Sportlight

CORNELL GESTURE "ONLY ANSWER"IN "BONER" CASE

NEW YORK, Nov. 18—Jim Lynah, athletic director of Cornell, and Dr. Day, Cornell's president, were not only correct on the sporting side in awarding the victory to Dartmouth, but correct on the technical side. Since the films, the records of the game and the statement of Referee William H. (Red) Friesell Jr. combine to show that Cornell's 7 points came after Dartmouth should have been given the ball on downs, there can be only one answer. This answer is Dartmouth 3, Cornell o, and it should be entered that way in all official records.

It should not be in the province of any official to offset the brilliant comeback of a team by making a mistake that changes the score after the game has been completed.

Referee Friesell's main blunder was in his failure to check the situation thoroughly

after Capt. Lou Young of Dartmouth had made his protest. That would have been a simple matter. A football official has a tough job. There is no reason to make it a still tougher job by trying to take on too much authority, trying to be too big a part of the show.

I've talked with five or six leading foothall coaches and their answer is, "Dartmouth was entitled to the game and Dartmouth should have won. But what are you going to do about it?"

The only answer is that Jim Lynah and Dr. Day of Cornell have settled that matter by giving the game back to Dartmouth, 3 to 0. This may upset football tradition, but the justice and the correctness of facts ls much more important than a tradition which ignores both.

Boston GlobeNovember 19