ored over
the most powerful elevens in the country. Quitting the game at the
zenith of his career, it was a widely known fact that Coach Brown could
have fixed his own price for services with at least six of the biggest
institutions of learning in America. Here was a man who had coached
football for the sheer love of it, immune to the earning possibilities
of his tutoring.

But two years in retirement had done much to lessen Coach Brown's
resolve. It had remained for a small group of loyal Elliott alumni to
approach the coach on a new tack. These men believed that John Brown
might be landed if the proper appeal were made. They had studied out
that the other schools had failed in striving to outbid one another, a
point which seemed to prove that money to John Brown was no object.
All right then--the way to reach him must be through sentiment--if he
could be reached at all.

For years Elliott had been embarrassed through its position as a
leading university and its inability to put winning athletic teams on
the field. This condition was particularly true of the football
elevens. The touch of a master hand was needed; the application of
such a system as John Brown had put into effect at Naylor; the guidance
of a coach who could command not only the respect of his players but
the enthusiastic support of the student body.

Carefully planning their verbal assault, the committee of Elliott
alumni swooped upon Brown. They found the great coach apparently as
determined as ever not to re-enter the football limelight, but they
presented him with a picture, so graphically and despairingly setting
forth the sorrowful condition of athletics at Elliott, and so feelingly
playing upon his love for the game that John Brown, wavering, finally
consented to take charge of Elliott for _one year_!

Immediately the press, so glowing in its accounts before, had leaped to
the conviction that John Brown, despite all he had said to the
contrary, had actually been a hold-out until some college had reached
the figure he demanded. This conviction had been given wings with the
rumor that Elliott University was to pay him the unheard of amount of
$50,000 for a yearns services although, it was grudgingly admitted, if
John Brown could bring Elliott out of the slough of athletic
degeneracy, he would probably be worth every cent of that sum.

Thoroughly appreciating the huge job cut out for him, John Brown, in
taking over the reins of footba