DARTMOUTH ATHLETICS

[NOTE: The following article was originally presented by Professor Bolser in the form of a report to the faculty. It covers so much ground, and so clearly states the policies of those in control of Dartmouth athletics that it is here reprinted as a summary of the athletic situation at Dartmouth.]

ORGANIZATION

The Athletic Council of Dartmouth College has nine members: three faculty members, three alumni, and three undergraduates. The managers of the teams representing the three so-called major sports, football, baseball, and track are ex-officio the undergraduate members of the Council. They are selected from a group of sixteen chosen by the sophomore class and serve one year before becoming managers, and members of the Council. The alumni members are elected by the alumni. The faculty members are appointed by the faculty, subject to the approval of the alumni. It has been, the understanding that the faculty committee on athletics represent the faculty on the Council. The faculty committee, as such, has complete control of the excuses for absence from college work for athletic purposes, this power having been delegated to it by the faculty. Aside from this the Council has entire control of athletics, of the alumni oval, and of that part of the gymnasium devoted to athletics, including the trophy room. Each department of athletics recognized by the Council has an advisory committee composed of a faculty member, the graduate manager, and the manager and captain' of the sport in question, the faculty member acting as chairman.

Your committee has deemed it advisable to present reports from the chairman of the several advisory committees on the work of their departments and then to add such general information as it thinks would be of interest to the faculty.

FOOTBALL

Under the direction of Coach Cavanaugh an unusually large number of men remained active members of the squad throughout the season, forty for the college team and forty-seven for the freshman team. The college team played ten games, winning eight and losing two. Of the games won, the Amherst game in particular reflected great credit on the Dartmouth team. The loss of the Princeton game by a goal from the field, the legitimacy of which was questioned by many authorities, is hardly to be lamented. It offered an opportunity to the team on the field and to the large Dartmouth contingent present to show that high grade of sportsmanship on the part of the participants and spectators to which it is the desire of all interested in college athletics that they should attain. The fact that this opportunity was improved to the utmost greatly impressed our opponents, players and spectators alike, and brought volumes of favorable press comment to do its important part in raising the standard of athletics.

The Harvard game was the usual exhibition of clean, hard football, with no incident to mar the reputation this game has won of being second to none as an ideal athletic contest. Unstinted credit should be given to our players and coaches for maintaining this high grade of sportsmanship under great pressure to win. With Mr. Cavanaugh under contract for three years, and our present relations firmly established, this department seems well cared for. We are satisfied that it is a good policy to arrange games for our freshmen with high class preparatory schools. It gives us opportunity to show our athletic standard to future college students, and it reduces somewhat the strain of intercollegiate competition and the attention given to it by students.

BASKETBALL

The acquisition of the new gymnasium has made it seem advisable to retain the game of basketball, which has fallen somewhat into disfavor at many institutions. We were exceedingly fortunate in obtaining admission into the intercollegiate league. This insures us games with high class teams, two games with each of five teams. As proof of the interest taken in the game by Dartmouth students, it may be said that the gate receipts this season were larger than ever before. This may be partly due to the fact that the championship was in doubt during the last two games, the Dartmouth-Cornell and the Columbia-Penn game. Columbia won, taking first nlace, and Dartmouth won, taking second. Basketball is a strong game at Williams and Wesleyan, and it is our present plan to continue to play with these institutions.

TRACK ATHLETICS

It has been the policy of the Council during the past three years to make a special effort to encourage track athletics in the College. There are two chief reasons for this. The first of these is that we have been in a position between the larger and small colleges, and have therefore been without satisfactory and permanent relations. In football we have been for some time able to hold our own with the larger colleges, but in track athletics, while we have rather outclassed our old-time rivals of the N. E. I. A. A., we" have not been able to compete on nearly equal terms with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the other universities. Baseball is not so much to be considered in this connection, as any of the smaller colleges is likely to maintain a standard of excellence in this sport as high as that of larger institutions. We have felt, therefore, that for the sake of establishing and maintaining . satisfactory intercollegiate relations the track athletics of the College should be strengthened. Our second reason, and the more important one from the viewpoint of the faculty at least, is that track athletics offers an opportunity for a large number of men to find healthful recreation and to share the benefits to be derived from participation in competitive sports. We have, therefore, wished to see a much larger number of men taking part in track athletics. With these ends in view the Council, during the winter of 1909-10, engaged the services of Mr. Hillman as coach and trainer of the tr-ack team. We feel that we have been peculiarly fortunate in this selection. Mr. Hillman has proved an excellent organizer in developing the winter meets in the gymnasium, which have helped greatly in interesting the student body in track athletics. His work as coach has been shown in the winning of the dual meet with Harvard last year, the very creditable showing made in the same meet this year, and the fact that the majority of our best track men this year have developed since coming to college. College records have been broken during the last two years in the half-mile and two-mile runs, and in the shot, hammer, high-jump, and polevault. Of more importance, however, than his success as a coach has been Mr. Hillman's influence on the men under him. A popular coach has no small power for good or ill, and we are fortunate in having a man of Mr. Hillman's character in this position.

TENNIS

During the last few years tennis has gained materially in the number of its devotees in College, and the interest, in the intercollegiate tennis matches has increased considerably. The latter development is due largely to the energetic leadership of Mr. F. H. Harris of the class of 1911. He introduced the continuous competition idea, in vogue at most tennis clubs, for positions and ranking on the team. This has done much to encourage tennis and will be continued in the future.

With the idea of increasing the opportunity for tennis in Hanover, the Athletic Council, last year, built six courts near the new gymnasium. Owing to the location of the courts and still more to the wet season these courts have not been a success thus far, but there is reason to expect that they will be. in the future. If there were opportunity, a great many more men would play tennis for exercise and recreation than do at present. It is to be regretted that no way appears by which such opportunity can be provided.

HOCKEY

The problems which the hockey department is trying to solve are two in number. The first is that of a suitable playing surface. Hanover weather, in spite of its rigors, is not to be depended upon for a good sheet of ice at any specific time during the year. Games are scheduled at a considerable risk. The alternatives toward which we are apparently being forced are: the abandonment of the game., or the construction of -an enclosed artificially frozen surface. The cost of such a surface and its upkeep would be prohibitive. For the present, therefore, we must get along as well as we can. The other problem arises out of the first; it is the difficulty of getting home games. The colleges which have hockey teams are unwilling to leave their rinks to play on natural ice which may or may not be in condition for play on the day scheduled for a game.

BASEBALL

In the baseball department several advances have lately been made. A coach has been procured whose ideals, both personal and professional, are of the highest. Anyone who has tried to find a professional baseball player of this stamp knows how fortunate we have been in finding Mr. Woods. It is our purpose to keep him as long as we can. The second advance has been in the abandonment of the training table, with its waste, its cost, and its opportunities for dishonesty of the sort generally euphemistically styled "graft." The third advance is the attempt, which seems likely to be successful, to eliminate the constant talking, sometimes called "yapping," of the players on the field.

As matters of general interest we add to this report three tables:

Table I shows the number of games played in football, baseball, track, and basketball during the last ten years. With some irregularities, this table shows a general decrease in the length of the several schedules. Notable exceptions are an increase in the number Of football games this season due to the introduction of early games on the home field, and a general increase in track due to growing popularity of indoor meets in the winter season. The increase in number of basketball games is due to the fact that ten regular league games have to be played. In addition to this, it was thought advisable to retain our games with Wesleyan and Williams, first, because these teams are the best outside of the league, and second, because the elimination of them from our basketball schedule would seriously injure our other relations with these colleges. The increase in track has been explained, although in this connection it might be well to add that Table III will show that the College does not suffer from the faculty standpoint. Great care has been taken that the same individual does not represent the College in an undue number of contests.

Table I shows the number of games played in various sports during the last ten years.

TABLE I Number of Games Football Baseball Track Basketball 1903- 4 10 23 4 17 1904- 5 9 29 5 29 1905- 6 10 31 6 20 1906- 7 10 26 3 18 1907- 8 8 26 3 16 1908- 9 8 20 5 16 1909-10 8 19 10 10 1910-11 7 20 6 11 1911-12 10 18 6 14

TABLE II Insignia Granted in Major Sports Football Baseball Track 1903- 4 17 14 19 1904- 5 20 15 22 1905- 6 19 11 14 1906- 7 24 9 12 1907- 8 20 12 15 1908- 9 14 10 12 1909-10 17 15 17 1910-11 15 12 17

This table seems to show that the football "D" is the easiest "D" to win. This, of course, is owing to the large number of men used in any one contest: due to the possibility of men being replaced on account of temporary disability; and to the substitution at critical moments of players who are counted upon to achieve particular strategic ends. Baseball, with its few calls for substitution of players, presents the most difficult path for .the man ambitious to win his letter.

Table III is designed to show the extent and distribution of the excuses granted by your committee for athletic purposes during the past year. It shows first, the sum in days of all the absence from college work of all students representing the College on the college teams, including the managers and assistant managers. The absences of the latter for conferences, etc., are included. Second, it shows the average absence from college work of the individual men. In compiling this table, Saturday afternoon is considered a holiday and not included. The athletic holiday granted by the faculty in the fall is not included; absence from chapel on Sunday is not included; the thirtieth day of May is not included. In each case the first figure is the total absence and the second the average:

TABLE III Football Baseball Track Basketball 48.0-2.1 93.0-6.7 98-3.3 108.5-12.1 Hockey Tennis Golf 118-10.7 24.6-6 8.5-1.7

Arranged in the increasing order of absence from college work of the average member of teams in the above departments of athletics, these departments appear as follows:

Golf, football, track, tennis, baseball, hockey, basketball.

Arranged in the increasing order of total absence they appear as follows:

Golf, tennis, football, baseball, track, basketball, hockey.

Many important conclusions can be drawn from Table III; but two are inevitable and important. As far as total absences and the absence of the average individual go, the smaller teams, in basketball and hockey, are doing the College the most harm, while the individual, at least, in the large football and track teams is suffering the least.

In conclusion we desire to make the following statements, under general headings:

Coaches. It is to be the general policy of the Council to employ high-grade coaches in all departments on long term contracts. When a good man is found he will be retained. This will necessarily entail expense, but we believe that money thus spent is well spent.

Schedules. We intend to compete with high grade teams only; to retain established relations as far as possible; and to maintain our standard of sportsmanship on such a plane and to deal so fairly with our opponents in every way, that they will feel that this policy is the only one to use in their dealings with us.

Finances. From the financial report of the graduate manager it will be seen that we are prospering as well as could be expected. We have endeavored under the budget system, which was presented by a special committee of the Council and accepted enthusiastically by the main body, to curtail our expenses along the lines of equipment, training tables, traveling expenses, etc., where leakages so readily occur, as far as in our judgment is consistent with the highest efficiency. On the other hand, we have not been parsimonious in the larger considerations of coaching, training, etc. We shall continue this policy and perfect it by studying our problems and using our experience.

Needs. A few of the uses for money which are especially apparent are as follows : The athletic field should be enlarged and a fence built around it. The cinder track should be reconstructed and the drains renewed. Provision should be made for the hockey team if this sport is to be continued. Money should be spent in finishing the gymnasium, particularly the trophy room. Grandstands should be constructed on the field. Finally, and by far the most important, a large general fund should be accumulated against the exigencies of the future, to render us more independent in our athletic relations.

The financial report of the graduate manager for the academic year 1911-1912 is as follows:

Disbursements and Receipts Appropriations Profit Loss Football—Varsity $29,218.88 $20,363.18 $8,855.70 Freshman 547.50 1,536.20 $988,70 Baseball—Varsity 3,841.65 5,269.46 1,427.81 Freshman 294.25 867.51 '573.26 Track—Varsity 1,135.68 5,241.71 4,106.03 Freshman 17.50 315.18 -297.68 Basketball—Varsity 1,878.12 2,808.22 930.10 Freshman 234.06 285.36 51.30 Hockey—Varsity 648.01 1,989.72 1,341.71 Freshman . 40.00 127.07 ' 87.07 Tennis 52.40 422.00 369.60 General 567.14 3,531.18 2,964.04 Freshman Tax 596.00 596.00 Season Tickets 6,545.00 6,545.00 $45,616.19 $42,756.79 $15,996.70 $13,137.30 13,137.37 Surplus for the year $2,859.40

Professor C. E. Bolser, Chairman of the Faculty Committeeon Athletics