8
THE BATTALION
FIGHTING AGGIE MACHINE
Well gang, that THOUSAND-MILE
WALK has begun. A good start is
half the race, so let’s get on the line
'early ai,nd knock those Tigers off
their perch. The road down Cham
pionship Avenue is kinda rough, but
if we surmount each obstacle as we
come to it, that old championship
pennant will be floating over Aggie-
land next Thanksgiving.
The Trinity grid warriors are due
to arrive at College Station Sept. 23
for a work-out the afternoon of that
day on Kyle Field. The game Sat
urday will be called at 3 o’clock.
FOOTBALL TEAM
AGGIE COACHES
With few exceptions, members of
the Aggie squad are in fine shape.
Those who have been out in uniform
during the last few days have been
resting from only minor injuries and
are expected to be back in the scrim
mage within a few days. Among
these are Wylie, big guard from Dal
las; and Alsabrook, halfback, who are
nursing sore muscles. Mortellra, full
back from Houston, is also on the in
jured list, recuperating from a hurt
to a rib. None of the injuries are
considered serious, however.
Speed and driving power mark the
Aggie backfield which is gradually
being narrowed down as the result
of the daily showing of the men. It
will not be a case this year of having
to depend upon virtually one man for
each position, a situation that was
very nearly true last season with the
Aggies.
(Continued on page 9)
The eyes of all the true football
fans of the Southwest are this year
focused upon D. X. Bible, the famous
Aggie Mentor. He is known to the
followers of football as being one of
the great coaches of the land. The
supporters of the Aggies swear by
him and supporters of other colleges
recognize him to be an exceptionally
able coach whose teams are to be
feared at all times.
Bible has the name of being a man
who is doing the unexpected at all
times, and it is largely because of
this fact and the great respect in
which he is held as a coach of college
football, that the Farmers’ support
ers are expecting some great play
from the Aggie eleven this season.
By his strong personality and
splendid football tactics he has cap
tivated the student body of Aggie-
land. He has the support of every
student and to him they look for the
realization of their football dreams.
Coach Bible will be assited in coach
ing the Varsity by “Church” Bassett,
former Michigan State star. He was
an all-around athlete while in school
and he has had considerable exper
ience at coaching. He was coach at
Flint College and assistant coach at
Michigan U. He will serve as line
coach in football and also coach the
basketball team. Great things are
expected of Coach Bassett at Aggie-
iand.
The only other new member of the
coaching staff is Freshman Coach, R.
G. (Little Hig) Higginbotham, all-
Southwestern halfback on the 1919
and 1920 Aggie elevens. Higgin
botham has coached at Sherman High
School and Austin College. He has
attended Rockne’s football coaching
school at Notre Dame, Glenn War
ner’s at Stanford U., and De. Mean-
well’s basketball school. In addition,
he has played baseball in the Texas
league and with St. Louis in the Na
tional league. Added to all his knowl
edge is the fact that he is young
enough to demonstrate what he is
(Continued on page 9)
Two weeks of intensive training
has done much to smooth out the
kinks and co-ordinate the work of
the huskies that are to make the Ag
gie football team of 1927. Lead by
Captain Joel Hunt, that side-stepping,
passing, punting, plunging 162-pound
bundle of hardened Aggie muscle
from Waco, the Aggies have been
working hard on the preliminary mus
cle-loosening processes of passing,
punting and light scrimmages with
results that have surprised even the
most optimistic of the Aggie follow
ers. Competition this year is keener
than ever before picking a team from
the squad to represent the college is
not going to be an easy job by any
means. The ten letter men from the
last year’s team, veteran players that
they are, will have dangerous enough
competition to keep them working
constantly to retain their places in
the line-up.
Coach Bible points out the facts
that an ideal player must be able to
pass, punt, place-kick and tackle hard
besides being able to tote the ball, and
in Hunt he has all of these qualities.
Besides Hunt he has Bartlett, Cono
ver, Sikes, Mills, and Varnell, who are
showing up good at punting; Conover,
Davis, Dorsey, Ish, Mills, as passers,
and Day, Ish, Lister, and Varnell as
place-kickers.
Coach Bassett has eight letter men
back for the line and the “Fighting
Aggie” line of this year should excel
any that we have had for years. Siki
Sikes, the only three-letter man in
college, Red Petty and Deffebach are
the letter men back contending for
the end positions. Lister, Sprott,
(Continued on page 9)