"While the rules of the game at that time provided for an Umpire as well
as a Referee, the fact that there was no neutral zone and players were
in close contact with each other on the line of scrimmage gave
opportunity for more roughness than is customary at the present time.
Neither were the officials so strict about their rulings.

"Prior to this time it had been customary to give word signals for the
different plays, these being certain words which were used in various
sentences relating to football and the progress of the game. As center,
I was so tall that a system of sign signals was devised which I used
entirely in the Princeton game, and the opponents, from the talk, which
continued as usual, supposed that word signals were being used and were
entirely ignorant of the sign signals during the progress of the game.
The pulling of the visor of my cap was a kick signal. Everything that I
did with my left hand in touching different parts of my uniform on the
left side from collar to shoe lace meant a signal for a play at
different points on the left side of the line. Similar signals with my
right hand meant similar plays on the right side of the line. The system
worked perfectly and there was no case of missed signal. The next year
the use of numbers for signals began, and has continued until the
present date.

"The work of the Yale team during the season was very much retarded by
injuries to their best players. The papers were so filled with these
accounts that the general opinion of the public was that the team would
be in poor physical condition to meet Princeton. As luck would have it,
however, the invalids reached a convalescing stage in time to enter the
Wesleyan game on the Saturday before the one to be played with Princeton
in fairly good condition.