The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-29
/ F | rs He Re.
IT'S. RIGHT
GREATEST PLAY
EVER INVENTED
Famous Guards Back of Penn
syIvania Best Grounder
Under Old Style.

Mike Murphy. head trainer of the
University of Pennsylvania. hero OF the
Olympic games and regarded as the best
athletic trainer in America. was asked
to tell what he considered the greatest
play ever invented. This was his answer:
Undoubtedly the greatest play that was
ever invented the one which had most
to do with notwithstanding the game and
one which Is largely responsible for our
ball, is the famous old guards back in
vented By George Woodruff, the old
Pennsylvania coach. in 1888
s'It was In this year that the Pennsyl-
yania team was having strenuous time
with an unusually long and hard sched-
uie Several of the smaller colleges had
given the Quskers hard battles. and each
new game was looked forward 10 as a
possible defeat
TO have his team well in hand. had been
working hard behind closed gates on
new formation. a guard was drawn back
Of the line directly behind the otner guarn
on the opposite OF the line, while the half
and fullbacks were close upon his heels.
The other half was within easy reach OF
the fuIlback a little TO one side. With
this formation the varsity battered the
scrub. mainly trying to buck the line.
Play Is improved.
For a while the play met with only
fair success. gaining small distances. The
keen eve of the Penn coach soon detected
the reason for the small gains. and the
remedy was soon forthcoming. The first
guard was started a little sooner. while
the men behind paused slightly, then
plunged forward. striking the first man
and lifting him straight through the line
like huge battering ram. Gradually the
second guard picked his openings and &C.
casionally darted through tackle instead
OF center and guard.
10 I'd he
red and blue team managed to use the
new play quite effectively, but not with
any startling results. II was not until
the Cornell game that the other colleges
would admit that Woodruff had discoy-
cred wonder in the line OF new plays
The play. however. enabled the red and
blue to trounee the crimson by a narrow
margin, the score being Il to IA.
New Play Makes Good.
"On Nov. Is, Thanksgiving day. the
ether colleges were compelled 20 notice
the strength of the famous Woodruff Gre
alton. for the Cornell team that year was
defeated by a team that was inferior In
weight and skill. The Ithacan eleven had
defeated Brown, who in turn had played
Yale a tie game and had tied the New
HaYeners.
In this game Quarterback Williams
worked every variation of the guards back
formation that Woodruff had taught him.
Time after time Buck Wharton would
then. when the Cornell backfield would
shift, waiting for repetition of the play
Brooke. who was playing fullback. would
slip around the end for substantial gain.
This variation of the attack so baffied
the Cornell team and so surprised the
coaches of other colleges that all winter
long the possibilities of the new play fur
nished food for discussion among the
gridiron generals
From that date the success OF the IA
nous combination was never questioned,
and only the change Of rules has made
the play a back number. From this for
nation the tackles back for a few wears
later arose. The principle was the same
the tackles being used in place of the
guards
THE massing OF the big men around
the center and the injuries resulting
caused the demand for an open game.
which. finally Endorsed by President
Roosevelt. resulted in a revision of the
rules. under which every sembiance of the
old formation is barred off the grfdiron
probably forever"