OLD DIVISION FOOTBALL
Two pictures out of the '60's are painted for us inwords by Mr. Locke of the class of 1870, who in a letter inanother section of the magazine identifies some of theplayers. But if the sophisticate believes that roughness infootball is a modern evil he should read this article, notomitting the account of the "football rush" which wasbroken up only by the president of the college himself. Andanother incident, a fight over a picket fence, suggests anything but gentleness. This article comes in very nicely topreserve for posterity two very valuable pictures of "WholeDivisions" or "Old Division" football in the possession of the college.
IN Benezet's ('99) Three Years of Football at Dartmouth, the author says in his "Foreword," that inolden times the whole college played, kicking theball from north to south. This is correct, excepting thatthe ball was always kicked east and west. Footballthen was merely a diversion—an amusement! Therewere no "teams," no "schedule!" When any one feltlike playing, he got a ball and played! The line-up waseither Old Divisions, (or "Whole" Divisions), i.e.Seniors and Sophs., vs. Juniors and Freshmen, or thetwo Library Societies, Social Friends and UnitedFraternity, against each other. All participants fell back to the east, or west, and one man placed the ball in the center of the Campus and "warned" it, kicking to the crowd, and an all around kicking contest ensued. If the ball was caught in the air, it could be placed on the ground, and "warned" again.
The outstanding contests were the ones during the first evenings of freshman fall, on account of the "rushing" between Sophs, and Freshies; immediately after supper, loud cries would be heard of "Football, Freshie," continued until, under the tutelage of their Junior allies, the Freshmen produced the Ball; it was the old style rubber one, blown up with a key, and was put in play, Whole Divisions taking part. As daylight faded the cry would arise, "Seniors and Juniors out!" and the contest remained with the two lower classes. Soon, in the scramble, some Sophomore would fall on the ball, cut a hole and deflate it, and try to carry it off, which of course was resisted by the Freshmen, and a scrimmage for possession of the ball would result, which sometimes lasted for hours! I remember one occasion when a dozen "rushes" were going on in different places, while the ball was safely stowed away in the bosom of a flannel shirt of a freshman who was prone in the ditch which at that time ran along the street in front of Wentworth Hall!
From a recently discovered memorandum book, in which entries were made at the time I select some paragraphs descriptive of some experiences of the Class of '70 when Sophomores.
