George Roudebush
Encyclopedia
George Milton Roudebush (January 25, 1894 - February 29, 1992) was a professional football
player with the Canton Bulldogs
, Cincinnati Celts
of the "Ohio League
" and the Dayton Triangles
of the early National Football League
. He was also a lawyer in Cleveland
for 73 years.
where he earned all-Ohio Conference honors in football. He also lettered in basketball
, baseball
, and tennis
. He graduated in 1915 with a Bachelor of Philosophy
degree, followed by a Bachelor of Laws
degree from the University of Cincinnati
.
and Gus Dorais
are credited as the first team to develop and use the forward pass
as a phenomenally successful strategic method to win football games during a 35-13 upset of a heavily favored Army team. The first forward pass was thrown by Roudebush a year earlier in 1912 to Dave Reese in a 3-3 tie against Wooster College and a 60-3 Denison victory over Otterbein College. George later stated that he used his experience of throwing stones and corncobs at hogs and chickens on his family farm to inspire his passing technique.
Prior to 1912 a forward pass could only be thrown 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage
and travel no more than 20 yards, as noted by football rules 6 and 12. Denison, under coach Walter Livingston
, relied heavily on the pass after the rules were changed to allow the ball travel an unlimited amount of distance and be thrown any distance behind the line of scrimmage. This allowed for teams to easily use the pass. The forward pass was used as far back as 1906 by Peggy Parratt
of the Massillon Tigers
, however it was used more as a gimmick. Roudebush's use of the pass, changed the way the pass was used. It was now a legitimate football strategy.
he served as a captain in the Army
. He spent 18 months in France during the war.
was away playing baseball in 1916. When Thorpe returned to the team, George returned to playing for the Cincinnati Celts that same year. By this time George was working in a law office in Cleveland throughout the week. By Friday he would jump aboard a train for a weekend football game, taking along his own equipment in a duffel bag. Sometimes, to make the kickoff, he had to change into his football duds on the train. George's two seasons with the Dayton Triangles in 1920 and 1921 made him the oldest living NFL player from 1988 until his death in 1992. He also lined-up for the Triangles against the Columbus Panhandles in what may have been the very first NFL game.
, team 1916. Pine Village consisted of only 300 residents, however it was the top team in Indiana before World War I
, compiling a record of undefeated for 13 seasons. In 117 games, they’d only once been tied. Pine Village faced the Celts before a crowd of 2,500 people in Lafayette
. With Pine Village leading the Cincinnati 6-2, the Celts forced to punt
. Roudebush then lined up behind the punter. Under the rules of the time, anyone lining up behind the punter was eligible to recover the kick as a free ball. After the ball was kicked, Roudebush, ran down the field. Pine Village not wanting to touch the ball, was unaware that Roudebush was eligible to recover it. Roudebush recovered the ball in the Pine Village endzone, giving the Celts a 9-6 victory.
won Cleveland's tennis doubles championship. In 1975, he was inducted into the Denison University Athletic Hall of Fame.
neighborhood of Cleveland. He was the son of George Milton and Rose Patchel Roudebush. On June 28, 1924 he married Harriette McCann in Dayton
. The couple had three children, Jane R. Daganhardt, George M. III, and Thomas. He died in Chardon, Ohio
in 1992 and was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery located in Licking County, Ohio
.
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...
player with the Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
, Cincinnati Celts
Cincinnati Celts
The Cincinnati Celts was the first professional football team to play in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team played in the unofficial "Ohio League" and the American Professional Football Association . The Celts were a traveling team, playing all of their APFA games in other cities' stadia...
of the "Ohio League
Ohio League
The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship . As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio...
" and the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
of the early National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was also a lawyer in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
for 73 years.
College
George attended Denison UniversityDenison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
where he earned all-Ohio Conference honors in football. He also lettered in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. He graduated in 1915 with a Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
degree, followed by a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree from the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
.
Forward pass
While Knute RockneKnute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
and Gus Dorais
Gus Dorais
Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1913, and then professionally with the Fort Wayne Friars and Massillon Tigers...
are credited as the first team to develop and use the forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
as a phenomenally successful strategic method to win football games during a 35-13 upset of a heavily favored Army team. The first forward pass was thrown by Roudebush a year earlier in 1912 to Dave Reese in a 3-3 tie against Wooster College and a 60-3 Denison victory over Otterbein College. George later stated that he used his experience of throwing stones and corncobs at hogs and chickens on his family farm to inspire his passing technique.
Prior to 1912 a forward pass could only be thrown 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage
Line of scrimmage
In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun...
and travel no more than 20 yards, as noted by football rules 6 and 12. Denison, under coach Walter Livingston
Walter Livingston
Walter Livingston was an American merchant, lawyer and politician.-Family:...
, relied heavily on the pass after the rules were changed to allow the ball travel an unlimited amount of distance and be thrown any distance behind the line of scrimmage. This allowed for teams to easily use the pass. The forward pass was used as far back as 1906 by Peggy Parratt
Peggy Parratt
George Watson "Peggy" Parratt was a professional football player who played in the "Ohio League" prior to it becoming a part of the National Football League...
of the Massillon Tigers
Massillon Tigers
The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become...
, however it was used more as a gimmick. Roudebush's use of the pass, changed the way the pass was used. It was now a legitimate football strategy.
World War I
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served as a captain in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He spent 18 months in France during the war.
Pro football
He started as a pro with the Cincinnati Celts in 1915. He also played for the Canton Bulldogs while Jim ThorpeJim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
was away playing baseball in 1916. When Thorpe returned to the team, George returned to playing for the Cincinnati Celts that same year. By this time George was working in a law office in Cleveland throughout the week. By Friday he would jump aboard a train for a weekend football game, taking along his own equipment in a duffel bag. Sometimes, to make the kickoff, he had to change into his football duds on the train. George's two seasons with the Dayton Triangles in 1920 and 1921 made him the oldest living NFL player from 1988 until his death in 1992. He also lined-up for the Triangles against the Columbus Panhandles in what may have been the very first NFL game.
1916 Pine Village game
Probably the greatest moment in the Cincinnati Celts early existence came against a team from Pine Village, IndianaPine Village, Indiana
Pine Village is a town in Adams Township, Warren County, Indiana, United States. The population was 217 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pine Village is located at the intersection of State Road 55 and State Road 26, near Big Pine Creek...
, team 1916. Pine Village consisted of only 300 residents, however it was the top team in Indiana before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, compiling a record of undefeated for 13 seasons. In 117 games, they’d only once been tied. Pine Village faced the Celts before a crowd of 2,500 people in Lafayette
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
. With Pine Village leading the Cincinnati 6-2, the Celts forced to punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
. Roudebush then lined up behind the punter. Under the rules of the time, anyone lining up behind the punter was eligible to recover the kick as a free ball. After the ball was kicked, Roudebush, ran down the field. Pine Village not wanting to touch the ball, was unaware that Roudebush was eligible to recover it. Roudebush recovered the ball in the Pine Village endzone, giving the Celts a 9-6 victory.
Law practice
Roudebush returned to Ohio in 1919 and began his law practice with Snyder, Henry Thomsen, Ford, & Seagrave. He become a specialist in public finance and taxation. Later he was senior partner in Roudebush, Brown, Corlett & Ulrich which merged with Arter & Hadden in 1986. As chairman of the Chamber of Commerce committee on taxation in the 1930s, he favored repealing the enabling act which allowed cities to vote taxes for relief purposes.Other sports
Roudebush also played professional basketball in Dayton during the 1920s and officiated college football and baseball games. In 1929 he and Harold LoweHarold Lowe
Commander Harold Godfrey Lowe RD RNR was the Fifth Officer of the .-Early years:Harold Lowe was born in Eglwys Rhos, Caernarfonshire, North Wales on 21 November 1882, the third of eight children, born to George and Harriet Lowe...
won Cleveland's tennis doubles championship. In 1975, he was inducted into the Denison University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Family
Roudebush, lived in the Shaker HeightsShaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
neighborhood of Cleveland. He was the son of George Milton and Rose Patchel Roudebush. On June 28, 1924 he married Harriette McCann in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. The couple had three children, Jane R. Daganhardt, George M. III, and Thomas. He died in Chardon, Ohio
Chardon, Ohio
Chardon is a city in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Geauga County.-History:Chardon is named after Peter Chardon Brooks, who donated land to build the historic Chardon Square....
in 1992 and was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery located in Licking County, Ohio
Licking County, Ohio
Licking County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 166,492. Its county seat is Newark and is named for the salt licks that were in the area....
.