Next Year's Grid Prospects Donald Peddle '41

Next fall cologist Dick Harlow, maestro of the spinner cycle offense, will face the most ambitions schedule over undertaken by a Harvard football team when he sends out his Crimson clad eleven to do battle with six of the ranking teams of the East, the mighty Wolverines of Michigan, and up-and-coming Amherst College.

Dick Harlow will not be confronted with the major reconstruction job that was his a year ago, but graduation will take an average toll from the Harvard football camp. Fleet Torble Macdonald will no longer grace the Soldiers Field gridiron, and scholar-athlete Tom Healey leaves a gaping hole at right tackle. Mose Hallett, another tackle veteran, graduates, making that position Coach Harlow's number one problem area. In addition to those three men, Jim Devine, Bart Kelley, Ernie Sargeant, George Downing, Bill Coleman, and Frazier Curtis will be among the missing when football season rolls around again.

Coaching Changes

The coaching staff has been revamped considerably since that last bitter November afternoon against the Elis. Fiery Skip Stahley has been moved up from head Freshman mentor to Varsity backfield tutor, and Clarence "Chief" Boston comes from the University School in Cleveland to take Stahley's vacated Yardling job. Joe Nee will be his assistant. Wes Fesler remains as end coach, and Lyal Clark is line instructor. Henry Lamar will continue to coach the Jayvees, aided by Floyd Stahl.

Amherst is the first to appear on this Crimson version of a suicide schedule, and the Lord Jeffs are nobody's pushover. They will lose heavily by graduation but will still be a mighty strong opening opponent. Little Amherst will probably trot more football men out on the field than will Harvard on October 5, and all indications point to an interesting struggle. Next will be Michigan in a game that will go a long way toward revealing the strength and potentialities of the 1940 Harvard eleven. Tom Harmon may be the headliner, but Fritz Crialor has an all-veteran backfield and a strong line to go with him. And the ex-Princeton mentor wouldn't mine giving a little thump to the Harlowmen for the going over his Tigers took a few years ago.

Spring practice went along pretty well here at Cambridge, and Dick Harlow was able to get a good line on some of his younger men. He was able to boil the squad down to about 40 men so he will probably get off to a quick start next fall.

Positions

Position by position, the Crimson roster seems to be stronger than it was at this stage a year ago. Loren MacKinney and Gene Lovett, backed by Junior Joe Koufman and Sophomores Don Forte, Bill Barnes, and John Morgan should provide Dick Harlow with the best end play he has had at Harvard. Vern Miller is the only tackle holdover, and converted guard Don Lowry, Pete Elser, and Tom Gardiner are next in line, Bob Fisher and Tom Rogstad are a couple of Sophomores who may win consideration before the year is out, but right now Harvard looks woefully weak at the tackles.

Chub Peabody and Dick Pfister two lettermen, are ready to give Dick Harlow capable guard play, and Russ Standard, another Sophomore, is not far behind them. Jim Aldrich, Joel Ferris, and Jim Gruning round out the guard squad. Burgy Ayres has a strong hold on the pivot position, but Art Page, up from the Freshmen, and veteran Tom Grover are not out of the fight. Former Jayvees John Dimeff and "Lone Star" Dietz are other possibilities.

Backfield

George Helden seems to be Bill Coleman's successor at the blocking quarterback role, with Hank Vender Eb, Dave Goldthwait, and Ted Lyman backing him up. Versatile Charley Spreyer will probably be the starting tallback, and talented Don McNicol will be a capable substitute. Bill Lyie, Ed Buckley, and Cliff Helman are other possibilities.

Veteran Fran Leo, a fast-improving Greeley Summers, speed-merchant Ray Guild, and Caleb Loring are the ranking wingbacks. Captain Joe Gardella, Bill Brown, and Mort Waldstein are a trio of good buckers, making this position as well fortified as any with the exception of the bumper end crop.

Add it all up and you have a question-mark team, which may make or break itself throughout a rigorous schedule. Material is only surface deep in several spots, but a grid campaign free of costly injuries is long overdue for Dick Harlow and his aides. If the tackles can hold out against the terrific power which is certain to be generated directly at them, Dick Harlow may pull a big surprise and herd his Johnnies right back into the thick of the Big Three scrap.