The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-10-19

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end TO take care Of
the w. and j. left Wingback The
end was to cross over and spill the
gentleman. Early in the game w.
and j. got possession of the ball On
the second play the Tech right end
discovered the tell-tale movement
and as soon as the ball was snapped
back he tore across the scrimmage
line and boWled over the left wing
back.
The w and J. full back q hope
this isn't getting TOO complicated
for our dear little visitors from the
nursery )took the direct pass from
center. The next move was to hand
the ball with the seasons greetings
to the left Wingback. But when
the full back looked for the left
Wingback he discovered him lying
fiat or the ground shaking gravel
out Of his eyebrows. He had been
neatly taken out of the play
Carries 1t Himself
There was no one to whom the
full back could pass the ball at the
moment. The play was under way.
The full back spun around and then
he did what any other back would
do under the same circumstances
he carried the bali himself. The
defense had moved over to stop the
reverse play and the full back found
a wide path through which he gall
loped 40 yards or so.
Watching the maneuver from the
bench Mr.. Steffen and his associates
were greatly impressed. MY good
ness gracious exclaimed Mr. Stef-
fen. There's a new play and it's
a swell one, too" Whereupon MIR.
Steffen promptly added the play to
his repertoire. 1t wasn't until some
months later that Mr.. Steffen
learned the strange new play the
w and j. full back had used against
Tech that afternoon was born on
the spot, a product of distress.
Claims Origin in 1910
This recital Of the birth of the
spinner sounds authentic enough,
and yet find in reading publica-
ton called 1885 Football" that
John Heisman, president of the
touchdown club, and himself
famous coach in days gone by. in
sists he discovered the play in 1910,
or just IA years before w. and Us
unnamed full back spun to fame.
Writes Mr. Heisman: The spin
ner was accidentally discovered while
I was coaching Georgia Tech in
1910. The accident consisted of a
misunderstanding of signals which
left the quarter back holding the
ball with nobody to give it to, so the
quarter back plowed through the
line all by himself for 12-yard
gain"
Well, anyway, both Mr.. Steffen
and Mr.. Heisman agree the spinner
was born out of wedlock as far as
calculated strategy goes and that
no particularly coaching genius is
entitled to claim it as his very own.
Still, the play is so simple in its
fundamentals that one wonders why
it wasn't discovered and used from
the very moment the backs started
juggling the ball around.
Gridiron Vast Laboratory
Every team that plays football to-
day uses the spinner. Some use it
more generously than others, but all,
even the kid teams, use it to
certain extent.
1t may seem odd that play so
widely used can not establish a def
mite parentage. But this happens to
be true of a number of football
stratagemS. The whole history of
plays is quite beclouded. Too many
inventive minds claim the various
honors. And they may all be right.
Where so many chemists are eX-
perimenting in such a vast labora-
tory, inSpirational Implications
probably are inevitable.