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Show First Flying Wedge on Football Field, in 1869 As fur as history goes, the first Intercollegiate football game of all time was played November 6, 1809, nt Brunswick, N. J., between But-gerg But-gerg of tliut city and Princeton, from -5 miles away. The New York World published the story of the game, as told by John W. lierliert llutgers, '72 a participant. The teams numbered 25 players each. Rutgers, It appeared, was having a tough year. Princeton had won at baseball and had succeeded In obtaining the Revolutionary war cannon, which had been stolen buck and forth, by burying It several sev-eral Indies deep In concrete. Football Foot-ball was becoming common as an Intramural sport, and Rutgers challenged Its rival to three games. The first was pluyed at Brunswick. "Receiving the ball," Mr. Herbert writes, "our men formed a perfect Interference around It and with short, skillful kicks and drltihles drove it down the Held. Taken by surprise, the Princeton men fought vullunUy, hut in five minutes we hud gotten the hull through to our-captain's our-captain's of the enemy's goal, and S. CJ. Oano, '71 and O. R. Dixon, '7.1, neatly kicked It over. None thought of It, So far us 1 Know, but we had without previous plan or thought evolved the play that became famous a few years later as 'the flying wedge.'" Rutgers won, 0 to 4. Princeton won tho second game, 8 to 0, on its home grounds. The faculty culled off the third game because feeling was running so high between the student bodies. Detroit News. |