Strange Trivia in Sports - Football

Some strange trivia, facts, records, and events in the history of the sport of Football both college and professional.

FOOTBALL

Quarterback Bob Waterfield, of the Cleveland-Los Angeles Rams, threw a football 60' at a record speed of 68.18 mph.

In 1893, T. L. Bayne coached both sides of a game between Tulane and Louisiana State. This 1st Tulane coach also built the goalposts, umpired, managed ticket sales, chose the field, and picked the school colors. Bayne was gifted with a green umbrella for his services.

In 1923, the Rutgers kickoff man, Homer Hazel, scored a touchdown against Villanova only 8 seconds after the game clock began. His kickoff went into the end zone where a Villanova player fumbled the ball; Hazel, who ran the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds flat, raced down field and smothered the ball while it was still in play in the end zone.

Tom Dempsey, of the New Orleans Saints, holds the record for the longest field goal in NFL history: 63 yards against Detroit on November 8, 1970. Dempsey has only half a foot and only a stump of a right arm.

The longest undefeated streak in football is held by Washington University. From 1907 to 1917, in 63 games, their record was 59 wins and 4 ties.

The high school team of Hugo, Colo., once had a 3-game stretch in which they scored 386 points, and held their opponents to 6 points.

The greatest number of points scored in a single game by a single player (collegiate) was 100 by Leo Schlick of St. Viator, in 1916. Schlick scored 12 touchdowns in one afternoon.

The most fumbles by a pro team during a season was 56 by the 1938 Chicago Bears. In contrast, the record for fewest fumbles over a season is held by the 1959 Cleveland Browns, who fumbled only 8 times.

The game was between Evanston High School and Green River High School in Wyoming. Green River quarterback Phil Summers said to the referee: "Haven't we got a 5-yard penalty on this?" Then he took the ball from his center and began stepping off the yardage. But he didn't stop until he had reached the end zone 71 yards later. This touchdown provided the margin of victory, 20-13. Green River coach, Jerry McMillan, said Summers had pestered him all season to try the play. "I didn't think it would work," he admitted.

The 1969 Oakland Raiders were penalized 1,274 yards during the season, a professional record.

The New York Giants of 1927 allowed only 3 touchdowns and 20 points all season.

After a 72-0 defeat at the hands of Bucknell College, the Ohio Wesleyan coach, Jack Fouts, was asked what had happened. "We just weren't up for this one," he conceded.

The 1st time the "hidden ball" trick was used occurred in a 1903 game between Harvard and Carlisle. Carlisle was leading 40-0 and coach "Pop" Warner remembered a practice session when one of his players had shoved the ball under another player's shirt. The stunt hit Warner as comedy more than strategy, so he used it against hapless Harvard as a finishing touch to the humorously one-sided game.

A halfback for the University of Washington, J. Haines, scored all the points on both sides during a game against the University of Southern California. On December 7, 1935, Haines ran for a 25-yard touchdown; earlier in the game he'd been hit for a safety by the Trojans. The final score was Washington 6, USC 2.

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