The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-03
lNIEG SHIFT PLAYS
 CAME FROM MINNESOTA

No play in the present football game is more often used by players and is less understood by spectators than the Minnesota "wing shift" The play originally was brought East by Tom Shevlin. the former Yale captain who taught it to the Ellis in 1910. Since then many wing shifts have been de- veloped all based upon the one orig inaIIy used by Minnesota
 To-day the play is well known that the larger colleges all have good defense for the once mighty move However, it still is used and it is in- teresting to note it's origin, as told by John R. Richards, the Western foot ball authority
 .-The regular formation, as it is call ed of an aggressive line shows three men on each side of center. The rules require seven men on the line at the moment the ball is put in play" says MT Richards. s'f these men take their places slowly, the defensive team will, of course, adjust itself to be in the best position to meet what is like ly to happen.
 Many plays have been devised in the past to get more than three on one side of the center, so as to throw a superior number of men at a nu- merically weaker defense. But this shifting was always done in such a way that the defense had time to re- adjust itself before the attack The shifting of linemen from one side t3 the other was done by having them
 
 wing to the other side
 '"The backs might, or might not shift at the same time. However the process could not prevent an alert defense from shifting and bringing up endorsements to the point threaten ed.
 Three years ago this problem of outfanking was given little addi- tional strategy by Dr. Harry Williams, coach at Minnesota university There in Dr. williams contributed the fourth
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 s.Br williams is a practising physi- elan of Minneapolis His recreation is football coaching and planning.
 ..In 1909 Minnesota worked havoc with their rivals by means Of a new shift principle. Two Hnemen, usually tackles were pulled out of the line and stationed back of center The holes they left were not closed and while these tackles stood behind the line the defense could not tell which side would
 sHThe tackles suddenly jumped into one of these holes, the other hole clos ing and the backs shifting in the same movement Bang went the play be- fore the defense could call up rein- forcements or while doing.
 By this strategy Minnesota succeed ed in getting endorsements over 5 per. cent nearer the point of attack before it. could be determined where they were going
 During the season of 1901 Yale had hard sledding The Army beat Eli Brown murdered it 21 to O. Novem- Der arrived and Princeton remained to be faced, Helpi Helpt' was the cry from New Haven.
 From Shevlin, former Yale captain, living in Minneapolis, and one of DE- Williams aids. heard the call and hur- ,iad to New Haven. He took draw ings and ideas of the Minnesota shift with him.
 ..ShevIin was given command on Yale 6el1 and behind closed gates began teaching Ninnesotas plays.
 1.-Two weeks later the team beat Princeton. an absolutely unexpected outcome A week later Yaie7tled Ear ward. thus redeeming a bad season. A new idea from a Western college did it. too"
 WANT ans CENT A WORD.