The 1917 Season
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AS the 1917 football season a success?
This question, which, in this case, is assumed as an excuse for
what is to follow, is almost cligible for the "foolish catalogue.
The 1917 season was a success-a huge success; and the truth of this
titeument will be demonstrated more and more as time goes on, for
it has laid the foundation for a "football policy- at Wisconsin-a
Badger "system," if you wish to call it that. The results of 1917
.rcresponsible for a complete change in football conditions here, and
here of all places a change was needed and needed badly.
To bring out my meaning let me go back over the season a little
anid ik  xplin conditions that preceded the coming of John R. Richards, '9o, to Wisconsin
At the conclusion of the 1916 season. Wisconsin had settled back to await developments of
the "Harvard regime,' which had been fairly successful. The results were not completely to the
liking of Wisconsin students and alumni, but they had been so much more gratifying than the
two or three seasons that preceded that followers were easily satisied.  It was agreed that Dr.
Withington had done as well as could be "expected under the conditions.
Then came the war.
With the war came the request of Dr. Withington for a leave of absence in order to go into
war service
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