COACH FISHER DEFINITELY ANNOUNCES THAT PLAYERS WILL NOT BE NUMBERED

At a dinner attended by representatives of the Boston newspapers and the CRIMSON, which was held at Young's Hotel last night, Head Coach Fisher explained the reasons why the Harvard football authorities were opposed to the numbering of the Crimson players, and said, definitely, that the Harvard eleven would not wear numbers in the Yale game this year.

The principal reason given by Coach Fisher was that the numbering of players would aid scouts in analyzing the Harvard plays. The fact that fundamentally the same play has been used successfully against Yale, Princeton, and Oregon, and that it still remains a mystery is proof of the incomplete understanding of the "Harvard system" by outsiders. According to Coach Fisher, numbering would aid experts in analyzing the plays, and would materially weaken, and possibly almost eliminate, the effectiveness of a system which has been built up here so successfully.

"Football is a Team Game"

Coach Fisher's formal statement follows:

"Because of the unusual amount of newspaper comment on my announcement that Harvard had decided not to number its players in the Yale game, I have thought it best to confer with the Graduate Football Advisory Committee,--the men best able to judge the disadvantages to Harvard's football; of numbering its team. They have unanimously supported my decision.

"We regret that our attitude has seemed out of sympathy with popular opinion, as expressed through the newspapers, for it is our desire to make the game of football as interesting to the spectator as possible. We believe, however, that football is a team game, and not a game of eleven individuals. Successful plays are not made by one man, but by the cooperation of eleven men. We think anything which leads to the singling out of one player, or a few players, is unfortunate. If possible, it should be the team only which is considered. It is the team in almost every play, and not the individual, which makes the play go. But this is a minor consideration and we have no strong objection to the singling out for praise of the man who carries the ball or blocks a kick, though his teammates may have had more to do with it than he did. With the players numbered, however, the movements of the other eight or ten men who made the play successful would be an open book to any expert.

Use Same Play Many-Times

"The Harvard system of play has changed but little for the past twelve years. Our most effective plays have been used over and over again in the big games, but most of them have never been analyzed even by experts, with any degree of accuracy. For example--The play which was the deciding factor in tiding Princeton last year, was the same play which won against Yale and Oregon, and the same play, with a very minor variation, which tied Princeton this year. A well known coach has, on two occasions, attempted to describe this play without being able to come anywhere near the true solution of it.

"The Harvard offense, perhaps more than that of most other colleges, is based on the element of the Unexpected. It is not only necessary, but we believe we have the right, by any fair and honorable means, as far as possible to conceal the principles and the details of this offense.