Football days : $b memories of the game and of the men behind the ballEdwards, William H. (William Hanford)
General
Football days : $b memories of the game and of the men behind the ball
Edwards, William H. (William Hanford)
Football
"At that time drop kickers were not so numerous. I had some recollection
of a fellow named O'Day, who had a great reputation as a drop-kicker, as
did Hudson of Carlisle. In 1898 we were to play Pennsylvania. Our team
served as a preliminary game for Pennsylvania. They often beat us by
large scores. Since then we have had teams which made a 6 to 5 score.
But they had good teams in my time. We never scored on Penn, as I
recall.
"Our coach said one day, at the training table, 'I'll give a raincoat to
the fellow who scores on Penn to-day.' The manager walked in and
overheard his remark and added, 'Yes, and I'll give a pair of shoes to
the man who makes the second score against Penn.' That put some 'pep'
into us. Anyway, we were on Penn's 35-yard line and I kicked a field
goal. After this we rushed the ball and got up to Penn's 40-yard line,
and from there I scored again, thereby winning the shoes and the
raincoat.
"I went up to Columbia one day to see them practice. It was in the days
when Foster Sanford was their coach. He saw me standing on the side
lines; came over to where I was; looked me over once or twice and
finally said:
"'Why aren't you trying for the team? I think you'd make a football
player if you came out.'
"I said I guessed I would not be eligible.
"'Why?' asked Sandy.
"'Well," I said, 'because I'm a professional.' Then some fellows around
me grinned and told Sanford who I was.
"I love to think of the good old football days and some of the spirit
that entered collegiate contests. Once in a while, in baseball, I feel
the thrill of that spirit. It was only recently that I experienced that
get-together spirit, where a team full of life with everybody working
together wrought great results. That same old thrill came to me during
one of the Giants' trips in the West in which they won seventeen
straight victories.
"There is much good fellowship in football. I played against teams whose
cheer leaders would give you a rousing cheer as you made a good play;
then again you would meet the fellow who, when you were down in the
scrimmage, or after you had kicked the ball, would try to put you down
and out.
"One of the pleasantest recollections I have of playing was my
experience against the two great academy teams, West Point and
Annapolis.
"Never shall I forget one year when Bucknell played West Point. At an
exciting moment in the game, Bucknell players made it possible for me to
be in a position to kick the goal from the field from a difficult angle.
After the score had been made the West Point team stood there stupefied,
and when the crowd got the idea that a goal had been kicked from a
peculiar angle, they gave us a rousing cheer. Such is the proper spirit
of American football; to see some sunshine in your opponent's play.
"Cheering helps so much to build up one's enthusiasm."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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