Los Banos Rotary Club History
Pappy Waldorf Is Featured Speaker At Football Dinner

"I always like to refer to my youthful days on the crew team as 29 years and 89 pounds ago."

Tongue-in-cheek, rotund Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf looked toward a stout member of his audience and said, "Kelly Bambauer was coxswain on that boat."

Thus Waldorf the famed head football coach at the University of California, began his informal talk before the annual Rotary Club football banquet in the Los Banos Grammar School cafeteria Tuesday evening.

Pappy spoke briefly on football's two platoon system which was banned this season, stating that he polled members of the Cal frosh ramblers squad as to whether they preferred the single platoon over the old unlimited substitution rules. Twenty-two players, he said, favored the single platoon, while 25 liked unlimited substitution. Waldorf pointed out that these 25 said they had a better chance of playing under the old rules.

Waldorf did not commit himself on this matter, but he did ask the A and B football squads present at the dinner how they felt about single platoon vs. double platoon football. The players said they preferred the former system. Pappy nodded and said, "You're sturdy boys."

There are things much more important than that which can be measured by statistics or a stop watch," said Waldorf. He was referring to "desire and determination" which he said is the difference between a team winning or losing.

"When there is no place on a squad for a boy who is too light or a bit slow, but who has the desire to come through in a pinch, then there is no reason to play football."

Pappy told of one player on the Bear team who scored the first touchdown against Stanford in the Classic Big Game this year. "This boy was an average athlete who started football on the third frosh team and worked up to the ramblers before playing varsity football," Waldorf pointed out.
Pappy said he was happy because the boy, who was not a star player, came through with the first touchdown as the culmination of four years of hard, dogged work.

"Football is played by downs" Waldorf said, "and that happened on the last play is past history, just like a yellowed parchment in a museum."
He continued, "Players can't worry about the mistakes they made on the last play, but have on the next play."

Football is a young game, said Pappy developed within the lifetime of one man—Amos Alonso Stagg, the "grand old man of football"—who recently celebrated his 91st birthday.

The humorous situations that arise during football workouts were touched upon briefly by Waldorf.

He told of a practice session for last year's Cal game against UCLA in which one player persisted in forgetting his assignment. Waldorf said this lapse of memory became contagious with another athlete making the same mistakes.
He called the two boys over to him and admonished them for their mistakes, whereupon the first player who started the series of bobbled plays turned to him and said, "That's okay, Pappy, my buddy is just being a hero worshipper."
Waldorf was introduced by L J. Spindt, principal of the Los Banos High School, who was the evening's master of ceremonies.

Spindt expressed his appreciation for the cooperation of Dr. Geo. B. Pimentel and Dr. L. R. Hillyer for their services at the local high school football games; and also for the cooperation of Police Chief Robert H. McSwain.
Then Spindt somewhat startled the audience by assailing Los Banosans for "deserting the A team when it was losing games" this season. He said he was proud of the A team in spite of its losing four games, and continued "I can't understand why the local spectators withdrew their support when the team was in a slump."

"You bleacher coaches don't know what it is all about," he continued. "Football is a complicated game."

The varsity squad "came of age" during the Patterson game and won, he said, "in spite of the local predictions they would lose 40 to 0."
Spindt introduced varsity football coach Carlyle Loftin, who spoke briefly, stating in reference to the Patterson game, "I was resigned to my fate, but they pulled a fast one. You're never licked until you're down."
Rotary Club president Kenneth Anderson presented miniature gold footballs to senior members of the A and B football squads. They were Billy Alfonso, Pete Ayerza, Bob Castellucci, Donald Enos, Phil Castellucci, Ronnie Enos, Fred Gomes, Bill Hughes, George Silva, Jack Silvey, and Frank Soriano of the B squad.

The football banquet is sponsored each year by the Rotary Club in honor of the high school football squads, the members of which are guests of the organization for the evening.

The high school band, under the direction of Milburn Arnoldi, presented a program of marches and Christmas songs. Members of the Lions and 20-30 Clubs were also guests at the dinner.

December 18, 1953

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