Imperial Valley press., 1942-11-03
SPORTS
PARADE
BY JACK CUDDY

NEW YORK, Nov. 3.-CU.PO-We
hereby nominate the Harvard
touchdown play that beat Princeton
Saturday as the most amazing per-
| formance of the 1912 football sea-
son. 1t was one of the most un-
usual achievements in gridiron his
tory-a feat that Staggers the
! Imagination
Coach Dick HarloW's Crimson
team hadn't won this season when
! it took the field against the ro-
bust Princeton Tigers before 10000
| spectators in the big Harvard sta
dium at Cambridge. However. the
Crimson outfit had held william
and Mary to a TT deadlock and
| apparently was improving with each
contest. Most Harlow teams, with
their intricate plays, are not at
peak until November
Going into the final minute of
the game, it appeared that Harvard
had been beaten again. The score
stood Princeton IA, Harvard 12
And the fateful red hand of the
big scoreboard clock continued to
click off disastrous seconds for the
almost hopeless. bald-headed coach
en- the Crimson bench.
CAME A BREAK
Then came a break. The Tigers
fumbled. Harvard recovered on its
own 37-yard stripe. But now it
seemed that Lady Luck was merely
mocking the Crimson band, for the
clock showed only % seconds left
to play. with So awesome yards be-
tween the line of scrimmage and
the Princeton goal stripe.
At this instant. a player of the
Harvard bench-W. Gordon Lyle,
Jr-nudged Coach Harlow and
whispered eagerly, Dick. let me
90 in and try that new pass we've
been practicing all week. This is
the spot for it, and it's our only
chance"
Yes, there was a chance, but
the odds apparently were about
1000 to ! against its success be-
cause this Princeton team had
shown an alright pass defense in
the games first half, when Har-
ward completed but one forward in
13 tries and suffered four inter
ceptions. Because of that pass de-
fense, Harvard hadn't tried sin
gle aerial in the second half-had
concentrated in ground plays But
with only % seconds left. it would
have to be a pasS-or nothing.
Harlow turned to Lyle and clap /
ped him on the shoulder with an
enthusiasm he didn't feel He said F.
All right, Gordie, 60 in there and f.
try it, It's the spot for that pass
all right, and I believe you can
do it
HAD THE SPEED
Lyle. tall, stringy brown haired /.
senior back. raced out on to the
field. He knew he could turn the
trick. He had the speed. He
was a sprinter on the Harvard
track team. And he had the rangy
build for a receiver. He was too
fragile to play regularly-alWays
getting hurt But he was in good
shape now And he had been prac-
ticing this trick pass with Jack
Comeford, the freshman star OF the
varsity. In the huddle he tolo
Comeford to call for the special
pass. Cometord did.
Comeford took the snap from cen
ter. drifted TO his left and heaYed
the ball far down the field. II
was a high, perfectly timed pass
that floated down into Lyle's arms
on the Princeton 26. The long-leg-
ged speed merchant from New
York City had. turned on such a
burst of sprinting that he was Wen
ahead of Princeton's covering BACK
Bob Sandbach. when the ball came
down. Another Tiger back, Dave
Marshall. tried TO stop Lyle with
a despairing dive on. the 5-yard
stripe. but the Crimson carrier S
speed was such that Marshall neV-
er touched him as he tore over the
goal line for the touchdown and the
ball game. The electrified crowd
roared in delirious delight. And
Coach Harlow cavorted in ecstasy
on the sideline. Bill Barnes kick
ed the extra point that made the
final score Harvard 19, Princeton
IA, but no one paid any attention
The fans were still believing over
the touchdown play. 1t seemed they
had witnessed a miracle.
But only Lyle and Harlow
among the thousands in the sta
dium, appreciated what a miracle
it was. Only they knew that Lyle
had started this play On the bench,
where his alert mind gave the
Crimson team a 18th man" who
could turn defeat into victory
eodld achieve !he most amazing
periormance of Lne seasnn