Evening star., 1926-12-16
NV 25 Years on the CridirOn
XIX. The Most Thrilling Play Ever Saw.
BY WILLIAM A. ROPER.
HEAD COACH PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

During the 25 years of my career on
the gridiron, as a player, fan ana
coach, Il naturally have watched many
thrilling and wonderful plays on foot
ball fields OF highly spectacular ma
ture was Don Lourie's 50-odd yards
against Yale with a half minute 10
nla.v in the first half Of the 1920 game,
when he assisted Keck in taking a
placement kick before starting. TO
some it might be the most thrilling,
for il practically assured us victory.
Or | might say that Sam White
furnished my greatest THRILL in either
the Harvard or Yale game or 1911
when he picked up loose balls in the
last part of each game and ran more
than half the lengths of the fields for
touchdowns and victories. Certainly
each was soul-stirring and filled me
with something much greater than
delight. Each still is more than a
tradition in Princeton foot ball history.
Siagle's Run Gem.
And there are many others. But
when all is said and done and meas
ure the many individual performances
of super -brilliance, the most thrilling
single play was Jake Slagle's 82-yard
run against Yale at New Haven in
1925. To be exact, Jake made ~
yards, for he received the ball on his
12-yard line in punt formation and
did not stop until he had carried 1t
through the entire Yale team for
touchdown.
A strong wind was blowing that day
and in the first quarter Yale had its
benefit and played kicking game,
with Princeton holding the ball and
praying for time. In the second
quarter conditions were reversed.
Princeton had the wind and the first
two times she got the ball punted on
first downs.
Here Yale showed great form by
getting q runback of quite some dis
tance on the second punt and followed
1t up with q kick which put the ball on
our 22-yard line. Slagle dropped back
10 yards from the line Of scrimmage
and every one thought he would kick
out Of danger. Instead of this. Caul-
kins, the quarterback, crossed Yale
with signal for run around the
Yale left end.
Accorded Fine Interference.
A good pass gave Slagle the ball
and he started on an end sweep. The
Princeton. interference checked the
Yale end and tackle, which gave Slagle
his chance to get past the line of
scrimmage. Quickly he was past this
point, out in the open, but with the
Yale goal line 80 yards distant. He
lodged the Yale fullback as that
player tried to tackle him. The wing
backs were sidestepped in a phe-
nomenal way. How he did 1t never
have been able to determine. But he
did and was out there with only the
Yale quarterback between him and
score.
Mcmillan, our center, smashed his
way through after passing the ball,
and with Gates, our right tackle, took
the quarterback out Of the play,
giving Slagle q clear field. BY this
time two Yale men were on his fianks.
He still had so yards to go for a
touchdown, and 1t looked as II one of
these blue chasers would get him
from behind. However, each time
one Of the men after him got within
reach Slagle changed his direction
Or pace. He must have done this
three or four times. A sixth sense
seemed to tell him the position of his
pursuers.
Opponents Dive and Miss.
AS he weaved his way down the
field first one and then the other op-
ponent dived and missed him. Mean
while the entire pack was in pursuit
and the chase was as spectacular
and thrilling as 1t is possible to see
on any gridiron. BY great effort
Slagle contrived to elude these chasers
and finally crossed the line. It seemed
a mighty long time while he was