In November 1920 Gehrig’s football team at Commerce played DeWitt Clinton High School at Columbia University. Robert W. Watt, Columbia’s manager of athletics found interest in Gehrig and went to talk to him and his father after the game. Little did he know Gehrig’s mother had cleaned Watt’s fraternity house years earlier when he attended Columbia. Lou soon found himself registering at the University in February of 1921 and practicing with the baseball team by April. During his first exhibition game he hit two homeruns and that spring scouts for the New York Giants began their persuasion for him to quit college and join the big leagues. Not sure if he wanted to cut his education short, the Giants asked him to at least tryout in front of their manager, John McGraw. During the tryout Gehrig let a ball roll through his legs at first base and McGraw decided he had seen enough. Not giving up, Lou began playing illegally for a summer team called the Hartford Senators. Fully aware that he could not play semiprofessional ball and receive pay while attending college, he changed his name to Lew Lewis. His coach at Columbia would eventually find out and force him to quit immediately.