American football at the 1932 Summer Olympics

Last updated

Contents

American football (demonstration)
at the Games of the X Olympiad
American football pictogram.svg
Venue Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
DatesAugust 8, 1932

American football was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. On the evening of August 8, 1932, seniors from three Western universities (Cal, Stanford, and USC) were matched against those from the East Coast's "Big Three" (Harvard, Yale, and Princeton). [1] In front of 60,000 spectators at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the West team won by a score of 7–6. All-American Gaius "Gus" Shaver from USC was the captain of the West team and the game's leading rusher with 145 yards on 16 attempts. [2] [3] The football game at the 1932 Summer Olympics, combined with a similar demonstration game at 1933 World's Fair, led to the College All-Star Game which was an important factor in the growth of professional football in the United States. [3]

Origins

The game was originally proposed by organizers as an "intersectional" match-up between the defending national champions, University of Southern California, on the West Coast and East Coast stalwarts, Yale University. USC coach/former Yale coach Howard Jones delivered a confidential proposal from the President of the Organizing Committee for the 1932 Summer Olympics, William May Garland, to the President of Yale University, James Rowland Angell, inviting Yale to play in the game. On the heels of the 1929 Carnegie Report which decried various aspects of professionalism within college football, Angell reluctantly turned down the invitation. [3] [4] Although unable to secure a USC/Yale match-up and determined that football be a demonstration sport, the organizers "settled" on a game consisting of all-stars who would have graduated by the Olympic games. [3]

Game summary

1932 Summer Olympics demonstration game – West 7, East 6
Quarter1234Total
West00077
East00066

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

  • Date: August 8, 1932
  • Game attendance: 41,643
  • Reference: [3]
Game information

The game was scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. When a field goal attempt by the East fell short, [nb 1] Shaver and another player from the West muffed the ball in an attempt to pick it up. [1] [3] According to various reports, Burton Strange from the East either carried the loose ball across the goal line [1] or simply fell on it in the end zone [3] to give his team a 6–0 lead. Eddie Mays' extra point kick was blocked. [3] With three minutes left in the game, Shaver scored over the right tackle to tie the game at 6–6, and Ed Kirwan's conversion put the West in the lead for good. [1] [3]

Participants

As that year's Olympic Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosted an all-star match-up of college football players at the 1932 Summer Olympics. General view of Los Angeles Olympic Stadium on the opening day of the Games of the Xth Olympiad, while contenders from all nations take the Olympic Athlete's Oath.jpg
As that year's Olympic Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosted an all-star match-up of college football players at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Like the other Olympic athletes, players for both teams lived in the Olympic Village. [1] The starters for the West team consisted of six USC players, star halfback Rudy Rintala and two others from Stanford, and two from California. [3] The starting line-up for the East team was four players from Harvard and seven from Yale. [3] A number of College Football Hall of Famers elected not to play in the game. All-American Albie Booth of Yale as well as Erny Pinckert and All-American Johnny Baker of USC decided not to play when offered paying jobs in Hollywood. [3] Barry Wood of Harvard, another All-American, was also selected to play in the demonstration, however, he reportedly declined in order to concentrate on his studies. [5]

Rosters

West

West players and staff

Starters

  • J. Ralph Stone, LE
  • Robert H. Hall, LT
  • Peter Heiser, LG
  • Stanley Williamson, C
  • Ray Hulen, RG
  • Charles S. Ehrhorn, RT
  • Garret Arbelbide, RE
  • George Watkins, Q
  • Thomas O. Mallory, LH
  • Eugene C. Clark, RH
  • Gaius Shaver, F
 

Reserves

  • Robert B. Bartlett
  • Raymond E. Dawson
  • Louis F. DiResta
  • Raymond East
  • Edwin Harry Griffiths
  • Harold E. Hammack
  • Milton N. Hand
  • Edward J. Kirwan
  • William Marks
  • Frank W. Medanich
  • Philip Neill
  • Kenneth M. Reynolds
  • Rudolph Rintala
  • Philip Wilson
 

Chairman of Coaching Committee

Advisory Coaches

Medical Supervisor

  • Dr. Walter R. Fieseler

Manager of Football Demonstration and West Team

  • J. Phil Ellsworth

East

East players and staff

Starters

  • Thomas P. Hawley, LE
  • Pierre Bouscaren, LT
  • Jr. Henry Meyerson, LG
  • Benjamin C. Betner, Jr., C
  • Edward Rotan, RG
  • Arthur S. Hall, RT
  • Herster Barres, RE
  • Bernard D. White, Q
  • Edmund A. Mays, LH
  • Albert Thomas Taylor, RH
  • John F. Schereschewsky, F
 

Reserves

  • John W. Crickard
  • Hans Ivar Flygare
  • Walter H. Gahagan Jr.
  • Francis H. Kales
  • Lea Langdon, Jr.
  • John C. Madden
  • John Muhlfeld
  • Harold Carl Sandburg
  • Albert Burton Strange
  • Kay Todd, Jr.
  • Casper Wister
  • William H. Yeckley
  • Frederick Robert Zundel
 

Chairman of Coaching Committee

Advisory Coaches

Line Coach

Trainer

  • George Connors (Yale)

Manager

  • Harold F. Woodcock (Yale)

See also

Notes

  1. Ray Schmidt's recap states that the missed field goal was attempted by Ed Rotan; [3] however, the official Olympic report states that it was attempted by Eddie Mays. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Los Angeles, California, US

The 1932 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held during the worldwide Great Depression, with some nations not traveling to Los Angeles as a result; 37 countries competed, compared to the 46 at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, and even then-U.S. President Herbert Hoover did not attend the Games. The organizing committee did not report the financial details of the Games, although contemporary newspapers stated that the Games had made a profit of US$1 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum</span> Stadium in Los Angeles, California, US

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to Los Angeles veterans of World War I. Completed in 1923, it will become the first stadium to have hosted the Summer Olympics three times when it hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics, previously hosting in 1932 and 1984. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 27, 1984, a day before the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Bowl (stadium)</span> Outdoor stadium in Pasadena, California, USA

The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium located in Pasadena, California. Opened in October 1922, the stadium is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a California Historic Civil Engineering landmark. At a modern capacity of an all-seated configuration at 89,702, the Rose Bowl is the 16th-largest stadium in the world, the 11th-largest stadium in the United States, and the 10th-largest NCAA stadium. The stadium is 10 miles (16 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The history of American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and association football. Both games have their origin in multiple varieties of football played in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, in which a football is kicked at a goal or kicked over a line, which in turn were based on the varieties of English public school football games descending from medieval ball games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USC Trojans football</span> American college football team at University of Southern California

The USC Trojans football program represents the University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Big Ten Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Baker (guard)</span> American football player and coach (1907–1979)

John W. "Bake" Baker was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Southern California, where he was a two-time All-American at guard. Baker served as the head football coach at Iowa State Teachers College—now known as the University of Northern Iowa—from 1933 to 1934, the University of Denver from 1948 to 1952, and Sacramento State College—now known as California State University, Sacramento—from 1957 to 1960, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 41–61–4. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USC Trojans</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Southern California

The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy. The program participates in the Big Ten Conference and has won 136 team national championships, 112 of which are National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships. USC's official colors are cardinal and gold. The Trojans have a cross-town rivalry in several sports with UCLA. However, USC's football rivalry with Notre Dame predates the UCLA rivalry by three years. The Notre Dame rivalry stems mainly from the annual football game played between these two universities and is considered the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. The Trojans also enjoy a rivalry with the Stanford Cardinal. The USC Trojans are considered one of the most successful college athletic programs of all time.

Lacrosse was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Teams from Canada and the United States played three games, with the team from the United States winning the series 2 games to 1. Games were played in the new Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in front of large crowds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA–USC rivalry</span> American collegiate athletics rivalry

The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American collegiate athletics rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and USC Trojans teams of the University of Southern California (USC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Los Angeles</span> Competitive physical activities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area

The Greater Los Angeles area is home to many professional and collegiate sports teams and has hosted many national and international sporting events. The metropolitan area has twelve major league professional teams:the Los Angeles Dodgers the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles FC, the LA Galaxy, the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Sparks, and Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nine universities whose teams compete in various NCAA Division I level sports, most notably the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. Between them, these Los Angeles area sports teams have won a combined 105 championship titles. Los Angeles area colleges have produced upwards of 200 national championship teams.

The 1931 college football season saw the USC Trojans win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System, as well as the No. 1 position from each of the other three contemporary major selectors. Rockne, who had coached Notre Dame to a championship in 1930, had been killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. For the first time, the champion under the Dickinson System also played in a postseason game. The 1932 Rose Bowl, promoted as a national championship game between the best teams of East and West, matched USC and Tulane, No. 1 and No. 2 in the Dickinson ratings. USC won, 21–12, and was awarded the Albert Russel Erskine Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1923 Rose Bowl</span> College football game

The 1923 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1923, was an American Football bowl game. It was the 9th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 14–3. Leo Calland, a USC guard, was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively. It was the first bowl game appearance for both the University of Southern California and Pennsylvania State University football teams. It was also the first Tournament of Roses football game held in the newly constructed Rose Bowl Stadium, although other games had been played in it prior to this one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaius Shaver</span> American football player and coach (1910–1998)

Gaius Ray "Gus" Shaver was an All-American football player. He played at the quarterback and fullback positions for the University of Southern California Trojans football teams from 1929 to 1931. He was a consensus All-American in 1931 and led the Trojans that year to a national championship. Shaver was also captain of the winning team and the leading rusher in American football at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games.

American football was featured in the Summer Olympic Games demonstration programme in 1904 and 1932. College football was played at the 1904 Olympics, which was played at Francis Field, but was, in reality, college teams playing each other as part of their regular seasons. The sport was eventually played officially as a demonstration sport only once, in 1932. Though American football has not been played in the Olympics since then, various American football players have participated in the Olympics. The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) oversees the IFAF World Championship, which is an international tournament, which itself is held every four years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venues of the 1984 Summer Olympics</span>

For the 1984 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty-one venues were used. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, two venues previously used for the 1932 Summer Olympics, were used for the 1984 Games. Between the 1932 and the 1984 Summer Olympics, the expansion of professional sports teams assisted in the growth of the facilities that would be used for the 1984 events. Only two new permanent venues were constructed, both using corporate sponsorship, though neither were mentioned in the official Olympic report. Many other venues had temporary adjustments and returned to their normal usage once the 1984 Olympics were completed. Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto and the Rose Bowl later served as venues for the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the FIFA Women's World Cup.

The 1931 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1931 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Howard Jones, the Trojans lost the opening game to Saint Mary's and then won the remaining ten games of the season. They finished the season with a 10–1 record, shut out six of eleven opponents, outscored all opponents by a total of 363 to 52, and won the PCC and national championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games</span> Multi-sport event in Los Angeles, California, US

The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games were a multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities held in Los Angeles, United States from July 25 to August 2, 2015, in the tradition of the Special Olympics movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of rugby union in the United States</span>

The first recorded match between two colleges in game played in United States using rugby union code rules occurred on May 14, 1874 between Harvard University and McGill University. Predating rugby using the rugby union rules were rugby union style "carrying games" with use of hands permitted including a game between Harvard College Freshmen and Sophomores at a game played at Harvard campus in 1858. Harvard varsity interscholastic rugby team was not founded until December 6, 1872

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudy Rintala</span> American athlete (1909–1999)

Rudolph Alexander Rintala was an American collegiate athlete from 1928 to 1932 who starred in football, baseball, basketball, and track and field at Stanford University. Regarded as an all-time great of the school's athletic program, Rintala was a participant in the demonstration game of football at the 1932 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, California. Rintala is a member of the Stanford University athletic hall of fame.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Games of the Xth Olympiad Los Angeles 1932 (PDF). Xth Olympiade Committee of the Games of Los Angeles, U.S.A. 1932. 1933. pp. 739–743. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
  2. Mark L. Ford (2004). "OLYMPIC GOLD, NFL LEAD" (PDF). THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 26, No. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Ray Schmidt (May 2004). "THE OLYMPICS GAME" (PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  4. Chandler, Joan Mary (1988). Television and national sport: the United States and Britain. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 53. ISBN   978-0-252-01516-8 . Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  5. "Why Should ESPN College Game Day Consider Harvard-Yale?" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. October 20, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 26, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2009.