the Aggies’ athletic
| history, so far as Cadet athletic
ed as many as eleven full varsity
games in one season.
The 1934 season also will mark
Homer Norton’s first year as Ag-
gie head football coach and also
will mark the first time that the
Aggies ever have wandered as far
from home for a game as Phila-
delphia, Pa., where they are to
meet Coach “Pop” Warner’s Tem-
ple University Owls on Friday
night, Oct. 5. The Aggies and
University of Arkansas Razorbacks
will meet on the gridiron for the
first time since 1930.
Completion of the Aggies’ sche-
dule was announced after the sche-
duling of a game with the Michigan
State College Spartans, of East
Lansing, Mich., to be played Dec.
8 at San Antonio. In their third
intersectional battle of the year,
the Cadets will play the Centenary
College Gentlemen at Beaumont
on Oct. 23,
Sept. 22—Sam Houston S. T. C.
at College Station.
Sept. 29—Texas A. & I. at Col-
lege Station.
Oct. 5—Temple University at
Philadelphia, Pa. (night game).
Oct. 13—Centenary College at
Beaumont.
Oct. 20—Texas Christian
versity at College Station.
Oct. 27—Baylor University at
Waco.
Nov. 3—University of Arkansas
at College Station.
Nov. 10—Southern
University at Dallas.
Nov. 17—Rice Institute at Col-
lege Station.
Nov. 29—University of Texas at
Austin.
Dec. 8—Michigan State College
at San Antonio.
Uni-
Methodist
year’s team for real strength. T.
C. U. lost heavily and some day
the Frog trick of reaching into the
bag and pulling out another fine
team after one is wrecked by
graduation is bound to fail. Bar-
ring upsets, S. M. U., Arkansas and
Texas should be the top half of the
conference, with the remaining
teams all in the uncertain class,
but with any of them liable to
stage a big surprise.
Texas University ran away with
the Conference swimming meet
held recently in the A. & M. pool,
with S. M. U. taking a close second
from the Aggies. The Longhorns
won every first place but one in
the meet. Swimming is the new-
est minor sport in the conference
Wallace and Bill McCauley and” and just getting started.
teamed with Witt and some others
they will be plenty good. On past
performances the Aggies have
nothing to match these boys, but
another year may see some of the
Cadet backs bloom brightly. Every
one of the boys mentioned has had
a year or two of experience. Pick-
ing next fall’s All-Conference back-
field is going to be a tough job.
Speaking of football prospects,
S. M. U., Arkansas and Texas must
be put at the top of the list on
paper. The Mustangs lost only
one substitute linesman from last
fall’s squad, Arkansas lost only
one or two men and Texas returns
a very healthy group from last
fall, including several real stars.
Baylor also returns plenty of last
As an illustration of the kind of
confidence he wants his players to
have Cal Hubbard tells a story of
the time he captained the football
team of little Geneva College and
went up to play mighty Harvard
in the Harvard stadium. The
Geneva team arrived on the field
first and while warming up one of
the Geneva players ran up to the
referee and chirped, “Gosh, Mister,
I hope those Harvard fellows show
up!” Geneva won.
Price Bradshaw, 30, is with the
Gulf States Utilities Co., at their
Neches power station, Beaumont.
A. T. Underwood, ’21, is with
the Sun Oil Co., at Beaumont.
records reveal, that they have play- |
~
Scenes From Spring Training
Above are a few scenes taken
from the spring football training
camps taken from their second
week’s practice. In the center are
the coaches working out with the
team. They are Head Coach Hom-
er Norton, Line Coach Cal Hub-
bard, Freshman Coach Ray Mur-
ray, and Backfield Coach Manning
Smith. The team scrimmages each
afternoon and will continue to
work out every afternoon until the
time for spring practice to end.
DAIRY TEAM WINS
FIRST PLACE AT
- FT. WORTH SHOW
A. L. Darnell Coaches Junior
Team To Triumph Over
Oklahoma, Louisiana and
Texas Tech.
For the eighth time within the
last eleven years the A and M
dairy judging team won first place
in the annual judging contest held
Monday, March 12, in conjunction
with the Southwestern Exposition
rand Fat Stock Show at Fort Worth.
The Aggie team led its nearest op-
ponent, Louisiana State Univer-
sity, by nearly two hundred points.
C. D. McEver, Hillsboro, was
high point man for A and M, win-
ning third place in the Jersey divis-
ion and first in Holstein. W. G.
McCubben, Valley View, placed
third in the entire contest. The
other member of the team that
accompanied Coach A. L. Darnell
was E. M. Neal, Yoakum.
Colleges represented in the con-
test besides Texas A and M and
Louisiana State University were:
Oklahoma A and M; Texas Tech;
Texas A and I; and Panhandle A
and M of Oklahoma, finishing in
the order named.
John W. Mitchell, ’19, who was
a star basketball player back in
his day, is living at 1420 Bishop,
Little Rock, Ark. He is a well
known basketball and football of-
ficial in his section.
W. N. Keisling, ’31, is with the
Keisling-Rutledge Gin Co., and
lives at Vincent, Texas.
Maurice Sessions, ’31, is farm-
ing at Austwell, Texas.
“Well pleased with results, from
their thirty days spring football
session, enthusiastic over the pos-
sibilities for successful football
teams at A. &' M., but far from
satisfied with the performance of
their men,” sums up the reactions
of Homer Norton and Cal Hub-
bard at the close of Spring prac-
tice this week. They had high
praise to pay the men who stayed
thru the tough month and were
very highly pleased with the gen-
eral attitude of the boys on the
squad. “If we can get better block-
ing, the proper team play, and a
deep desire to win, we will give a
good account of ourselves against
any of them next fall,” was Nor-
ton’s parting shot to A. & M. foot-
ball fans.
At the close of the practice per-
iod Norton returned to Centenary
where he will continue to serve as
Athletic Director until he and his
family move to the campus this
summer. Cal Hubbard reports in
the East on April 15th.,, for his
summer program as an umpire in
the Class AA, American Associa-
tion baseball league.
Give Me Blocking
“Give me some blocking” has
been the battle cry of both Norton
and Hubbard during the past
month, and the blocking of the
squad has shown a material im-
provement as a result. The Aggies
next fall will use the short punt
formation as the basis of their of-
fensive play, and from that for-
mation will be equipped with an
offense that is both tricky and pow-
erful. Spinners, reverses and fak-
es will be sprinkled thru plays that
put tremendous pressure and pow-
er against opposing tackles and
ends, and similar running plays
end up in forward, backward or lat-
eral passes.
Poor forward passing and a
weakness in end play loomed dur-
ing the spring session, although
some of the ends showed real im-
provement toward the last. With
Randow and Cowser added to the
squad next fall the passing should
be greatly improved. Those two,
|. with “Muggins” Fowler, will do
most of the tossing next fall. The
signal calling job has given Nor-
ton some worry, with Fowler,
Cowser and Clifford Gregory look-
ing like the most likely prospects
for the job.
Fish Improve
Several freshmen who will be
sophomores next fall showed mark-
ed improvement and gave notice
that they may be starters next
fall. Among the backs Reece New-
some, 165 pound former Masonic
Home star, came by leaps and
bounds and will likely get into
many ball games. Merka, 200
pound full, and Wright, diminutive
speed merchant, showed ability as
did “Doc” Pitner, 185 pound Den-
ton lad. The latter has great pos-
sibilities if he ever comes down to
earth. In the line “Pete” Barber
looked great at tackle and Ed
Stages and Pete Dowling came
fast at end in the last week of
practice. Les Cummings, moved to
the backfield from the line, looked
good.
The veterans Jack Roach and
Stan Stach lead the centers with
young Charlie DeWare showing
great improvement. Among the
guards, Odel Conoley, Marion and
John Crow, Stapp Maxwell, look-
ed good and the youngsters, Jack
Burke, Allen and McGrady show-
ed to best advantage. With the ex-
ception of McGrady all these
guards weigh 185 or more.
Among the tackles Pete Barber,
J. G. Clark, A. B. Murphy, J. T.
Whitfield, J. H. Zich, Nick Willis
and the 260 pound W. H. Miller,
were all new men and all showed
possibilities. All of them weigh
around or above the 200 mark. The
veterans Jordan and Merka. will
have plenty of competition’ from
these boys next fall, but have ex-
cellent chances to hold their jobs
Ends Look Bad
The ends made the poorest show-
ing of any position during the
practice session, although showing
much improvement toward the
last. Rollins, Tohline, Haynes and
NORTON - HUBBARD STRESS VALUR
600D BLOCKING--SHORT PUNT 10
BE BASIS OF ATTACK THIS FALL
Wilkins, from last fall’s’ squad
were on hand, with Dowling, Stag-
es and Westbrook from the “Fish”
team. Westbrook was sick during
most of the month and got in very
little practice. At the close of the
session Dowling, Wilkins, Stages
and Rollins looked the best.
Norton shifts his backs around
so much that it is difficult to di-
vide them into the usual positions.
His No. 1 back is the tail-end back,
his No. 2 back is in the usual full-
back position, the right half is the
No. 3 back and the left half the
No. 4 back. His line backer or full
back usually plays in the No. 3
position. Every back upon the
during the spring session to show
what he could do at each position.
Three of the best looking backs
during the spring session were the
veterans “Grandpa” Gregory,
Percy Reid and ‘“Muggins” Fow-
ler. This fall Randow and Bill Cow-
ser will be added to the squad and
at this time they look like the best
prospects for the No. 1 or tail-
back positions. Both are fast and
fair passers. Other backs showing
to advantage include Bill Kim-
brough, Syd Martin, Paul Callahan,
Nash Thompson, and Jack String-
fellow from last years squad, and
Bass, Newsome, Pitner, Wright,
Merka, L-Hommedieu and Walker.
In summarizing the squad the
Aggies look powerful from tackle
to tackle, especially in the center
of the line. Roach and Stach should
give the Cadets a brand of center
play equal to any in the conference
and the guards should hold their
own with any opposition. There
are lots of big boys available for
tackle jobs and among them these
all-important places should be well
handled. The ends are a question
season moves along.
There is not much weight avail-
able in the backfield, unless Merka
makes a starting place with his
200 pounds. Gregory weighs 180
and Reid 185, with the rest of the
best looking backs lighter. Randow,
Cowser, and Fowler will likely do
a fair job of punting and passing.
Randow and Wright will be the
fastest of the backs with Cowser
and Reid close behind.
Although Norton and Hubbard
have gotten a fair line on the men
available for next fall there is still
open competition for every place
on the team. It is evident that to
play under these coaches a man
must be able to block, and must be
rough and tough, and able to stand
up under punishment. Barring
scholastic or other casulties, the
brunt of next fall’s grid campaign
for the Aggies. There were other
lads out for spring football, and
some of them may make the grade
next year. But its dollars to dough-
nuts that at least ten of the eleven
starting men next fall have been
named in this survey.
‘Cadet Nine Loses
Early Season Tilts
The Aggie baseball team has hit
a rocky road in their early season
games. They dropped an 11 inning
battle at Henderson and tied a 12
inning game at the same place
against the Overton Oilers, strong
independent team. In a pair of
games played at Beaumont against
the Beaumont Texas League team
the Aggies dropped the first 3-4,
and lost the second by a wider
margin. In spite of their losses
the team has played fair baseball,
and will have a big voice in de-
ciding the conference title for the
year.
E. D. Thomason, 33, is with the
Louisville Gas and Electric Co.,
and lives at 1616 Fernwood Ave.
Louisville, Ky. He wants to know
if there are any other A. & M.
men in his city, and if so why they
do not get together for an A. & M.
meeting occasionally.
J. H. Wheless, ’29, is with the
State Highway Dept., and gets his
mail at 2450 San Jacinto St,
Houston, Texas.
squad was given an opportunity
mark, but should improve as the
men mentioned above will carry the