With Big Green Teams

The only thing nice about the last four Saturdays, at least so far as the Dartmouth football team is concerned, was the weather. The Big Green played the first four contests of the 1953 schedule in perfect weather, but lost all four; and it appears at this writing as though it would be a long fall for the Dartmouth football team. In other varsity fall sports, Dartmouth has done better. The Big Green soccer team, defending New England champions, have won three and lost one, while the cross-country team has one victory and one defeat. The Dartmouth jayvee football team lost its opener to Vermont and dropped another contest to Fort Devens. The 1957 soccer team won its opener over Brewster Academy as did the cross-country team over the Boston University '57's. The freshman football schedule doesn't start until later this month.

So in most respects Dartmouth teams are off to a normal start. But the big ques- tion what's wrong with the Dartmouth football team? is bothering us in Hanover as much as it is bothering Dartmouth alumni everywhere. There can be no ready answer to such a question especially when you must grant that there could be nothing wrong with Dartmouth football beyond the simple fact that the other teams are better. There are, however, certain reasons (not excuses) why the Dartmouth football team has not done better, and I want to devote some space to these reasons as well as to a brief recapitulation of the contests played to date.