As I always understood it, the linebacker position was invented by a nose tackle who asked his coach (I don't recall the names of either) if he could "try something" in practice. He backed a couple of yards off the line and was so successful at stopping plays that it became a permanent part of the team's defense. Also, for the record, it's pronounced sus-kweh-hannah, emphasis on "han."
Very informative! For those who might like to know…the Western Conference became the Big Ten. Not sure of the year. And what I didn’t know is Michigan was kicked out of the conference for not adhering to the rules. They played too many games (I believe the conference limit was five) and kept players on its roster past the limit of three years eligibility. Gee no wonder they racked up all those wins when everyone else was playing by the rules.
Alonzo Stag his innovations I think are the best are his early safety stuff like padding the goal post in the 1920's when very few schools were passing this post, his use of actual hip padding in 1913 rather then using more leather padding on the pants in this part with some still wearing 1990's style leather pants, wanting more use of the pass play when part of the Collage Football Rules comity starting in 1905 with proof in 1909 this lessoned the injuries from the wedge and mass plays back in the 1920's, even the knit/fully soft pants by 1927 could be considered safety because prior to the 1927 seasons you do not see players in any football using padding that is not sewn to the outside of the pants as was common for the era. I would not be surprised if he was one of the first to have his whole team including the person who is also the kicker as well as other position mainly wear a stiff leather cup, before a certain era they were only an optional piece of gear, I now think is used by all players or most, field goal kickers might not wear now but if they do dual duty as a punter or kick off kicker they might wear a cup at all times.
He also set up the initial Big Ten Championship game in 1899 where the Maroons went to Madison and beat the Badgers 17-0. You briefly mention he played in the first basketball game but while he did not serve as the coach but for one season (1920-21) he played a major role in early basketball and was also a member of the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame class in 1959 as a contributor. He set up many championships, including the first BIg Ten championship in 1908 to determine whether WIsconsin or Chicago would face Penn in a best of three to determine the national champion. Chicago beat Penn when John Schommer hit an 80 foot buzzer beater. He also set up a national high school tournament that ran for several years in the early 1920s.
This is a great channel the thing about those old coaches they were intellectuals also John Heisman was an Shakesperean actor and Knute Rockene was Science teacher
He did. He participated in the first public game of basketball, I think he scored the only basket for the faculty, which lost 5-1. That's off the top of my head. I should have included that....
how about a series of videos covering the stories of the rival trophies in college football like the paul bunyan trophy . many of them are between schools in the big ten
awesome video, sir. it’s crazy that i never heard this man’s name until i became a D3 football player myself! why do you think his band isn’t as popular as knute rockne and pop warner?
Well, Knute Rockne was so good at self-promotion he had a movie made about him, plus he died tragically, and that always sparks the public's imagination. Pop Warner wanted to teach more people about baseball, so he got involved in youth football and that's where most know his name. Overall, I think it's because we don't tell the history of football very well. Everything becomes "greatest hits, greatest games, greatest players" type content. That's why I started this! !
How did Stagg get from gathering nuts and berries in the wilds of West Orange, New Jersey as one of eight impoverished children of a manual laborer in the 1860s to Phillips Exeter Academy and then Yale? Neither his New York Times obituary nor his Wikipedia entry explains this. They both leap from poor kid in NJ to Phillips Exeter/Yale. He may have been 21 at Phillips Exeter. What was his scholastic background prior?
From the Sparhawk thesis and his Touchdown book.. He attended Orange High School, since West Orange did not have a high school. At Orange, a principal suggests Yale, but Stagg knew he did't have the money. He wrote to Yale, and they wrote back, basically stating there were scholarships available, but Stagg had to put himself in a better position, ala Philips Exeter Academy. So Stagg worked at cutting wood, mowing lawns, and tending furnaces and saved up a whole $21 to go to Philips-Exeter. His son tells a story of how his father ate nothing but stale bread and milk for three months. (holy cow), then later one of his professors gave him board for doing chores in his home. At Orange he became known for being an excellent baseball pitcher. At Philips Exeter his reputation grew. Dartmouth apparently offered him a place on their baseball team if he came there, along with scholarships. But he's determined to go to Yale. He passes the entrance exam, he gets on the freshman baseball team, and his pitching initially makes his way for him. I mean, when you're a darned good athlete, doors open, but also you get the idea that Stagg was an incredibly determined young man. Part of his success is his hard work and determination. The other part is him taking initiative to write to schools at which point they inform him of scholarships, basically saying "There is a way for this to happen." Again, it's the story of a man who didn't let anything stand in his way.
Also, don't forget the year. It is the 19th C. Yale and P-E are expensive and exclusive after 100 years of tradition. Back then, they were just schools. Lou Gehrig was a poor kid who went to Yale. (according to Hollywood) Did concerned alumni help star athletes attend their schools back in the day? Under the table!?!?? You can bet they did.
He did. He participated in the first public game of basketball, I think he scored the only basket for the faculty, which lost 5-1. That's off the top of my head. I should have included that....
p.s. I have a friend that graduated from Amos Alonzo Stagg HS in Stockton a lonnnnnnnnnnnng time ago, I think right around 1960. The Delta Kings have also had longevity in the coaching ranks; the current coach has been head coach since 2005. While not a powerhouse, they win more games than their basketball team just about every year.
Oh, I don't think there's any doubt they were first to use it out of necessity. And then Stagg also uses it out of necessity. I've only been doing this channel for less than a year, and from the comments, I think a lot of what we believe about who did what is very regional, especially when it comes to stuff like the forward pass.
It is a direct quote from a thesis you can find a Springfield's archives. Plus - according to this (i know nothing about baseball history) - salaries in the late 1880s got as high as $5,000. - sabr.org/research/article/mlbs-annual-salary-leaders-since-1874/ I try to include sources so if people want to look further they can.
The man's life spanned from the Emancipation Proclamation to the first American in space.
Thanks for making these. Please keep doing it
Great job! Keep doing these!!
Thank you!
As I always understood it, the linebacker position was invented by a nose tackle who asked his coach (I don't recall the names of either) if he could "try something" in practice. He backed a couple of yards off the line and was so successful at stopping plays that it became a permanent part of the team's defense.
Also, for the record, it's pronounced sus-kweh-hannah, emphasis on "han."
Very informative! For those who might like to know…the Western Conference became the Big Ten. Not sure of the year.
And what I didn’t know is Michigan was kicked out of the conference for not adhering to the rules. They played too many games (I believe the conference limit was five) and kept players on its roster past the limit of three years eligibility. Gee no wonder they racked up all those wins when everyone else was playing by the rules.
At some point I'll cover the Michigan issue.
yost quite the conference re once and was not kicked out.
Stagg, along with Fielding Yost, was one of the great opponents of ND joining the Western Conference IIR Sperber's _Shake Down the Thunder_ correctly.
Alonzo Stag his innovations I think are the best are his early safety stuff like padding the goal post in the 1920's when very few schools were passing this post, his use of actual hip padding in 1913 rather then using more leather padding on the pants in this part with some still wearing 1990's style leather pants, wanting more use of the pass play when part of the Collage Football Rules comity starting in 1905 with proof in 1909 this lessoned the injuries from the wedge and mass plays back in the 1920's, even the knit/fully soft pants by 1927 could be considered safety because prior to the 1927 seasons you do not see players in any football using padding that is not sewn to the outside of the pants as was common for the era.
I would not be surprised if he was one of the first to have his whole team including the person who is also the kicker as well as other position mainly wear a stiff leather cup, before a certain era they were only an optional piece of gear, I now think is used by all players or most, field goal kickers might not wear now but if they do dual duty as a punter or kick off kicker they might wear a cup at all times.
Very well done. Thank you.
Great video
He presented Herbert Crisler with his nickname at a practice and it was not complimentary.
Love your videos as always
Thanks!
Well done. Very enjoyable.
Thank you! Come back for more!
Friedman perfected the FP.
He also set up the initial Big Ten Championship game in 1899 where the Maroons went to Madison and beat the Badgers 17-0.
You briefly mention he played in the first basketball game but while he did not serve as the coach but for one season (1920-21) he played a major role in early basketball and was also a member of the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame class in 1959 as a contributor. He set up many championships, including the first BIg Ten championship in 1908 to determine whether WIsconsin or Chicago would face Penn in a best of three to determine the national champion. Chicago beat Penn when John Schommer hit an 80 foot buzzer beater. He also set up a national high school tournament that ran for several years in the early 1920s.
Thanks for adding more! The guy did about everything, didn't he?
This is a great channel the thing about those old coaches they were intellectuals also John Heisman was an Shakesperean actor and Knute Rockene was Science teacher
Glad you mentioned the current value of $4200. Inflation calculators don’t go far enough back
He did. He participated in the first public game of basketball, I think he scored the only basket for the faculty, which lost 5-1. That's off the top of my head. I should have included that....
wait, this reply belonged to the other comment. I should never reply on my phone.
how about a series of videos covering the stories of the rival trophies in college football like the paul bunyan trophy . many of them are between schools in the big ten
A couple of those defenses could probably be brought back with some success.
I added chapters if you want to skip ahead, even if i wanted to, just the way you said that, i dont think i could skip ahead!
awesome video, sir. it’s crazy that i never heard this man’s name until i became a D3 football player myself! why do you think his band isn’t as popular as knute rockne and pop warner?
Well, Knute Rockne was so good at self-promotion he had a movie made about him, plus he died tragically, and that always sparks the public's imagination. Pop Warner wanted to teach more people about baseball, so he got involved in youth football and that's where most know his name.
Overall, I think it's because we don't tell the history of football very well. Everything becomes "greatest hits, greatest games, greatest players" type content. That's why I started this! !
I knew he was a big name in early gridiron but TIL how
Hell yeah university of Chicago legend who got sabotaged by its own athletic director great story
4th quarter, down 14-9 to Ohio (🤮) Let’s go, I believe in you the Huskers 👌
Sorry
How did Stagg get from gathering nuts and berries in the wilds of West Orange, New Jersey as one of eight impoverished children of a manual laborer in the 1860s to Phillips Exeter Academy and then Yale? Neither his New York Times obituary nor his Wikipedia entry explains this. They both leap from poor kid in NJ to Phillips Exeter/Yale. He may have been 21 at Phillips Exeter. What was his scholastic background prior?
From the Sparhawk thesis and his Touchdown book.. He attended Orange High School, since West Orange did not have a high school. At Orange, a principal suggests Yale, but Stagg knew he did't have the money.
He wrote to Yale, and they wrote back, basically stating there were scholarships available, but Stagg had to put himself in a better position, ala Philips Exeter Academy.
So Stagg worked at cutting wood, mowing lawns, and tending furnaces and saved up a whole $21 to go to Philips-Exeter. His son tells a story of how his father ate nothing but stale bread and milk for three months. (holy cow), then later one of his professors gave him board for doing chores in his home.
At Orange he became known for being an excellent baseball pitcher. At Philips Exeter his reputation grew.
Dartmouth apparently offered him a place on their baseball team if he came there, along with scholarships.
But he's determined to go to Yale. He passes the entrance exam, he gets on the freshman baseball team, and his pitching initially makes his way for him.
I mean, when you're a darned good athlete, doors open, but also you get the idea that Stagg was an incredibly determined young man.
Part of his success is his hard work and determination. The other part is him taking initiative to write to schools at which point they inform him of scholarships, basically saying "There is a way for this to happen."
Again, it's the story of a man who didn't let anything stand in his way.
Thank you!
And I believe that, according to his NY Times obituary, the reason he was set on Yale was his desire to enroll in the Divinity School.
Also, don't forget the year. It is the 19th C. Yale and P-E are expensive and exclusive after 100 years of tradition. Back then, they were just schools. Lou Gehrig was a poor kid who went to Yale. (according to Hollywood)
Did concerned alumni help star athletes attend their schools back in the day? Under the table!?!?? You can bet they did.
Did he cross paths with James Naismith at Springfield?
He did. He participated in the first public game of basketball, I think he scored the only basket for the faculty, which lost 5-1. That's off the top of my head. I should have included that....
Actually, Gallaudet University invented the huddle in 1894. Well, I see later in the video it's "maybe, maybe not". Okay
p.s. I have a friend that graduated from Amos Alonzo Stagg HS in Stockton a lonnnnnnnnnnnng time ago, I think right around 1960. The Delta Kings have also had longevity in the coaching ranks; the current coach has been head coach since 2005. While not a powerhouse, they win more games than their basketball team just about every year.
Oh, I don't think there's any doubt they were first to use it out of necessity. And then Stagg also uses it out of necessity.
I've only been doing this channel for less than a year, and from the comments, I think a lot of what we believe about who did what is very regional, especially when it comes to stuff like the forward pass.
no way he was to get paid 4200 back then. this and so much else here is nonsense
It is a direct quote from a thesis you can find a Springfield's archives. Plus - according to this (i know nothing about baseball history) - salaries in the late 1880s got as high as $5,000. - sabr.org/research/article/mlbs-annual-salary-leaders-since-1874/
I try to include sources so if people want to look further they can.