PAG® FOUR The Nittany Lyon The Nobile Affaii It may be that Leo Nobile’s absence in the guard s ot on Penn State’s 1947 line might not be as large a hole as si-me people expect. Leo, it develops, has a little of that temperament exclusive until this time to Johnny Joe Tepsic, another Lion hero, who threw over the Jce Co.lege days for a crack at the mean old world of profession, al sports. Not that Bob Higgins won't miss Leo. He is a fine guard . . . other wise the Redskins wouldn't hare signed him and three other pro teams wouldn't have offered him contracts It’s an open secret that Nobile, like Tepsic, didn’t have the old col litdh try. Leo, like Joe, is interested in the dough primarily. If he can have a .ittle fun, that’s okay too. And Nobile, like Tepsic, is sus picious. Leo suspected Higgins of trying to keep him from making mo ney in the pro ranks, by asking Jock Sutherland of the Steelers not to sign the Penn State guard until af ter he had finished his work at the College. The story is that both Suth erland and Higgins thought it better for Leo, Penn State and the Steelers, to let Ncbile finish his eligibility in gohool. Tepsic, of course, suspected everyone as trying to keep him from making money, refused to step down When the Brooklyn baseball Dc digers asked him too, and as a result wound up in Pt. Worth, Tex as, in the Texas League. Leo has been tagged a potential All-American. He gtili had a year of eligibility left a t Penn State. Higgins told last spring that Nobile was the moat-improved player on the squad. To this, Mr. Nobile replied: "Now maybe I'll get some of the pub licity that Bob Rutkowski's been getting." Nice team spirit. Leo has said, that he “was unhappy at Penn State,” and wanted to reap the financil benefits of a profession! football contract. And Higgins says, “Any college player could maintain he was un happy and seek to drive a bargain with a pro club. The player, in many cases would be just interested in learning hew much he could earn in the professional game.” Which brings up another point. Mr. Higgins is slightly peeved, not only by the loss of a ineman on whom he counted heavily, but also by the principle cf the thing. The National Football League adopted a rule that member clubs would be restraine dfrom signing p’ayers who still had n opportunity to play college ball. The following day the Redskins announced the signing of Nobile, “The new rue,” Higgins says, “requires that a club should contact the college coach in such cases, and inquire fully into the facts. No ocach wants an unhappy player, and certainly don’t want to keep Nobile gainst his wishes. Higgins agreed that Leo had signed hi s contract before the rule went into effect. But that doesn’t alter the principle of he deal. Bcb feels, and rightly so, that he should have been told at the time of the signing. In fact, the Redskins should have notified him. After a'l, if Leo signed his contract last February when he said he did, it wasn’t exactly right for him tc work out with the Lion grid, ders this spring. He also ate at the College training table. Nobile is not to be condemned for turning pro. If he felt that he he had to make some money, and he knew that it’s contrary to Coll ege policy to P a: y p ayers at Penn State, it is all right for him to try to make a living. But the way h e went about it is questionable. We know that Leo feels that Penn State wasn’t giving him a square deal. Any fi otball player or poach will te 1 you that Nobile was better n ff than any other player. Eut Leo hasn’t given anyone a square deal at Penn State Whether he has taken oare of himself will b r»n next Fall. , After all, a guy has got to eat, hasn't he? Karver Gels Grand Slam Gerry Karver, unbeaten out doors in 1947, is credited with the first “grand slam” in the mile since Leslie Mac Mitchell, of N. Y. Q., swept all competition before him in 1941. MEN’S FALL and WINTER SUITS and, TOPCOATS • Moderately Priced • Guaranteed Fit • Mad e to Measure J( - Gl’s GOING TO COLLEGE Stop in tcday and ask about our 3-payment plan HOMELAND TAILORS, Inc. OFFICE * . Ist Floor let Door Right. 142 SOUTH FRAZIER STREET THE SUMMER COLLEGIAN—STATE COLJLBGE, PENNSYLVANIA LEO NOBILE Three '47 Veterans Vie At Tailback On Grid Roster Pefchel, Williams, joe Compete With Chuckran Tauuacn, me spot in the single wing aUaca, will be well manned by Lions tnis Fall, ac cording to Coach Bob Higgins, who hopes his 1947 eleven will prove one ol the East’s better tootball teams. Back from last year’s team, which won six ana iosi two against rugged competition, will be three capable oali-carners, namely scatback Elwood Petchel, of Easton, signal-calling Bobby Williams, of Pittsburgn, and speedy Larry Joe, of Derry Township. PETCHEL TRIPLE'THREAT Petchel, who kicks and passes remarkably well for a little fel low , is the only triple threat in this trio, although Williams is an exceptionally good passei, and Joe is strong defensively and also the fastest back on the squad.. Of the returnees, Johnny Chuckran, of Lansford, was with held from Spring drills because of shin splints, but Bill Luther, of Osceola Mills, looked good as a runner, kicker, and passer. Chuckran was a stand-out in 1944, and is expected to regain his old form. Luther has yet to play a college game, since he en tered the armed services befor : the 1945 season opened. Joe Colone fullback and punting ace for last year’s Lions will also answer Coach Higgins’ call for pre-season practice in mid-August. Colone starred in the backfield on the 1942 team as a freshman before entering the Army. SELL OUT AT HERSHEY According to advance reports, the Lions’ opener with the Wash ington State Cougars will be a sell out contest.. The Hershey Stadium, site of the game, has a capacity of approximately 15,000. The game has been scheduled as an arc-light show on Saturday, September 20. Student applications for tickets to the game may be picked up at the Student Union desk in Old Main. On Way Up Horace Ashenfelter is expected to succeed Curt Stone as Penn State’s premier two-miler in 1948. Leo Nobile, Lion Guard, Signs With Pro Redskins Leo Nobile, Penn State guard, has signed a contract to play for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League for tjhe 1947 season. Nobile, who still had a year of eligibility left at the CLl.ege, will join Johnny Jafifurs, former All-American at Penn State, on the Washington line. : The announcement last Mon day that Nobile had been signed perplexed Nittany Lion Coach Bob Higgins. The National Foot ball League had recently an nounced that it would not sign any college players who still were eligible to play this fall. NOT VIOLATION Bedt Bell, commissioner of the National Football League, stated that the Nobile deal was not a violation of the league’s recent hands-off ruling. “Nobile actually signed some time ago, before our new rule was adopted,” Bell said. “The rule is not retroactive. It is de signed to prevent the signing of players who have enrolled for the Fall semester in any university or college.” In Pittsburgh, it was reported that Nobile had signed a Red skins contract last February, after receiving an offer to join ■ — ; ■ Red Ticket Sale STARTING TODAY JULY 29TH up to 50% OFF YOU’LL FIND BARGAINS YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS AT HUR’S MEN’S SHOP OPPOSITE OLD MAIN ■ ■ UP Tc TENNU EHGLAHD MEREI.V I3RAV VOLI CHAN fas. THEYSTAW POUNDIM& THE BALT BACK Pot ZtNG IN YOUR SW Extra strength for ortm power ia built into th< of the “Fiber-Sealed” Ditson Pavia Cup and th> Welded” Spalding Kr< both made by Spalding, dealer’ TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1047 the Pittsburgh Steeiers, also a NLF team. “Coach Higgins and Dr. Jock Sutherland, coach of the Steeiers, are close friends, which makes me believe that Bob asked him* to steer clear of me until I fin ished at Penn State,” Nobile was quoted as saying. GETS OTHER OFFERS Nobile also said that he had re ceived offers from the New York Giants of the National League, and the Buffalo Bisons of the new All-America Football Confer ence. The Ambridge, Pa., footballer returned from the service in the spring of 1946, with two years of eligibility still left at Penn State. Nobile was outstanding at his guard post for the Nittany Lions last fall, and at the end of prac tice session this spring, Coach Higgins stated that Nobile was the most improved player on the squad.
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