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The Team 1917
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Captain Edson Shaw, all-Missouri valley tackle in 1916 and 1917, captain of the 1917 all-Valley eleven, was one of the chief factors in the remarkable success of the 1917 football season. Wherever the play was, Shaw was sure to be found at the bottom of the pile, and when ever a smash was directed through his side of the line, his backs always found a hole waiting for them. His playing has seldom been spectacular, but rather of the quiet, dependable kind - the kind a coach likes to know he can depend upon in a hard game. Ed has played at the same old right guard during all the three years he has been on the team, and has made that spot in the Nebraska line one that is regarded with fear and reverence by all other teams. Besides being an ideal offensive and defensive tackle, Shaw had the right qualities of leadership in him - the qualities that make his teammates fight with him to the last whistle and was one of the best-liked captains Nebraska ever had. When Captain Shaw graduates this spring, Nebraska will lose one of the best sportsmen and hardest fighters in Cornhusker history. |
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Ted Riddell was one of the best ends that ever played for Nebraska, but he got little honor and the team little good out of this fact, because of bad luck that followed him relentlessly through all the season. He was injured at the very start, and was unable to stay in any of the games for any length of time before his injuries forced him back to the side lines. Ted's playing has often been favorably compared with that of the great Chamberlain, and it is impossible to tell how much he would have been worth if he could have played at his end of the line in some of the big games. He was particularly a master in the handling of the forward pass. |
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Hugo Otoupalik has played with the Varsity for three years, sometimes at end, but usually at half-back. "Otie" went through the entire season in good form, and gave every line he hit its full share of punishment. His specialty was line-plunging, and his weight and strength, combined with his football instinct, were instrumental in getting him through doubtful holes where most backs would be thrown back for a loss. At the defensive periods of the game, he was possessed of an unusual ability to block plays. Besides being a gridiron star, Otoupalik was national amateur wrestling champion and coached the 1917-18 Nebraska wrestling team. |
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Upon John Cook fell the part of field general of the Cornhusker team, and he lived up to his duties nobly. Johnny proved himself to have real football brains and the faculty of knowing just what to do and when to do it. His coolness and clearheaded management of his team was responsible for many of the season's touchdowns. In addition to this, he starred in open field running, and could slip through a crowded field with an ease that at times appeared uncanny. His famous 80-yard return of a punt in the Missouri game will go down as one of the big plays in Nebraska history. Cook was all-Valley quarter, and was given honorable mention by Walter Camp. His leadership and dependability will be sorely missed next fall. |
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Ed Kositzky was one of the dependable veterans upon whom Coach Stewart placed his hopes for a successful season. Much to the grief of opposing teams, "Kositz" delivered the goods, and did it with a vengeance. He ably demonstrated his ability to get through any line, and, not satisfied with that, was often down with the ends under punts. For low playing and hard hitting, there have not been many players who could best Kositzky. More than that, he was always consistent and reliable. Nervy and daring in taking chance, he was still cool and level-headed, and has been an inspiration to many a youngster who was making his debut in the yaller. Kositzky was another of Nebraska's all-Valley men. |
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When the last game of 1917 had been played, and plans were under way for next season, the first thing in order was the choice of a captain. Without hesitation, that honor was promptly bestowed upon Roscoe B. Rhodes, who has since been called by the draft to the service of Uncle Sam, and so will be unable to fill his office next fall. Rhodes played at several positions on the team before finally settling down into a steady end berth. He filled this position so well that football experts were expecting him to take All-Western honors next year. Dusty is known and feared throughout the country. He is big and fast and hard to pull down. On the defensive, he always gets his man. He is an example of what a man can accomplish through hard work, for he is not of the spectacular type of player, but must work for every merit. Captain-elect Rhodes' departure for war is one of the severest blows ever dealt a Nebraska eleven, for he had been counted upon for much in next year's schedule. |
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Paul Dobson proved himself to be an all-around football player. He held down one of the full-back positions and was one of the most valuable men on the team. He was equally good at carrying the ball through the line or around the end, and knew how to get the utmost good out of his speed and weight. On the defensive, Dobbie was just as efficient, and met most of the plays directed against his quarter before they were started. He was the chief kicking asset of the team, and was the man behind a great many successful passes of the season. His value is fully evinced by the fact that Walter E. Eckersoll placed him on his second all-Western eleven, and that he was picked by C. E. McBride for the all-Valley team. Dobson's best work is still to come, however, and he is expected to make a real name for himself next year. |
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After the announcement that Captain-elect Rhodes was soon to change the moleskins for khaki, his mantle of office immediately fell upon the shoulders of Harold Wilder, better known as the "cave-man." Wilder is an all-Missouri Valley man, and was picked on Walter E. Eckersoll's second all-Western team. In every department of the game he was the most feared guard in the Valley. In spite of the fact that he is near the bottom of every play, and probably gets more hard knocks than any man on the team, Wilder refuses to wear any shoulder pads. He is utterly fearless in wading into a play, and is one of the most consistent players Nebraska has ever had. Wilder is being counted upon as one of the mainstays of the line in 1918, and will have to assume much of the responsibility for the success of the season. |
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Harold McMahon, another first-year man, was kept out of most of the season's games by scholastic troubles, but whenever used proved himself to be a first-class back. He was heavy enough to pound the line successfully, and starred in open field and end runs. Mac is one of the best sprinters in the country and when he tucks a pigskin under his arm, his speed is dazzling. He is also a kicker. McMahon worked at the quarter's job some last season, and is expected to fill the berth regularly next year, for he has developed a good football head. Much is expected from him in every department of the game for 1918. |
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Ernest Hubka developed into one of the most dependable of the 1917 squad. The coach played him both on the line and in the back field, but the probabilities are that he will stay behind the line hereafter. Hubka made a name for himself in his memorable smashes against Kansas for the second touchdown of that game. He is fast and heavy and keeps his feet well. "Hub" specializes in line plunging, but is also adept at handling passes by the aerial route. He made most of the second all-Valley elevens as tackles last year, and next year, playing full-back, where he is a much better man, he should win far higher honors. Hubka is below the draft age, and is expected to be a valuable factor towards cleaning up on next year's schedule. |
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Sam Kellogg was one of the most able men on the squad. But he was the despair of the coaches because he was the self-confessed laziest man on the team. Kellogg played at one of the tackle positions, and was a formidable man to face. He had just enough weight, and was as speedy as any on the squad. Next year, with more experience and effort, he can make himself one of the stars of the Valley. |
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Farley Young is another first-year man who has plenty of good football material in him. He was used as a regular line berth till an injury forced him out for the rest of the season. Young will not return next year, by virtue of his having gone to the navy. |
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