The following appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on April 6, 1954, and was written by JCU alum and Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Heaton '38
 

Football bounced back into the Case Tech athletic picture for next year as revolutionary plans for a seven-team sports conference that will revive Big Four competition were announced yesterday by the presidents of Baldwin-Wallace, Case Tech, John Carroll and Western Reserve.

The unique organization, to be called the Presidents' Athletic Conference, will limit grid play to six games and intercollegiate basketball to 16, and will encourage intramural competition within and among the schools.

The statement of policy for the new league, which will go into action in 1955, was explained at a joint meeting by Dr. John L. Knight of B-W, Dr. T. Keith Glenning of Case, Dr. John Mills of Reserve and the Very Rev. Frederick Welfle, S.J. of Carroll.

To Add 3 Members

Addition of three members from schools within a comfortable trip from Cleveland is planned, However, if necessary, the four Greater Cleveland schools will meet in home and home football games next year.

There is a good possibility that institutions such as Akron, Ohio Wesleyan, Oberlin, Wooster and Carnegie Tech would be interested in such an athletic program.

The new league, the brain child of Dr. Glennan of Case, where football was dropped at the end of last season, is felt by the quartet of presidents to represent the only sound solution to the continuation of both football and basketball as intercollegiate sports. All schools have been fighting a losing battle against rising costs and poor attendance.

Under the new program of no athletic scholarships, no overnight trips and no guarantees, the sports expenses will be drastically cut. In fact, athletics will be treated as just one more department of the colleges and will be played for the benefit of the participants and other students rather than as a spectacle for the amusement of the alumni and general public.

Expect No Opposition

The statement of policy, announced at the meeting, has not yet been presented to the athletic committees at the four schools but none of the presidents expects any serious opposition.

All four presidents hope to have the okay of the trustees this spring so that the schedules and enlargement of the league maybe completed. They agreed that "realization of a common problem" brought about the unexpected move.

The idea was born several months ago when Dr. Glennan entertained his fellow educators at a luncheon with the purpose of explaining his ideas on the reasons for dropping football at Case. The other three agreed that it was a serious problem and the result was a series of meetings culminating in yesterday's announcement.

"We hope to do what the National Collegiate Athletic Association would like to do, but is unable to accomplish because of itd size," Glennan explained.

Retire From Mid-American

For Reserve, the new conference means retirement from the Mid-American Conference. Carroll will have to give up its football and basketball ambitions and curtailment will be felt in the cage sport as the Streaks have been playing very rugged schedules since the war.

The league should be just the answer to those followers of Reserve and Carroll who have been calling for a grid meeting between the two schools ever since relations broke off after the 1946 season.

Big Four competition which saw Cleveland college athletic interest at an all time high, lasted from 1933 to 1942 when war temporarily ended football at Reserve and Carroll.

A statement announcing the new program said: "The presidents of Baldwin-Wallace College, Case Institute of Technology, John Carroll University and Western Reserve University believe that these institutions should provide a vigorous program of student activities as an integral part of the educational opportunities afforded to the undergraduate students, Among such activities competitive athletics enlist the interest and participation of a substantial majority of the male students and provide an important educational experience."

Sane Program Needed

"It is believed, therefore, that a sane and reasonably economical program of intercollegiate competition should be provided for those whose athletics skills and interests are of high order. It is equally important that a vigorous and attractive program of intramural competition be planned to serve a larger number whose athletic skills and interest are more modest. The objectives of both the intramural and intercollegiate programs are identical - to provide the educational experiences of competition at a level commensurate wit the skill level of the student."

The following are some of the more important points of the program:

A council of the presidents shall be the permanent administrative organization with a rotating presidency. That council will have the sole responsibility for the establishment, direction and if necessary the enforcement of general policy.

Members of the athletic department shall not have the responsibility for policy but "shall be charged with operating within these policies."

Athletic scholarships as such shall not be permitted. Discrimination "for or against" an athlete is prohibited. recruiting is out and strict rules for those participating in intercollegiate athletics have been drawn up.

For instance, the athlete must report to appropriate authorities of his institutions the sources of all income used to finance his education. He must not accept financial assistance from any other source than his institution, an organization approved by his institution or from personal or family sources.

Freshmen will not be eligible.

All schools have agreed to meet any commitments made to students now in school.

All-star and postseason games are out for players and coaches alike.

Are High On New Plan

All policies will become effective immediately upon establishment of the conference and scheduling within the conference will be initiated in the fall of 1955.

Herb Eisele, John Carroll athletic director and head football coach, and Eddie Finnigan, who holds the same job at Reserve, both were high on the new plan.

"It will solve our scholastic problems and the competition with the local schools should mean a lot," said Eisele. "Coaching will be the main job again just like in high school and I think we will all like it."