University of North Carolina Athletics
A Londoner's View Of Football in 1951
September 25, 2014 | Football
They tried to tell me that this was a tough-guy game, a piece of legalized mayhem that made bullfighting look sissy. No sir. Any professional rugby club in England could eliminate the heavily armored characters who amble in and out of this game.
The England men do not need the insurance policy of crash helmets and more padding than a horse hair couch. They wear extremely brief shorts and cotton shirts and in this rig I feel sure they could beat the long pants off these American huskies. That is merely my opinion and an opinion which I freely express because I shall be able to duck out of town.
Back in England the men of rugby football play forty minutes each way with one 10-minute interval. They would gulp at the idea of bringing in substitutes or that amazing all-change system when a team breaks off the defense shore and moves to attack.
We love your beautiful North Carolina girls who so sweetly led the organized cheering. We feel sure they mean well but most of their best efforts appeared to inspire brisker action from the opposition members.
The England crowd does not need any of this artificial stimulant, they up and roar their heads off when they feel so inclined. And this goes for the carriage trade in the grandstands. A polite hand clap was the nearest thing to a burst of enthusiasm that the upper set could arouse.
There seemed to be considerable respect for the extensive panel of referees and the supporting cast of the chain gang who appeared to be taking a constant ground survey in the middle of the affair. The English crowd stand up for their right to question of the verdict of the referee. They are not slow to state their willingness to buy him glasses on account of his short sightedness, or to suggestions that he could not move around so well because of the money tucked into boots by the rival managers.
But this American way of football is gay and colorful and I suppose a great game if you can guess what is going on. It is way ahead of England in its setting. This dignified arena in the glade of the deep green pines is among the finest sporting prints I have ever seen. So thanks for a wonderful memory.
Golf World, November 16, 1951
