Jordan Drills Green Outfit In Fundamentals of Football

The 1950 football season, already an object of considerable interest in some parts of the country, fortunately does not get moving locally until one week from Saturday. "Fortunately," because the comparatively late starting date provides Coach Lloyd Jordan with one more week of pre-season practice time than that available to any of his opponents, most of whom open this weekend. Yale, whose schedule calls for an open date before the Elis play Princeton, has already successfully inaugurated its season.

Jordan can use every minute of practice time he can manage before Columbia reports to the Stadium on October 7, for the 1950 season is going to be a trying one--trying for the people who play Harvard football, trying for those who coach, for those who watch.

No Miracles

Jordan cannot hope to accomplish any miracles between now and December. He inherits a group which is inexperienced (15 members of the tentative 37-man varsity squad are sophomores, 12 are lettermen), which is seriously lacking in depth, and which Jordan claims is very weak in fundamentals and basic football knowledge.

For that reason, Jordan is starting at the very bottom. He is conducting everything on a "show me" basis, which means, for example, that Paul O'Brien, first string center for two years, started the fall workouts on the third team. Jordan and his assistants--Ted Schmitt, the large line coach; Joe Maras, the large end coach; and Josh Williams, a real pepper guy who coaches backs--are taking nothing for granted. They are emphasizing the fundamental football techniques of blocking, tackling, and hard running. Harvard's success this year will depend on how well the squad can adapt itself to Jordan's ways of doing things, and on how well the manpower holds up.

Jordan was brought up footballwise at Pittsburgh, the entrenched citadel of the single wingback offense. Since he knows that style of play best, his present offense is basically single wing, but with varia- tions and aginstment necessary to adapt his offense to his available material, Actually, it is a single wing T, with direct and indirect passing from center.

As far as personnel goes, 19 seniors--17 of them lettermen--walked the graduation plank last June, and 11 of these were starters at one point or another last season. Two more letter winners, John White and Charlie Walsh, have failed to report; Al Wilson, a big, strong lineman who did not gain a letter last year but who did establish himself as an excellent prospect, has not shown up; and John Ederer, a sophomore back with speed and great driving power, is on probation.

This leaves Jordan with three men who started last year's Yale game--left end Dike Hyde, fullback Johnny West, and O'Brien. He has been running Art Connelly, a guard last year, at one of the tackle posts and sophomore John Nichols at the other. Nichols is quite big, and fairly quick. Fred Ravreby is at right end and Jerry Kanter and Bill Rosenau are the first string guards; all had varsity experience last year. Center Red Lewis was first string for the jayvees last year.

Sophomore Gill O'Neil is currently the number one quarterback. He is improving as a ball-handler and is a fair passer, but in neither respect does he approach the capabilities of Carroll Lowenstein, who is running second string. However, Lowenstein is not physically equipped to block with much authority and he is short enough so that his vision is liable to be obscured when he goes back to pass. In addition to being the team's best passer, he is also its best punter. O'Neil is more rugged and more of the blocking back type quarterback.

Captain Phil Isenberg, after a trial run at quarterback, is now at left half. He is only moderately fast, although he runs hard. Dave (Crazy Legs) Warden is the wing back and the powerful West, fullback. Jordan sorely needs a real breakaway back, a "gone with the wind" type of runner who could make the fullback a more potent threat by keeping the weak side defense constantly on the alert.

The second team includes Paul Crowley and Stan Britton, ends; Bob Stargel and Duke Sedgwick, tackies, Bob Fallon and Hank Toepke, guards; Buddy Lemay, center; Lowenstein, Dusty Burke, Red Wylie, and Tom Ossman in the backfield. This group includes five sophomores.

The third team has been composed of ends George Emmons and Hank Rate; tackles Nick Culolias and Dick Heidtmann; guards, John Jennings and Lew Gordon; alternating centers Bainy Frothingham and O'Brien; quarterbacks Bill Kierstead and Hardy Cox; halfbacks Paul Campbell and Bob Ray; fullback Jerry Blitz.

Bob Di Blasio, an end with considerable varsity experience, has been named to the 37-man squad but is recovering from a recent appendectomy