Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 312, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1920 — BEAM TO HEAD 1921 ELEVEN [ARTICLE]

BEAM TO HEAD 1921 ELEVEN

POPULAR CENTER CHOSEN TO CAPTAIN I*2l TEAM AT BANQUET LAST NIGHT. —A, Don M. Beam, perhaps the greatest center ever turned out by Rensselaer high school and one of the most important cogs in the 1920 Rensselaer football machine, was elected pilot of the 1921 eleven by his team matee at the banquet tendered the team at the Barnes restaurant Thursday evening by the fans of Rensselaer.. Wm. Eigelsbach, quarterback, and the man who carried the oval across the Morocco goal line for the winning marker, was chosen as Beam’s assistant. The selection, of these two men was a popular one and their election means that the team of 1921 will be in the hands of capable field generals. The honor conferred upon them followed an evening of mirth and merriment, fun and frivolity, with one handled and seventeen hundred per cent football fans sitting at tye festive board. From the moment the first cracker was lost in the soup until Mr. Barnes gave his guests the air at eleven-thirty it was an evening filled with football chatter and reminiscences, an evening when everything but football was forgotten and an evening that will be referred to in later years as an epoch in Rensselaer football history. The banquet proved a great leveler, there were no groups, all were as one gathered for the one purpose of paying homage to the warriors who had upheld the Rensselaer football reputation of twenty years. At the head of the table sat the Hon. E. P. Honan in all his Honanian majesty, faultlessly attired in his funeral frock as master of ceremonies. The spellbinder of the late Democratic party was at his best and from his opening remarks until the ringing down of the curtain he kept the banqueters in a happy frame of mind and the evening moving swiftly along. His unique manner of introducing the. speakers was the best part of the entertainment. I He was versatile and original and packed a punch in each and every syllable—just the same clever toastmaster that has presided at Rensselaer banquet tables for the past many years. Following Mr. Honan’s preliminary remarks, B. F. Fendig, manager of the 1900 team, gave an address, welcoming the members of the old football school to merge with those of the new that Rensselaer’s football reputation might be perpetrated. Mr. Fendig spoke of the 1900 eleven, at times indulging in hu-

morous reminiscences, but at all times keeping uppermost in the minds of his auditors the fact that the permanency of the game depends upon the -co-operation of the fans and the management Mir. Fendig has witnessed the growth of Rensselaer football from its infancy and has played no small part in its development aiding in carrying it from its early stages to its present high standard. His remarks were heartily relished and appreciated and paved the way for later suggestions tending to expedite the forward progress of the game. L. H. Hamilton, with the toastmaster sandwjfehed in, followed Mr. Fendig, his Subject being, “The Spirit of the Game.” He expressed! his remarks the hope that the players would at no time let their desire for victory overcome their spirit of fair play. Mr. Hamilton took occasion to roast his-fellows on the programme, meaning, of course, that none who had been called upon for toasts were capable of meeting fully the spirit of the occasion, and to express in words tbs sentiment of all present for the splendid team in whose honor the feast bad been spread. He said it was the spirit that won the pme from Morocco that would win in any contest and the kind that should be implanted in the heart of the > young men of this city. - ■; »- * -

John A. Dunlap, a Moroccan br birth, but • Renaselaeran through choice, was hammated by being given the snbjoet, “My Home Town, Morocco.*' ’ However, his offering was a classic and proved to be on* of the best:toasts of the evening*. He related several anecdotes of the game between Morocco and Ronsselaer and continued In a humorous vein throughout his entire talk, yet at tile same time his remarks contained an undercurrent of sound logic that Wis not lost upon his audience. He urged that the game he kept above suspicion and that the players indulge in only true sportsmanship at all times that football might continue to thrive and increase in popularity. Moses Leopold, a member of the famous eleven of twenty years ago, had as his subject, “Looking Backward.” Mr. Leopold spoke of the style of football played in his day compared to that of fho present day brand, and was -of the opinion that the favorite* of long ago were superior to (he team of IMQ. Mr. Leopold also smacked B. F. Fendif in sundry spots and told of the days when the latter reigned os Rensselaer’s loading footbafl enthu-

siast. In closing the speaker Advised the players not to let monetary considerations become their first thought, but that their love, for the game be given the prefer-] ence over every other thing. C. A. Roes, who managed the ' team during the season just closed, m his toast, “Looking Foward,” gave a brief resume of the season, relating the handicaps the team of 1920 was compelled to undergo and the tentative plans made for their eradication in 1921. Mr. Boas asked the co-opeartion of the fens for future seasons and that they aid in broadening the game. He also urged that a still more compact association be formulated which would include practically every follower of the team, and that Rensselaer athletics not simply be confined to football, but that other branches of sport be indulged in that the city nuy assume a higher place in sporting activities. At the conclusion of his remaria, the speaker addressed the team members and recommended that they select their field general for next season, which was done as related above. Following the regular toast program, Toastmaster Honan called upon several others for impromptu talks, which were made by Dr. Paul G. Miller, of Indianapolis, Edward Honan, Jr., of Breckenridge, Tex., Capt. elect Beam, retiring Captain Nowek, Hugh Kirk, Simon Thompson, Coach Parker, C. Arthur Tuteur and “Lofty” Clark. The banquet was a success in every way and leaves behind pleasant memories which insure the success of the 1921 venture. The seeds of enthusiasm have been widely distributed, the game has been elevated to a plane never before attained in local circles, their is a spirit of co-operatipn and perfect accord, the fans are behind the team, the players have the best interests of the game at heart, a solid, compact and permanent organisation Is in the making and | plans for the development of young. players to step into the places left; vacant .as the veterans bow before Father Time are under way. Football in Rensselaer is on the upgrade and will continue to be if kst night’s showing can be taken as s criterion.