Los Banos Rotary Club History
Loftin, Spindt Talk Football

Football, especially as it applies to the Los Banos high school Tigers and Tiger fans, held the spotlight at the Rotary Club luncheon Tuesday noon as Carlyle Loftin, coach, and Lester J. Spindt, principal, discussed the approaching Tiger grid season and football in general.

Spindt, who acted as program chairman, assigned to Loftin the topic, "How to Watch a Football Game," but Loftin mostly ignored the topic to give the Rotarians some rudimentary instruction in the game itself. Using a blackboard, Loftin explained the position and duties of each man on the team, and the positioning of the T and single-wing formations, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Loftin said that today, approximately 90 per cent of all football teams use the T formation, or variations of it, and that in his opinion it is the most successful of all systems.

Loftin said that at college games he prefers to sit in the end zone in order to better see the plays as they open up. He also advises taking along a pair of field glasses of not more than four-power, and to arrive well ahead of game time in order to study the program and familiarize oneself with the outstanding players and their numbers.

In action, he said, the first man to watch is the quarterback, then the ends. Movement of the ends, too, as the play starts, often indicates where the play is going.

Spindt, who introduced Loftin, spoke briefly on Tiger prospects, and the revised Joaquin league schedule that has been created to equalize the probable strength of all teams in the league. The new schedule, he said, gives Los Banos only three home games this year, but this will be equalized in following years as the schedule will be arranged on a rotating basis. The schedule this year was set by drawing names from a hat.

For benefit of the bleacher coaches about town, Spindt explained some of the rules that sometimes keeps betters players on the bench or even out of uniform. Most important among such rules, he said, is scholastic standing, and next, disciplinary restrictions and training rules. He also explained that high school boys who have reached their 15th birthday, though the latter may participate in the lightweight games.

There will be no Rotary Club luncheon next Tuesday noon as an inter-city meeting with Gustine is scheduled Tuesday evening at the grammar school cafeteria here, with members of the Gustine and Los Banos high school football teams as honored guests.

September 27, 1949

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