field at Joannes park, which is being used by the Big Bay Blues, through the courtesy of the school board, is well supplied with box seats and they are all located close to the center of the field. In past years, the Football corporation disposed of approximately 225 box seats but this year the sales committee hopes to sell every one of the 288 being built at the park. Holders of box seats in past years and other prospective purchasers are being called upon and, according to the report of the committee men, they are meeting with fair success. Often some willing-to-be box seat owner is passed over in the sales drive. Those who want box seats and have not been called upon are asked to get in touch with the sport department of The Press-Gazette, and one of the committee men will pay a visit at once...DISCUSS BOX SEAT SALES: In speaking of the box seat and season ticket sale, Chairman Evrard said: "The Packer football team is a civic proposition. It is absolutely necessary that we carry some of the financial load through the sale of these seats. In this way, each purchaser of a box seat contributes something towards the support of the club, aside from the actual cost of the ticket. The board of directors is pulling every string possible to make this year's Packer team the greatest in the history of professional football at Green Bay. It has been decided to carry one more player than last year and this amounts to quite an extra burden when it is taken into consideration that the Packers will play fourteen games, thirteen of which are league affairs."...MIGHTY GOOD ADVERTISEMENT: "The Packers are a mighty good advertisement to the city. During the fall while they are active on the gridiron, there is hardly a day that the name of Green Bay doesn't break into print in the big city papers. It has been said that Green Bay is as proud of its Packers as Princeton is of its Tigers and the best way for the folks at home to show it is by the purchasing of box seats or season tickets. I am confident that we won't fall down in this football money drive, even though we have set our quota considerably higher than in past years."...SELL SEASON TICKETS: Season tickets, which met with such a splendid response last year, will also be placed on sale by the Football corporation. Applications for these tickets will be accepted by any member of the Green Bay Football corporation board of directors and they will be filled, as last year, about a week before the opening game. Purchasers of season tickets or box seats have their same reservation at every home game and they don't have to worry about sellouts at the eleventh hour when trying to get tickets. This is a feature that appeals to a goodly number of football fans in Green Bay and neighboring towns, who have learned by experience that choice reservations for Packer games are pretty hard to get the last day or two before a contest is scheduled...RUN EXCURSIONS HERE: The demand for tickets this fall promises to be greater than ever before. Arrangements have been practically completed with the railroad companies to run excursions into the Bay whenever the Packers play at home. Plans have been completed for an excursion from Iron Mountain for the opening game on September 13 and reports from the Upper Peninsula have it that a thousand fans are coming down here for the game.
JUG EARP SIGNS UP FOOTBALL CONTRACT WITH BAY PACKERS
AUG 21 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Jug Earp signed his contract Thursday afternoon to play with the Green Bay Packers during the football season of 1925. The husky lineman is one of the most popular members of the Big Bay Blues and the gridiron fans are sure to welcome the news that he will be back in the fold. This will be the fourth year of service for Earp with the Packers. He joined the team about midseason in 1922 and has been a prominent factor in the team's success ever since. Earp came to the Bay from the Rock Island Independents where he played tackled and center. During 1922 and '23, Earp played at tackle for the Packers. Last fall, Captain Lambeau shifted Jug over to the center of the line where he turned in a good job as a snapper back...MONMOUTH COLLEGE GRID: The veteran Packer is a graduate of Monmouth college where he starred in football with the college teams for three years. Earp found Green Bay so much to his liking that he took up his residence here last fall and is living here the year around. He is employed as a salesman for the Brown County Motors.
ABRAMSON, ALL WESTERN GUARD, SIGNS WITH PACKERS
AUG 22 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - George Abramson of Minnesota, considered the greatest lineman in Western Conference football last year, has signed his contract to play with the Green Bay Packers. He will be on hand for the opening practice of the Big Bay Blues which is scheduled for Sunday September 6. The new Packers' fame as a gridder, however, was not alone confined to midwest circles as the late Walter Camp placed Abramson on his second All-American selection in 1924...ON ALL STAR TEAMS: Abramson was picked for a guard position on every all-Conference selection and there were but few all-Western teams picked that did not have him in the lineup. Walter Eckersall, football expert for the Chicago Tribune, put Abramson on both of his selections, saying that there wasn't a better guard in the midwest. Abramson had four years of college football at Minnesota. In 1920, fresh from Virginia, Minn. high school, he made the freshmen eleven at the Gopher institution and, for the next three years, held down a regular berth on the line, performing at both guard and tackle...DUMPED RED GRANGE: In the Illinois rout of 1924 in Minneapolis at the hands of Minnesota, Abramson played a leading role and a number of sportwriters gave Abramson credit for taking all the wind out of Red Grange's sails. The newest addition to the Packers is a pretty husky specimen. He tips the beam over 200 pounds and is fast on his feet for a big fellow. Abramson is also a good basketball player and saw service last winter with the Minnesota varsity five. Abramson and Lidberg were rated as two of the toughest defensive guards in Big Ten caging...HARRIS PRAISES HIM: Jack Harris, the 1924 Wisconsin captain, who has signed with the Packers for fullback, has bumped into Abramson a few times on the football field. Harris claims there is none better. "I played against Abramson three times," Harris said. "And you can take it from me that he is a whale of a gridder. There isn't a better lineman in the country. Last fall, I nearly cracked my neck trying to make a yard or two over his territory. Abramson charges fast and often is down the field as soon as the ends. The Packer management made no mistake when they signed up George. If he don't burn up the pro grid, then I miss my guess."...FIFTH NEW PLAYER: Abramson is the fifth new player signed by the Packers for the coming season. The others are Harris, fullback; Jean, guard and tackle; Wilkins, end, and Bahr, halfback. Within the next week, the management hopes to be in a position to announce the signing of two more new players which will boost the Packer football stock considerably.
WARNING
AUG 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - According to reports, several advertising solicitors are selling space in a so-called football guide which, it is alleged, they claim is a benefit for the Green Bay Football corporation. This is not a fact as the publisher of the football guide has no connection with the Green Bay Football corporation. The only program advertising sanctioned by the Green Bay Football corporation is being sold by Emmet Platten, a director of the Green Bay Football corporation who is turning over the entire profits to help finance the Packers on the gridrion.
"OJAY" LARSON WILL PLAY FOOTBALL WITH PACKERS
AUG 25 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Frederick (Ojay) Larson, considered one of the greatest centers ever developed by Knute Rockne at Notre Dame, has signed his contract to play football with the Green Bay Packers. Larson is no novice at professional football as has seen several seasons of service on the postgraduate gridiron. The former Notre Dame star played with the Chicago Bears in 1922 and was with the Milwaukee Badgers in 1923 and 1924...HAS GOOD REPUTATION: The new Packer has always been considered a great center. He was not pleased with his berth on the Milwaukee club and jumped at the chance to get a "change of pasture". Larson played with Notre Dame in 1918, 1919, 1920 and 1921. He was one of that famous trio from Calumet, Mich., who helped greatly to put Rockne's pigskin chasers on the football map. The two other stars were Hunk Anderson, now playing with the Chicago Bears, and the late George Gipp, one of the greatest backfielders in the history of football...IS GREAT FIGHTER: It is expected that Ojay will add a lot of fight to the Packer machine as he is the aggressive type of football who never knows when he is beaten. The Packer management considers itself fortunate in coming to terms with Larson, as the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cardinals and Rock Island Independents were dickering for his services. Larson is the sixth newcomer to the Packers of 1925. The management hopes to be in a position before the end of the week to announce another new player who will be a great addition to the battle front of the Big Bay Blues.
GEORGE VEGARA WILL PLAY END FOR GREEN BAY PACKERS
AUG 27 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - George Vegara, a 195-pounder, who earned his gridiron spurs at Notre Dame under Knute Rockne in 1922 and 1923, has signed his contract to play with the Packers during the coming football season. In the closing game of the schedule last fall, Vegara appeared in a Packer uniform but did not get into action as Captain Lambeau deemed it best not to use a player who was not acquainted with the Big Bay Blues' style of play. At that time, Vegara promised the Green Bay management that, if he played professional football this fall, he would like very much to come to Green Bay...COACHED AT NOTRE DAME: Vegara coached at Notre Dame during the school year of 1924-2 while he finished his law course. He handled the freshmen football, basketball and baseball teams as one of Rockne's assistants. When school closed in June, he joined the Louisville club of the American Association and was with the Colonels for a few weeks. Vegara asked the Louisville club for a leave of absence, which was granted, and he went to his home in New York City. He had planned on taking the N.Y. state bar examination this fall but he was induced by the Packer management to change his mind and he will be here for the opening practice on September 6. It is possible that Vegara may make a connection with a prominent law firm and live in Green Bay throughout the year...PLAYED REGULAR END: Vegara is a graduate of the Rose Poly high school in New York City. He spent a year at Fordham university before entering Notre Dame. In 1922, the first year he was eligible at Notre Dame, Vegara earned a regular job as end. In 1923, Rockne started him off at the same position but, just before the Army game, Vegara was switched to guard as Rockne wanted a "crasher" near the center line to stop Tiny Hewitt, the Soldiers' famous fullback. Stories of that West Point-Army game tell how Hewitt was stopped in his tracks and the name of Vegara broke into the headlines of the metropolitan dailies. He rolled Hewitt "for a goal" every time the famous backfielder tried to ease through...CROWLEY PRAISES VEGARA: Jimmy Crowley of Green Bay, a member of the famous "Four Horsemen" of Notre Dame in 1924, claims that Vegara will be the greatest end that has ever played with the Packers. Crowley knew Vegara well while at Notre Dame. "I think Vegara will play wonderful football for the Packers," Crowley said. "I have never seen a better end in action on the gridiron. He is always 'in the pink'. George never drinks or smokes and condition is his middle name."....FAST FOR BIG MAN: "Vegara is just the type that will make a name for himself on the pro gridiron. Although he weighs about 195, he can step off the hundred in less than eleven seconds. George is a wonder receiver of a forward pass. When he was playing end for Notre Dame, he was our ace receiver. I will be very much surprised if Vegara doesn't turn out to be the greatest end that has ever played with the Packers." Vegara is the sixth new player signed for the Packer team. The others are: Wilkins, end; Jean, tackle; Bahr, halfback; Harris, fullback, and Larson, center. This practically completes the list of new players with the possible exception of another backfielder. Within the next few days, the Packer management will close contracts with the members of last year's team who are to be with the Big Bay Blues again this fall.
IRON MOUNTAIN TO HAVE STRONG TEAM AGAINST PACKERS
AUG 28 (Iron Mountain, MI) - With the opening game of the football season against the Green Bay Packers at Green Bay on Sunday September 13 only two weeks off, the Iron Mountain gridiron candidates are getting down to hard work and, in the meantime, fans from all over the Upper Michigan peninsula are making reservations on the special train which will carry an army of football fans to the Bay for the pigskin battle. Manager Erdlitz is working his gridders three times a week and, starting next Monday, daily practice will be the rule. The Iron Mountain manager is going out and getting the best football players that "money can hire" and a number of former college stars will be in the Mountaineers' battle front when they give battle to the Big Bay Blues...BEST IN PENINSULA: Iron Mountain is getting all "het up" over football. This year's team will be the greatest in the Upper Michigan peninsula. Manager Erdlitz is gabbing off the best gridders from the Stambaugh, Ironwood, Ishpeming and Marquette elevens in addition to several players from the Hibbing Miners and Minneapolis Marines. The makeup of the Iron Mountain team is still being kept somewhat under cover but it is known that several former Packer players are going to perform here this fall. Dame Rumor has it that Jab Murray and Wally Niemann are certain to play with Iron Mountain. The Iron Mountain management as been promised a block of 500 seats for the game with the Packers. These tickets will be placed on sale in Iron Mountain a week before the game. From present indications, at least, 750 football fans from Upper Michigan contemplate making the Green Bay invasion on September 13.
CHARLIE MATHYS IS SIGNED BY PACKERS FOR 1925 SEASON
AUG 29 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Charlie Mathys, one of the most popular players on the Packer team, has put his name on the dotted line and he will again perform with the Big Bay Blues this fall. Mathys is one of the "homers" on the Packer team. He is a graduate of Green Bay West high where he starred on the gridiron. Charlie went to Ripon college for a year and then entered Indiana where he played two years of conference football very successfully...JOINED PACKERS IN 1922: After graduating from college, Charlie was with Hammond for one year and in 1922 came back to his old hometown. He has been with the Packers ever since. The Bay quarterback is considered a splendid field general and he plays conservative football all the time. Mathys is an expert receiver of the forward pass and the Lambeau-Mathys combination has gained considerable territory for the Big Bay Blues.
WOODIN, VETERAN PACKER GUARD, TO BE BACK IN TOGS
AUG 31 (Green Bay Press-Gazette) - Whitey Woodin, veteran Packer guard, will again be very much in evidence when the Big Bay Blues do their stuff on the chalk marked field this fall as he has signed his contract for the season. This will be Woodin's fourth season with the Packers. He joined the team about midseason in 1922 and has been going good ever since. Woodin was a star gridder at Marquette for several years and was picked for an honor post on the Milwaukee Hilltop's All Star teams. After leaving college, Woodin got his first taste of pro football with the Racine Legion...IS WELL LIKED: Woodin is well liked by the football contingent in Green Bay. He has always given his best on the field and when the scrimmage is the thickest he is generally found in the height of the battle. Whitey is a pepper box on the field and his rallying cry often stirs up a lot of fight in his teammates. Woodin is an all year round resident of the Bay. He holds a responsible position in the sales force of the Fox River Motor Car Company.