Show I It t E S' S t r RICE A A QUERY comes in th from far faraway P J L away Leyte in the Philippines to this effect effect What What is the distance y record for the forward pass This is one of the most interesting interest interest- ing g and one of the most unproved records in sport Years ago this forward forward forward for for- ward passing distance dis dis- t f tance once ance crown was given to Brick Muller Mul Mul- ler er of Cal California ornia who ho was credited t with a yard 65 pass against Ohio State as IDS s we recall the faint and faraway e details Brick Muller Muller Muller Mul Mul- ler is still credited if with the distance distance Grantland Rice record registered i as s 70 yards in many dust-covered dust guides a Later on along the West coast any conceded a new record to Kenny enny Washington U. U C C. C L L. L A. A star I who was supposed to have thrown a 3 completed pass for 68 66 yards against Southern California 1 It was in that n neighborhood Howard Boward Jones of Southern California California Califor Califor- nia a told me lateri It may have been een 65 yards yards yards-it it may have been 70 O yards It was too long for me mc I couldn't tell you the exact distance Brick Muller and Kenny Washing Washing- Washington ton on were undoubtedly two of the great long-distance long passers on the West coast probably two of the best in football history Isbell's Lon Long Peg b The longest completed pass I ever saw aw came in a game between the professional All Stars against the Green l-Green Green Bay Packers in California several s veral years ago Green Bay in inthis inthis this game had t the ball on its one- one lyard yard line with only a few seconds left to play Cecil Isbell of Green GreenBay GreenBay Bay faded back of his goal line and andt t whipped a long high one through the balmy California air Don Hutson was already under underWay way He galloped down the field with two All AU Stars alongside Suddenly Sud- Sud denly 8 Hutson with his amazing speed put on full steam stearn ran away from his guardians and took the ball ballI I around the mid-field mid strip at least 65 yards from the spot where Isbell had thrown the pass It was an easy touchdown I happened to be sitting a yon on the Packers bench where I could I measure the throw I All of this still doesn't answer the Leyte te sergeants sergeant's question There probably isn't any answer I was talking this problem over with Eddie Eddie Ed- Ed die t-dic die Dooley Dartmouth's l long dis tance passer i A A Yard 75 Toss We Ve had a contest at Dartmouth once fc-once once Eddie said for distance passing I was to pass against Swede p We Ve had no following wind In this contest I passed on 1 he the carry for 75 yards and Swede lit Jilt it the yard 73 mark This is the only occasion I recall where forward forward for- for ward f-ward passes were accurately meas- meas hired But remember this was not 1 Fin in competition It may be that someone has passed the ball over I 75 5 yards on a carry without a favor- favor favoring favoring ing ling wind I doubt it Of course if lyou you have a favoring gale at your back it would not be difficult to pass I EO 80 0 or 85 yards The main trouble is this this this-if if you youcan can an pick up a passer who can heave the ball over 60 yards yards how how can you find a Hutson or another end who can ramble that far and catch it I recall vaguely one pass in a ai i Dartmouth game against Cornell where Eddie Dooley from his own yard 35 line hit Bjorkman on the shoulder 65 yards away and just justat at the goal line The great passers of more modern modem times have been Sammy Baugh Sid Luckman and Glenn Dobbs And it might be mentioned that Cecil Isbell Iso IsI Is- Is I bell lell and Arnie Herber were no o punks Two of the most accurate passers Ive I've ever known were Benny Benny Benny Ben Ben- ny Friedman and Sammy Baugh They were not yard 65 marksmen Tf But they could hit a gnat in the eye 1 from 10 to 30 yards So could little Davey OBrien There is another t great and now forgotten passer i There is no set or proved record on the longest pass ever thrown in actual competition competition-a a pass that was I caught and held Maybe Brick y Muller of California is the man 1 Maybe Kenny Washington of ofa a UCLA It might be Isbell to Hutson Hut- Hut son I know of of no other end who e could go as far to catch one as Hut Hut- Hutson son of the Green Bay Packers I Ionly Ionly Ionly only know that Eddie Dooley could cover 75 yards through the air and Eddie today can hit th the yard 65 e mark long after he has been away 5 from the Green of Hanover e Stars in in Service y All AU this matter about service training rough life in the barracks lack of time to play or practice said to be wrecking skill timing is 4 about 97 per cent bunk It doesn't take any too long t to o swing back to the matter of touch and timing or to t o the more important important important tant fundamentals Army sergeants 1 Ferrier and Harrison and Sammy Snead late of the navy have al already already al- al ready proved this point in recent golf tournaments |