“Perhaps the most memorable game in which I played was against Harvard in 1884 when Pennsylvania won upon Forbes Field by the score of 4 to 0.  It was our first victory over the Crimson, not to be repeated again until the memorable game of 1894, which triumph was again repeated, after still another decade, in our great victory of 1904.  This last victory came after five years of continuing defeats, and I remember that we were all jubilant when we heard the news from Cambridge.  I recall that Dr. J. William White, C. S. Packard and I were playing golf at the Country Club and when some one brought out the score to us we dropped our clubs, clasped hands and executed an Indian dance, shouting “Rah! rah! rah!  Pennsylvania!” Why, old staid philosopher, should the leading surgeon of the city, the president of its oldest and largest trust company, and the district attorney of Philadelphia, thus jump for joy and become boys once more?

“Recurring to the game of 1884 I can hear the cheers of the University still ringing in my ears when we returned from Harvard.  A few weeks later our team went up to Princeton to see the Harvard-Princeton match and I recall, as though it were yesterday, Alex Moffat kicking five goals against Appleton’s team, three of them with the right and two with the left foot.  No other player I ever knew or heard of was so ambipedextrous (if I may use the word) as Alex Moffat.  I remember walking in from the field with Harvard’s captain, and he said to me ‘Moffat is a phenomenon.’  Truly he was.”

CHAPTER VII

HEROES OF THE PAST—­GEORGE WOODRUFF’S STORY

Enthusiastic George Woodruff tells of his football experiences in the following words: 

“I went to Yale a green farmer boy who had never heard of the college game of football until I arrived at New Haven to take my examinations in the fall of ’85.  Incidentally I made the team permanently the second day I was on the field, having scored against the varsity from the middle of the field in three successive runs; whereas the varsity was not able to score against the scrub.  I was used perhaps more times than any other man in running with the ball up to a very severe injury to my knee in the fall of ’87, just a week and a day before the Princeton game, from which time, until I left college (although I played in all of the championship games) I was not able to run with the ball, actually being on the field only two days after my injury in ’87 until the end of the ’88 season, outside of the days on which I played the games.  I tried not to play in the fall of ’88 because of the condition of my knee and because I was Captain of the Crew, but Pa Corbin insisted that I must play in the championship games or he would not row:  and of course I acceded to his wishes thereby secretly gratifying my own.

“And now about the men with whom I played:  Kid Wallace played end the entire four years.  Wallace was a great amusement and comfort to his fellow-players on account of his general desire to put on the appearance of a ‘tough’ of the worst description; whereas he was at heart a very fine and gallant gentleman.