MOVE GOOD FOR BOTH TEAMS
Much has this tradition been cherished, and long will its pageantry linger in the memory of every Dartmouth football follower. Yet, however great the loss may seem in the light of tradition, the termination of football relations with the little Northfield military academy comes in the best interests of both institutions. Physically incapable of playing on anything like equal terms with Dartmouth teams that have continuously moved upward in the football world, Norwich gains release from an annual battering which on occasioned has swelled the injury list. Dartmouth on the other hand, makes another step toward meeting teams more nearly in its own class early in the fall and evades the necessity of attempting field goals from ridiculous angles in order that the score may not run up out of sight. We shall miss Norwich; but meeting a team like Bates will provide a much healthier football atmosphere.
Vermont, also a standby on Green schedules for many years, is replaced by Amherst for the second engagement of the fall. The inclusion of the Lord Jeffs marks the resumption of a rivalry even more time-worn that that with Norwich. Dartmouth played its first game of rugby football with Amherst back in 1881. Otherwise the only newcomer on the schedule is Springfield. The schedule for 1937 follows:
Sept. 25 Bates. Oct. 2 Amherst. 9 Springfield. 16 Brown at Providence. 23 Harvard at Cambridge. 30 Yale at New Haven. Nov. 6 Princeton at Princeton 13 Cornell. 20 Columbia at New York.
The formation of an "Ivy League" to include Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell, Yale, Princeton, Pennsylvania and Columbia, which was proposed by the newspapers of the seven colleges some time ago, seems at this writing further out of the question than ever. Bill McCarter, Dartmouth's new Athletic Director, released the story this month that the assembled officials of the various colleges had given up the idea as impractical for the time being. There is good reason to believe that this mythical league will be incorporated only in the distant future, if ever.
Getting back to the present tense—more or less—Coach Osborne Cowles' inexperienced quintet left for its Christmas trip with four victories and nary a loss on the records. Moving in upon up-state New York for a three day excursion, the Indian five found the rigors of a road trip, including three games in as many nights, to be more than it could handle at this stage of the season. Having won from Vermont at Hanover on December 16th, the Indians showed up in Syracuse the following night and were snowed under by a score of 42-29. The next evening Colgate reversed last year's decision by a 44-33 count; and Union took the final holiday battle from the Green by a 49-45 margin.
Back on the home court the Indians broke their losing streak by overpowering Brown 48-38 on January 6th but there- after had a relapse and have dropped successive engagements to Pennsylvania, Providence, and again Pennsylvania.
At Philadelphia on the 9th, the Quakers played host to the Green for the latter's first League game and sent the invaders home on the short end of a 49-32 score. The veteran Red and Blue team had the best of the going all along, led 22-16 at the half, and pulled away steadily in the last session. The Quakers converted 15 out of 20 foul throws to swell the margin. Bill Thomas continued to set the pace with 9 points.
Having upset a heavily favored Providence five the year before in a wild-scoring 54-53 battle, the Dartmouth courtmen almost repeated the trick on the 13th in a game every bit as wild and bruising. After leading at the intermission 29-22, the home forces relinquished the lead only in the last two minutes of an overtime period to succumb 57-51. Johnny Dingle and Thomas had 10 counters apiece.
In its second League debate the Indian five faced Penn on the Alumni Gym court, broke fast into a 13-9 lead at the half, and once more crumbled in the final session as the veteran Penn team put on the pressure to win 34-23 in the closing minutes. Cos Fran Murray, ail-American football back and all-League basketball guard, shoved Willie Thomas into the background by scoring nine points while holding the Green star scoreless from the floor. The burden was too much for the other Indians to carry. The victory sent Penn to the top of the League and Dartmouth into the cellar, just above Cornell.
Dartmouth's starting lineup has remained nearly the same, with Thomas and Dingle at the forwards, "Moose" Dudis at the pivot, and Joe Batchelder, Captain Hal Parachini, and Bob MacLeod alternating at the guards. Coach Cowles still employs frequent substitutions and Bob Reno and Joe Cottone have come in for heavy service. With Penn looking the team to beat for the League pennant, Dartmouth has already met the worst and should win a majority of the games that lie ahead, especially if lack of experience is remembered as a heavy factor in a slow beginning.
