Picking Season

In 1889, when Walter Camp picked his first All-America, he scanned the Big Three--Harvard, Yale and Princeton--and gave the rest of the football world the back of his hand. It was two years before an outsider from the University of Pennsylvania crashed the select circle, nine years before a Midwesterner arrived. Camp made it a one-man job, personally observed worthy candidates in action, weighed their merits and took his pick.

Since Camp's death the selection of All-Americas has boomed into a free-for-all among press associations, newspapers and national magazines. No one expert is likely to have seen all the stars he votes for, but this difficulty can be solved by the device ofcontributing-experts. Among the other conventions of modern AllAmerica picking:1) it is inconceivable that an unbeaten team playing a big-time schedule has not had some All-Americas on it somewhere, and 2) so far as humanly possible, all sections of the U.S. should be represented. Although the system has its faults (Frank Merriwell himself might be overlooked if he played for Spearfish Normal), it is the best one going.

This week, with half a dozen All-America teams announced (Associated Press, United Press, et al.) and more to come (Collier's, Look, Satevepost), the consensus seemed to be:

End Leon Hart Notre Dame Tackle Alvin Wistert Michigan Guard John Schweder Pennsylvania Center Clay Tonnemaker Minnesota Guard Rod Franz California Tackle Wade Walker Oklahoma End Jim WilliamsRice Back Arnold GaliffaArmy Back Bob Williams Notre Dame Back Emil Sitko Notre Dame Back Doak Walker S.M.U.

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