The Washington times., 1935-10-12

Thurston in Frank Buck" O'Neil
pulling rabbits out Of hats could
possibly hope to master this play.
To be sure, there is skill re-
quired. Skill and no small amount
of timing. But there is nothing
truly occult about it.
Under the direction of Jim Pix
lee, the George Washington Uni
versity varsity squad will tear the
mask off the reverse play Of the
double wing back formation at
the first football clinic ever held
in Washington. The Washington
Times, which is sponsoring the
clinic, invites the football public
of this city to be its guests at Crit
fifth Stadium on Wednesday night,
october 16. The clinic will start
at BIS o'clock.
To add to your enjoyment, the
band of George Washington Uni
versity will be on hand early, dis
pensing the popular football
marches of the day. The public
address system at Griffith Sta
dium will be in use, and the pub.
lie will be informed on every move
of the players on the field.
Play In Photo
In the photograph accompany
ing this piece, the reverse play is
shown in operation. For the pur-
poses of allowing the reader to
follow the ball, we have not per-
mitted the ball handler, No. 10 in
the egraving, to hide the leather
as he would in an actual contest.
Since a spinner play develops out
of this disposition of men, it Is
essential in action that the ball
be hidden.
If you recall the double wing
back formation as it is set, await
ing the swapping of the ball, the
two backs were outside OF the
ends, threatening the tackle. The
alignment of men makes the ouI'
side areas vulnerable.
And now here is the ball in play.
The center shoots the leather back
to the power man, No. 10 IN the
photograph. On the snap OF the
ball the two guards swing out OF
the line. The tackles check to the
inside as the defensive guard
charges the vacated spaces ana
then carry on down the field. The
right tackle will charge through
the center of the line, checking
his man and going ahead to clean
out the secondaries.
The left tackle and end have
work to do on their side OF the
line, and they plunge into the task;
But what is happening behind
the line?
The ball is in the hands OF
the power back, who spins ana
faces his own goal line. The LETT
wing back, No. l, whirlS ana
sprints into the backtield. ana
the power back gives him the
ball. The guards, as ALREADY
noted are out of the line and
are under way for the end. One
of them-maybe both of them
will work on the defensive end.
putting him out Of the play. II
one takes the end the other Will
shoot ahead and clean UP the
secondaries.
The threat back, No. II, will
precede the ball carrier and cover
him to the end Of the run. The
ball carrier himself will sweep at
the end, and if the way is clear.
will go wide. But usually he will
drive in off the tackles, reversing
the field beyond the line and cut.
ting into the open area. There
will find the center and the right
end and tackle, or the left tackle
and left end. The last named
usually cuts diagonally across the
back areas to take down the wing
back on the defense or maybe
the safety man.
Saw Indians Play
The writer watched the Carlisle
Indians of 1918 on the Polo
Grounds in New York develop the
double wing back against Dart
mouth. Gus Welsh, Guy Bracklin,
Joe Guyon and Peter Calac were
the Indians backfield in the
game.
Dartmouth came down out of
the White Mountains a top heavy
favorite to win the game, but the
Indians developed a battling as
sortment of whirls and reverSeS
that stood the Pale Faces on their
collective heads.
Welsh and Bracklin tore around
the Dartmouth ends like wild men.
Calac and Guyon rammed the
line and tore it to Shreds, and the
double wing back formation was
sensation. But then it was for
gotten. Warner discarded 1t in
his first years at Pitt and only
revived it at Stanford. Stanford
smothered Army with it, and now
many of the top ranking coaches
of the country use a variation Of
the Old Masters work.