American football at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
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
). 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. 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
.
, 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 M. 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. 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.
attempt by the East fell short, Shaver and another player from the West muffed the ball in an attempt to pick it up. According to various reports, Burton Strange from the East either carried the loose ball across the goal line or simply fell on it in the end zone
to give his team a 6 - 0 lead. Eddie Mays' extra point kick
was blocked. 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.
. The starters for the West team consisted of six USC players, three from Stanford, and two from California. The starting line-up for the East team was four players from Harvard and seven from Yale. A number of College Football Hall of Fame
rs 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. 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.
wrote:
However, this prediction has yet to be fully fulfilled. The sport did in fact accelerate in popularity after World War II
, especially in countries with large numbers of U.S. military personnel, who often formed a substantial proportion of the players and spectators. And by 1998, the International Federation of American Football
(IFAF), was formed to coordinate international amateur competition. At present, 45 associations from the Americas
, Europe, Asia and Oceania
are organized within the IFAF, which claims to represent 23 million amateur athletes.
However, American football has yet to be accepted by the International Olympic Committee
as an official Olympic sport
. Among the various problems the IFAF has to solve in order to be accepted by the IOC are building a competitive women's division, expanding the sport into Africa, and overcoming the current worldwide competitive imbalance that is in favor of American teams.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
was a demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
at the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. On the evening of August 8, 1932, seniors from three Western universities (Cal
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
, Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, and USC) were matched against those from the East Coast's "Big Three
Big Three (colleges)
The Big Three is a historical term used in the United States to refer to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. The phrase Big Three originated in the 1880s, when these three colleges dominated college football. High schools' college admissions counselors and colleges' admissions guides sometimes use the...
" (Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
). In front of 60,000 spectators at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
, the West team won by a score of 7-6. All-American
1931 College Football All-America Team
The 1931 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1931...
Gaius "Gus" Shaver
Gaius Shaver
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 1929–1931. He was a consensus All-American in 1931 and led the Trojans that year to a national championship...
from USC was the captain of the West team and the game's leading rusher with 145 yards on 16 attempts. 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
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
which was an important factor in the growth of professional football
Professional football
In the United States and Canada, the term professional football includes the professional forms of American and Canadian gridiron football. In common usage, it refers to former and existing major football leagues in either country...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Origins
The game was originally proposed by organizers as an "intersectional" match-up between the defending national championsNCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
, University of Southern California, on the West Coast and East Coast stalwarts, Yale University. USC coach/former Yale coach Howard Jones
Howard Jones (football coach)
Howard Harding Jones was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Syracuse University , Yale University , Ohio State University , the University of Iowa , Duke University , and the University of Southern California , compiling a career record of...
delivered a confidential proposal from the President of the Organizing Committee for the 1932 Summer Olympics, William M. Garland, to the President of Yale University, James Rowland Angell
James Rowland Angell
James Rowland Angell was an American psychologist and educator. He served as the president of Yale University between 1921 and 1937...
, inviting Yale to play in the game. On the heels of the 1929 Carnegie Report which decried various aspects of professionalism within college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, Angell reluctantly turned down the invitation. 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.
Game summary
The game was scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. When a field goalField goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
attempt by the East fell short, Shaver and another player from the West muffed the ball in an attempt to pick it up. According to various reports, Burton Strange from the East either carried the loose ball across the goal line or simply fell on it in the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
to give his team a 6 - 0 lead. Eddie Mays' extra point kick
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
was blocked. 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.
Participants
Like the other Olympic athletes, players for both teams lived in the Olympic VillageOlympic Village
An Olympic Village is an accommodation centre built for an Olympic Games, usually within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials, athletic trainers, and other staff. Since the Munich Massacre at the 1972...
. The starters for the West team consisted of six USC players, three from Stanford, and two from California. The starting line-up for the East team was four players from Harvard and seven from Yale. A number of College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
rs elected not to play in the game. All-American Albie Booth
Albie Booth
Albie Booth was an American football player. He was a star at Yale University from 1929 to 1931, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966....
of Yale as well as Erny Pinckert
Erny Pinckert
Erny Pinckert was an American football halfback at Southern California for coach Howard Jones. He then played in the National Football League for the Boston Braves/Redskins, who then moved to Washington D.C....
and All-American Johnny Baker
Johnny Baker
John W. "Johnny" "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...
of USC decided not to play when offered paying jobs in Hollywood. 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.
Aftermath
After the game, the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wrote:
However, this prediction has yet to be fully fulfilled. The sport did in fact accelerate in popularity after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, especially in countries with large numbers of U.S. military personnel, who often formed a substantial proportion of the players and spectators. And by 1998, the International Federation of American Football
International Federation of American Football
International Federation of American Football is the international governing body of American football associations. Its headquarters are in La Courneuve, France, and its current president is Tommy Wiking...
(IFAF), was formed to coordinate international amateur competition. At present, 45 associations from the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, Europe, Asia and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
are organized within the IFAF, which claims to represent 23 million amateur athletes.
However, American football has yet to be accepted by the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
as an official Olympic sport
Olympic sports
Olympic sports, as defined by the International Olympic Committee, are all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The Summer Olympics, as of 2012, will include 26 sports, with two additionall sports due to be added in 2016...
. Among the various problems the IFAF has to solve in order to be accepted by the IOC are building a competitive women's division, expanding the sport into Africa, and overcoming the current worldwide competitive imbalance that is in favor of American teams.
West
| West players and staff | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starters
|
Reserves
|
Chairman of Coaching Committee
Advisory Coaches
Medical Supervisor
Manager of Football Demonstration and West Team
|
||||||
East
| East players and staff | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starters
|
Reserves
|
Chairman of Coaching Committee
Advisory Coaches
Line Coach
Trainer
Manager
|
||||||