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82 A PRIMER OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL
5. The Half-Back.—It is exceedingly
difficult to write upon this position, es¬
pecially for one who has never played it.
But next to actual experience are study
and observation for a number of years,
and upon these the writer relies. Much
general drool might be easily written, but
to write something that would be helpful
to the beginner is a different matter.
The positions of half back and full¬
back have generally been treated as one
by most writers. Indeed, there are not
wanting those who believe that the backs
should be interchangeable, that each one
of the three should be able to play in
either position. It seems to the writer
that this is a great mistake. The high¬
est efficiency is attainable only along the
lines of specialism. Hence, after selec¬
tion, the left half should play at left half,
the right half at right half, and the full¬
back at full-back.
The function of the half-back is to