“

December 11, 1941. :

 

Mire Gene Me Leahy,
Menager, Lusk Crude 011 Coe,

Lusk, Wyominge —
Dear Mr e Leahy: -

| I acknowledge receipt of your favor of the 4th
instant, and I am happy that you were able to see the great football
game between the University of Southern California and Notre Dame.

When I received your first letter I interpreted

it as written by the proprietor of a tavern or a pool hall, end I
answered it in the same vein. Since I find that you ere a graduate
of Creighton University and pleyed football coger! Tommy Millis I am
revising entirely my estimate of youe In fact, I stopped in Omahe
and went out and hed a long visit with Tommy when he was coach at
Creighton. I refereed some of the games that Creighton played under
Tommy Mills and perbhance I might heave worked a game while you were —
Playing. I was very fond of Tommy Mills and I thought he was a fine
gentleman and a great coach.

‘I think you took ay letter too seriously. When
I was kidding about Irish parentage I was kidding myself because I
happen to be Irish, and I wes not taking any of the things thet I
was writing too seriously because I thought I was talking to someone
other than a college graduate. And if I could say anything that
would: kid the fellow oleng 6 little I did it for the humor thet wes
in it.

ZI senehed football at Kansas in 1920, and have
had better than ten years of college football coaching. I aiso
Played football, basketball end baseball, so I ¢o not happen to be
a crank on basketball.

I am sending you a copy of a speech that I made

at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on November 26, and in thet you will
see that I have never stated that college footbell if conducted on
a basis other than straight professionalism would die. They have
named Elmer Layden czar of profeseional football, just as they named —
—- Landis ezear of professional baseball. Now, if they would have

@ czar of college football and he could say there is a limit to this
proselyting and subsidizing then anyone found extending that author-
ised limit would be dealt with. The coach breaking the law would be
discharged; the athlete violeting the lew would be declared ineligible.
The faculty member disregarding the lew would be removed; and the
alumnus, - well, it wouldn't make moh difference about him if he