Greatest Player

Last year when Yale's Larry Kelley sighed, "Gee, I'm sorry my career is over," he echoed the adolescent sentiments of many another young man who becomes a famed college football player, cashes in his reputation for a job upon graduation, then spends the rest of his life remembering his "great days." Such a one is Walter William ("Pudge") Heffelfinger. a Minneapolis boy who played guard for Yale and was on Walter Camp's original All-America football teams of 1889-90-91. After graduation Pudge Heffelfinger played a little professional football, coached at the University of California, went into the insurance business. Now approaching 70, still ruddy and hale, Pudge Heffelfinger is serving his fourth term as a Hennepin County (Minnesota) Commissioner, plays golf, lends his name and some of his time to the publication of two pamphlets called Heffelfinger's Football Facts and Heffelfinger's Baseball Facts. He played his last football game (nine minutes for charity) five weeks before his 66th birthday. Last week in Manhattan, at a luncheon of the Touchdown Club, Footballer Heffelfinger's embattled head was crowned with a final wreath. Sportswriter Grantland Rice, Walter Camp's successor as All-America picker, called him "the greatest football player that ever lived." Last week many a band of potential football heroes clashed on U. S. gridirons:

P: Yale went into its 61st game with Princeton a not-too-heavy favorite, because it is legend that "anything can happen" in that series. But nothing unexpected happened. On the first play after the opening kickoff, Clinton Frank, Yale's hefty captain, whipped through the Princeton line, splattered 79 yards through the mud for a touchdown. Thereafter he scored three more, gained 190 of Yale's 280 yards. Score: Yale 26, Princeton 0.

P: Though neither team had better than a mediocre record this season, 70,000 people sat in the rain to watch Army play its annual game with Notre Dame in New York City. In the first five minutes, Notre Dame's Ed Simonich scored the touchdown that defeated Army, 7-to-0.

P: For the second successive week, Pittsburgh defeated a team that had defeated awesome Minnesota. In the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh scored two touchdowns, downing "Biff" Jones's undefeated Nebraska team, 13-to-7.

P: Unbeaten Dartmouth and twice-beaten Cornell weltered forlornly in the mud for three periods, then each suddenly scored a touchdown to end in a tired tie 6-to-6.

P: Alabama still wants to play in the Rose Bowl. Georgia Tech outplayed the Crimson Tide for three quarters, then four minutes before the game ended, Alabama's Tut Warren caught a forward pass just over the goal line. Score: Alabama 7, Georgia Tech 0.

P: Wallace Wade's undefeated Blue Devils were favorites to win the Southern Conference championship this year. In the first period of its game against North Carolina last week, Duke led, 6-to-0. In the second period something went wrong; North Carolina's Crowell Little went through right tackle for a touchdown and Tom Burnette kicked the extra point. In the final three minutes North Carolina scored a superfluous touchdown to underline the upset-of-the-week: North Carolina 14, Duke 6.

P: Minnesota was out to get revenge on Northwestern for blasting its famed winning streak (after 21 victories) last year. In the first quarter Minnesota's Ray King intercepted a forward pass, ran 53 yards to the Northwestern 17-yd. line, then neatly caught a pass on the 4-yd. line to score the touchdown that defeated Northwestern, 7-to-0.

P: In a brilliant comeback from last fortnight's tie with Washington, California continued to look like the best team on the Pacific Coast. Against the University of Oregon, California scored 20 points in the second quarter, six in the third. Score, 26-to-0.

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