Arizona president says fall football increasingly unlikely, more answers needed

coit

Y’all got any more of that D Fence?
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Cool article about Pitt’s 1918 flu-shortened season, with a few notable mentions of our Golden Tornados. Pitt’s claim to the national title that year was based in large part on their victory over Georgia Tech.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...-Sutherland-George-Halas/stories/202003260087

By the end of October, the number of patients from influenza decreased nationwide and quarantines were lifted. The flu returned in 1919 in another virulent wave. But for the time being, life was back to relative normalcy, and athletic departments were looking to pack the football schedules.

In October, Princeton head coach Bill Roper approached Karl Eugene Davis, Pitt’s athletic director, about hosting a game at Forbes Field to benefit the United War Work Fund — a campaign to raise money and provide entertainment for American troops abroad in World War I. Davis agreed to play “any team in the country.” But he apparently made it clear Pitt wanted Georgia Tech, known then as the “Golden Tornadoes.”

“The local authorities are very willing — even eager — to try conclusions with the Georgians,” the Press wrote. “Nothing would be more to their liking than a test of strength between the two famous machines.”

The Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets were Pitt’s second choice, but that wasn’t necessary. Georgia Tech agreed to play.

It should be noted that when Heisman’s Georgia Tech accepted Pitt’s invitation, the Golden Tornadoes were already three games into their campaign. The defending national champions weren’t forced inside via quarantine, defeating Clemson 28-0 in their season opener on Oct. 5 and routing Furman and the “11th Cavalry” by a combined score of 241-0 — yes, that’s 241 — in subsequent weeks.

In addition, the Golden Tornadoes were supposed to host Camp Greenleaf, a medical officer training camp in Georgia, prior to playing Pitt. But Georgia Tech called off the game, inoculating the team as a preventative measure against influenza, the Pittsburgh Gazette Times wrote on Nov. 1. Why does that matter? Jock Sutherland and a few more former Pitt stars were stationed at Camp Greenleaf and played on the team. Warner expected a scouting report after the game. Not quite an All-22, but it would’ve helped.

Regardless, Pitt prepared for the Golden Tornadoes by blowing out Washington & Jefferson, 34-0, and Penn, 37-0, on Nov. 9 and 16, respectively. Heisman attended the latter game at Forbes Field, watching as Davies — Pitt’s standout halfback from the Kiski School — ran “in a manner which simply mystified the blue-jersied warriors from the East,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times sports editor Richard Guy wrote.

It served as a sign of things to come.





“The game tomorrow will be decided in the first quarter of play,” declared Coach Heisman of the Georgia Tech eleven in making a forecast of the championship contest yesterday afternoon at Forbes Field. “If the Pitt team does not whip my men in the first 15 minutes I doubt if it will do it at all. I am fearful only of one thing, and that is stage fright on the part of my men, that is all.”

Heisman made that statement after arriving in Pittsburgh with his 25 players and 145 fans the Friday night before Saturday’s clash. The Georgia Tech travel party’s trip via train took almost two days, going from Atlanta to Cincinnati over to Pittsburgh. The Golden Tornadoes and their supporters stayed at the William Penn Hotel downtown, then only two years old.

Inside the hotel the day before kick, Guy’s piece paints a picture of a “typical football throng,” with people gambling on the game. The Panthers were expected to win. Guy wrote that even Georgia Tech’s fans admitted probable defeat, “for all they could think of seemingly was the team of last year, if they only had last year’s team here to play Pitt.” The line fluctuated depending on who you went to, but the away fans demanded at least Georgia Tech plus-14 to consider betting.

“When the Pitt students came to meet the Southern coin they balked at the odds,” Guy wrote. “But the professional bettors did not.”

And with reason.

Pitt won, 32-0. The victory, highlighted by Davies’ three touchdowns, ended Georgia Tech’s lengthy winning streak and pushed the Panthers’ unbeaten run to 32 games.
 

coit

Y’all got any more of that D Fence?
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I stole the pic below from @GTMom ‘s FB. Supposedly of GT during the 1918 season but I’m not sure that we had stands like that in 1918, did we?

15F9788B-1B7F-41B2-B1F7-81C6AD57B053.jpeg
 

yellowbritchies

Flats Noob
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Nov 17, 2006
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710
doesn't surprise me a bit about harvard and online. now that curves are flat and decreasing in areas of hospitilizations and new cases, liberal institutions will take early political stances to ensure this lasts into the fall. there is an agenda to keep the economy depressed for election purposes. they must do this prior to decreasing curves or they will miss their opportunity. the naive may think that being an american is more important than a political party, but for many in this country, on both sides, it is not. as a relative middle of the road dude (i've voted right and left before), i find gain for political purposes both ignorant and treasonous, but alas it is what it is. we need a good war to straighten this country out, as my grandpa used to say.

with that in mind, i expect you'll see states on the left try to keep things shuttered longer and more-liberally led businesses and universities try and push recovery as far right as possible. harvard might be the first, but it won't be the last.

should be an interesting next three months. mark my words, this is more about politics than a virus.

mooch, out.
Bingo! It's more about politics than the virus. Dems want to keep this virus in front untilthe elections are done. I really don't think we have seen anything in relation to mud slinging as we are going to seegoing forward!!
 

GTFLETCH

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Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor says the Big 12 is currently discussing seven primary options for the upcoming football season, and he outlined them during a conversation on Friday.

1. Starting the season as scheduled in early September

2. Starting the season in late September and ending games in December

3. Starting the season in October and playing a conference-only schedule

4. Starting the season in September and playing a conference-only schedule

5. Waiting until 2021 and starting the season in January

6. Waiting until 2021 and starting the season in March

7. Splitting up the season with six games in the fall and six games in the spring


Taylor thinks all seven options are on the table right now, but he is more optimistic about certain plans than others. He said starting the season on time “is going to be a long shot.” He isn’t sure why teams would start the season in September and scrub all non-nonconference games. There would be many moving parts involved with a split season. And he thinks the idea of beginning the season in January is particularly far-fetched.

“This is just me talking, but playing a full season starting in January and playing through March is a crazy plan,” Taylor said. “There are some parts of the country that I’m not sure I want to go to in January and February.”

But there is no perfect plan. At least not right now.

“Some say that we should start in March and end in May, which may be a little more palatable from a weather perspective,” Taylor said. “But how are you going to handle the draft? And then you’ve got players playing all the way through May and then they are going to come back in the fall. Some of those logistics are crazy to think about.”

“We are going to talk more about it next week,” Taylor said, “and hone in on the top three or four options that we really think are feasible.”

Link
https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article242437566.html#adnrb=900000
 

MeatWrench

Holder of all Moon records
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Dec 30, 2008
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6,912
The season should start on time. The fans can decide if they want to attend. No one is being forced to participate.
I agree with this for the fans but I struggle with how to handle the players/staff side of that equation? Fire people and pull schollys for those who opt out? Seems heavy handed. Keep all in isolation? Hard to manage or expect them to sign up for that.
 

jacket67

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Aug 25, 2008
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15,392
I agree with this for the fans but I struggle with how to handle the players/staff side of that equation? Fire people and pull schollys for those who opt out? Seems heavy handed. Keep all in isolation? Hard to manage or expect them to sign up for that.
College athletes are far more likely to die from several other things than they are to get seriously ill from COVID-19. Any coaches over 60 or with health conditions associated with risk might need to keep some distance. The purpose of mitigation is to slow the spread so medical facilities are not overwhelmed caring for the vulnerable. It was never intended as a way to keep college students from ever being exposed. As long as the hospitals are able to handle the numbers of serious cases, it is actually better to let the virus spread through the community and hope to get to herd immunity. The virus is going to be around for a long time, even with a vaccination or antiviral.
 

MeatWrench

Holder of all Moon records
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Dec 30, 2008
Messages
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College athletes are far more likely to die from several other things than they are to get seriously ill from COVID-19. Any coaches over 60 or with health conditions associated with risk might need to keep some distance. The purpose of mitigation is to slow the spread so medical facilities are not overwhelmed caring for the vulnerable. It was never intended as a way to keep college students from ever being exposed. As long as the hospitals are able to handle the numbers of serious cases, it is actually better to let the virus spread through the community and hope to get to herd immunity. The virus is going to be around for a long time, even with a vaccination or antiviral.
Agreed on all points. I don’t think the majority of the country is aligned with this though. The issue I was getting at is that attending a game is proposed as being a matter of choice for everyone but the players who will be expected to potentially expose themselves to something. Something that we have collectively been conditioned to fear. Do you make them play at gunpoint?
 

texstinger

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Jul 12, 2002
Messages
8,816
I wish I was wrong but with the threat of litigation everywhere I think all amatuer sports are dead. Get ready for the New Normal. Now in countries ruled by dictators & no threat of litigation sports will comeback. Just stay in the house and wait for instructions.
I would truly love to be on a jury where some idiot tried to sue the state, city, school or AA because they got sick after VOLUNTARILY attending some event.
 
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77GTFan

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Joined
Nov 21, 2004
Messages
9,397
Agreed on all points. I don’t think the majority of the country is aligned with this though. The issue I was getting at is that attending a game is proposed as being a matter of choice for everyone but the players who will be expected to potentially expose themselves to something. Something that we have collectively been conditioned to fear. Do you make them play at gunpoint?
Of course you do not make them play at gunpoint. They should all be allowed to take a redshirt year if they do not want to play, even a second redshirt year if they have already had one. My guess is that football players want to play. A few might sit out due to the risk. But most would play. The key is to not let the objections of a few deny the opportunity to play to those willing to accept the health risks.
 

ClubSeats

Well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory
Joined
Jan 24, 2019
Messages
5,428
Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor says the Big 12 is currently discussing seven primary options for the upcoming football season, and he outlined them during a conversation on Friday.

1. Starting the season as scheduled in early September

2. Starting the season in late September and ending games in December

3. Starting the season in October and playing a conference-only schedule

4. Starting the season in September and playing a conference-only schedule

5. Waiting until 2021 and starting the season in January

6. Waiting until 2021 and starting the season in March

7. Splitting up the season with six games in the fall and six games in the spring


Taylor thinks all seven options are on the table right now, but he is more optimistic about certain plans than others. He said starting the season on time “is going to be a long shot.” He isn’t sure why teams would start the season in September and scrub all non-nonconference games. There would be many moving parts involved with a split season. And he thinks the idea of beginning the season in January is particularly far-fetched.

“This is just me talking, but playing a full season starting in January and playing through March is a crazy plan,” Taylor said. “There are some parts of the country that I’m not sure I want to go to in January and February.”

But there is no perfect plan. At least not right now.

“Some say that we should start in March and end in May, which may be a little more palatable from a weather perspective,” Taylor said. “But how are you going to handle the draft? And then you’ve got players playing all the way through May and then they are going to come back in the fall. Some of those logistics are crazy to think about.”

“We are going to talk more about it next week,” Taylor said, “and hone in on the top three or four options that we really think are feasible.”

Link
https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article242437566.html#adnrb=900000
I’d like to see Notre Dame squirm if everyone drops their non-conf games
 

daBuzz

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Feb 16, 2009
Messages
35,005
I don't doubt it. It's a grad school vs undergrad school issue. When you "close campus", the grad students and faculty are still there working the labs and performing research. It's really the undergrads that are impacted. At Harvard, 25% of the students are undergraduates. At Texas, 80% of the students are undergraduates. Even if the big state schools open, you could lose 4-5 ACC schools.
Well, that certainly explains why Harvard is so messed up. Grad students screw up everything.
 
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