by Dave Revsine
142. “kicking was a revelation to the onlookers.”: Ibid.
142. his ability to snap the ball: Ibid.
142. during the course of the week: Unheadlined article datelined “New Haven, Conn., Oct 18,” Daily Cardinal, October 19, 1899, 4. Article is credited to the Chicago Times-Herald.
142. “modestly declined even to hazard a guess.”: “Yale–Wisconsin Game,” (New Haven) Morning Journal Courier, October 20, 1899.
142–143. “. . . cannot be a shadow of a doubt.”: “Yale Tomorrow,” Daily Cardinal, October 20, 1899, 1.
143. as Wisconsin’s greatest strength: “Yale Practice Is Secret,” Chicago Chronicle, October 16, 1899.
143. was at an all-time high: All details on arrangements to follow the game in Madison are from “Reports from Yale,” Daily Cardinal, October 18, 1899, 1.
143. didn’t confine his ingenuity to baseball: Peter Morris, A Game of Inches: The Stories Behind the Innovations That Shaped Baseball: The Game on the Field (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2006), 293.
143. “a great ‘Educator’ of football.”: Reprinted letter from Phil King to Arthur Irwin, Daily Cardinal, October 19, 1899, 4.
143. thirteen hundred seats in advance: “Many Games Today,” (New Haven) Evening Leader, October 21, 1899.
143. the Daily Cardinal reported: “Yale Tomorrow,” Daily Cardinal, October 20, 1899, 1.
143. Saturday to head to New Haven: Andrew M. O’Dea, “Badgers at Work at Hartford,” Chicago Daily Tribune, October 20, 1899, 4.
144. until after the game: “Aftermath,” Daily Cardinal, October 24, 1899, 1; “Three Players Injured,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 25, 1899, 6.
144. hampered his movements: Ibid.
144. heard above the din: “The Football Bets,” (New Haven) Evening Leader, October 21, 1899, 1.
144. adorned with Yale flags and banners: This and the pregame descriptions that follow are taken from “Eastern Opinions,” Daily Cardinal, October 25, 1899, 1.
144. “a fat little dago.”: Ibid.
145. earlier in the decade: Alexander M.Weyand, The Saga of American Football (New York: Macmillan, 1955), 206.
145. as the Badgers brought: “Yale Wins but a Close Shave,” (Milwaukee)Sunday Sentinel, October 22, 1899, 1.
145. “seemed unconscious of the interest he aroused,”: “Eastern Opinions,” Daily Cardinal, October 25, 1899, 1.
145. “. . . such prominent newspaper men.”: “Came with Wisconsin Team,” New Haven Evening Register, October 23, 1899, 1.
145. at its back for the first half: Wisconsin vs. Yale. October 21, 1899. The account of the game is drawn from the following sources: “Yale Wins but a Close Shave,” (Milwaukee)Sunday Sentinel, October 22, 1899, 1; “O’Dea the Whole Thing,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 24, 1899, 4; “Badgers Lose to Yale,” Daily Cardinal, October 21, 1899, 1; “Aftermath,” Daily Cardinal, October 24, 1899, 1; “Eastern Opinions,” Daily Cardinal, October 25, 1899, 1; “Few Famous Kickers,” Washington Post, December 25, 1910, 53; “Yale Beats Badgers,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 22, 1899; “Yale, 6; Wisconsin, 0,” New York Times, October 22, 1899, 4; “Barely Wins Out,” Boston Globe, October 22, 1899, 16; “In the Football World,” New York Sun, October 27, 1899, 5; “Football,” (New Haven) Morning Journal Courier, October 23, 1899, 1; “Yale’s Crack Player,” (New Haven) Evening Leader, October 23, 1899, 1; “Holds Badgers Safe,” (Chicago) Daily Inter Ocean, October 22, 1899; “Westerners Win Defeat,” Omaha World Herald, October 22, 1899; “Three Players Injured,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 25, 1899, 6; “Yale’s Great Victory Saturday Men Were in Splendid Condition,” (New Haven) Evening Leader, October 23, 1899; “Great Interest in Chicago,” (Milwaukee) Sunday Sentinel, October 22, 1899, 11; “Eager Interest at Madison,” (Milwaukee) Sunday Sentinel, October 22, 1899, 11.
145. “. . . blocking of drop kicks an easy matter.”: “Few Famous Kickers,” Washington Post, December 25, 1910, 53.
146. “. . . We’ve got the wind and the game.”: “Yale’s Great Victory Saturday Men Were in Splendid Condition,” (New Haven) Evening Leader, October 23, 1899.
146. “. . . unexpected mettle and speed.”: “Great Interest in Chicago,” (Milwaukee) Sunday Sentinel, October 22, 1899, 11.
146. “. . . we hope you will score.”: “Badgers Lose to Yale,” Daily Cardinal, October 21, 1899, 1.
146. “terrific plunges into the scrub line.”: “Yale’s Crack Player,” (New Haven) Evening Leader, October 23, 1899, 1.
147. “. . . never been equaled on the Yale field.”: “Yale, 6; Wisconsin, 0,” New York Times, October 22, 1899, 4.
147. “the house fairly went crazy.”: “Eager Interest at Madison,” (Milwaukee) Sunday Sentinel, October 22, 1899, 11.
147. “. . . to bowl over with his free arm.”: “Yale Wins but a Close Shave,” (Milwaukee)Sunday Sentinel, October 22, 1899, 1.
148. “. . . failed to bring down his man.”: “Aftermath,” Daily Cardinal, October 24, 1899, 1.
148. “. . . ever witnessed on the Yale gridiron.”: “Yale, 6; Wisconsin, 0,” New York Times, October 22, 1899, 4.
148. “. . . known enough to ‘tackle low.’ ”: “Barely Wins Out,” Boston Globe, October 22, 1899, 16.
148. “. . . under similar circumstances.”: “In the Football World,” New York Sun, October 27, 1899, 5.
148. “. . . game of his life notwithstanding.”: “Aftermath,” Daily Cardinal, October 24, 1899, 1.
148. “marvelous man.”: Both quotes in this sentence are from “O’Dea the Whole Thing,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 24, 1899, 4. This article quoted various Eastern papers on O’Dea’s performance.
148. “. . . great punter he was reported to be.”: Ibid.
148. “. . . O’Dea is a wonder.”: “Barely Wins Out,” Boston Globe, October 22, 1899, 16.
148. “O’Dea’s punting for Wisconsin was marvelous.”: “Yale Beats Badgers,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 22, 1899.
148. the Globe stated: “Barely Wins Out,” Boston Globe, October 22, 1899, 16.
148. in the entire game: “Yale, 6; Wisconsin, 0,” New York Times, October 22, 1899, 4.
148. “. . . whatever danger she was in.”: As quoted in “O’Dea the Whole Thing,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 24, 1899, 4.
149. “. . . of the smaller New England colleges.”: Ibid.
149. “. . . the result will be reversed.”: “In the Football World,” New York Sun, October 27, 1899, 5.
149. “and the Badgers found it out today.”: As quoted in “O’Dea the Whole Thing,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 24, 1899, 4.
149. The Philadelphia Inquirer called that part of his game “a disappointment.”: “Yale Beats Badgers,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 22, 1899.
149. “terribly overrated” as a drop-kicker: As quoted in “O’Dea the Whole Thing,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 24, 1899, 4; and “Barely Wins Out,” Boston Globe, October 22, 1899, 16.
149. made a “poo fizzle” of a third: “Barely Wins Out,” Boston Globe, October 22, 1899, 16.
150. “. . . with vividness for such a long period?”: Malcolm McLean, “Malcolm McLean Has Inside Dope on the Sport World Doings,” Atlanta Constitution, May 28, 1917, 7.
150. later in newspapers across the country: For example, see “O’Dea and Haxall Greatest Kickers,” Oneonta (New York) Star, November 4, 1929.
150. “. . . hit the crossbar against Yale from 64 yards.”: Grantland Rice, “The Greatest Kicker,” Atlanta Constitution, January 30, 1944, 9B.
151. described in the game reports: 2012 Wisconsin Football Fact Book, 147.
151. “. . . was credited with another kick of 110 yards.”: Allison Danzig, “On College Gridirons,” New York Times, November 13, 1934, 25.
151. “. . . to Yale’s 5 yard line.”: “O’Dea Great Kicker,” Fort Worth Star Telegram, Novem
ber 16, 1906.
151. “. . . 1899 that went 117 yards.”: “Modern Punters Were Dubs Compared to Old Pat O’Dea,”(Butte) Montana Standard, October 22, 1934, 7.
151. “. . . groaned a unanimous groan and sat down!”: Kenneth E. Kennedy, “Pat O’Dea Returns from Self-Imposed Exile,” Wisconsin State Journal, November 15, 1934, 4.
151. “. . . on any gridiron in the world.”: “O’Dea Kicks a 60-Yard Goal,” Milwaukee Sentinel, November 25, 1898, 1.
151. “on decent ground.”: “O’Dea the Hero of the Field,” Chicago Times-Herald, November 25, 1898.
151. the gridiron was in “fine condition.”: “Story of Purple’s Downfall,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 25, 1898, 2.
151. in the three days before the contest: “US Department of Agriculture, Illinois Section of the Climate and Crop Service, Report for November 1898,” December 19, 1898.
152. “. . . from the sidelines with a slippery ball.”: George F. Downer, “Pat O’Dea’s Kicking Feats Still Amaze Football Fans,” Wisconsin Athletic Review, November 17, 1934, 12; “Modern Punteres Were Dubs Compared to Old Pat O’Dea,”(Butte) Montana Standard, October 22, 1934, 7.
152. “on the run from scrimmage” when he kicked it: “Patrick O’Dea, 90, of Gridiron Dead,” New York Times, April 5, 1962.
152. “. . . it became stabilized . . . at six inches.”: John Lardner, “Ruth Didn’t Call That Home Run,” New York Times, January 16, 1955.
152. “was made from relatively bare ground.”: Ibid.
152. “easily an 80 yard drop.”: “O’Dea Great Kicker,” Fort Worth Star Telegram, November 16, 1906.
152. “a kick of 80 yards.”: “Badgers Lose to Yale,” Daily Cardinal, October 21, 1899, 1.
153. which is the 77-yard boot described earlier: Ibid.
153. “. . . to Yale’s 8 yard line.”: “Barely Wins Out,” Boston Globe, October 22, 1899, 16.
153. “. . . 95 yds for a touchdown.”: “Yale Beats Badgers,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 22, 1899; “Badgers Lose to Yale,” Daily Cardinal, October 21, 1899, 1.
154. “. . . considerably above average.”: “Yale Beats Badgers,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 22, 1899.
154. “. . . the greatest kicker who ever played football.”: As quoted in “O’Dea the Whole Thing,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 24, 1899, 4.
154. the New York Sun concluded: As quoted in “Three Players Injured,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 25, 1899, 6.
154. “. . . no difference between the east and the west.”: “Fisher on the Game,” Daily Cardinal, October 24, 1899, 4.
155. “. . . of the tradition is still convincing.”: “Wisconsin Kicks a Hole in a Football Tradition,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 24, 1899, 4.
155. “. . . strongest team of the East.”: Ibid.
Chapter 15
156. “. . . condition myself for athletic contests.”: “Pat O’Dea to Retire,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 25, 1899, 6.
156. “had no time to call on girls.”: “Capt. Pat O’Dea Talks about His Football Career and His Future,” Milwaukee Journal, December 5, 1899, 10.
156. as Dallas, New Orleans, and Boston: See, for instance, “Pat O’Dea to Retire from Gridiron,” Dallas Morning News, November 26, 1899.
157. “. . . should be done, if he desires it.”: “O’Dea May Be Coach,” Minneapolis Journal, November 16, 1899.
157. “. . . I have learned from Phil King.”: “Capt. Pat O’Dea Talks about His Football Career and His Future,” Milwaukee Journal, December 5, 1899, 10.
157. perhaps as a kicking coach: “Pat O’Dea to Retire,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 25, 1899, 6.
157. boycott of the Maroons in March of 1899: “Boycott the Maroons,” Chicago Daily Tribune, March 14, 1899.
157. Wisconsin manager John Fisher said: “Would Like to Meet the Chicago Eleven,” Milwaukee Sentinel, October 25, 1899.
157. “. . . comprised in Manager Fisher’s statement.”: Ibid.
157. scoffed at as “socialistic philanthropy.”: Caspar Whitney, “Amateur Sport,” Harper’s Weekly, October 21, 1899, 1073.
157. on the part of the Chicago coach: Adams to Harper, March 12, 1899. Filed digitally at University of Chicago Archives, ofcpreshjb-0020-009-02.pdf, p. 4.
157–158. would come to be known as the Cubs: “Wisconsin Is the Champion,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 1, 1899, 1.
158. “had enough of Stagg and Staggism.”: “New Alliance Possible,” Chicago Chronicle, November 26, 1898.
158. to mark the spot of the catch: “O’Dea Made Sixty-Yard Dropkick While on Run,” (Zanesville, Ohio) Signal, October 20, 1943.
158. “. . . trying to score in this wind.”: Jack Newcombe, The Fireside Book of Football (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1964), 171.
159. he later recounted: “Patrick O’Dea, 90, of Gridiron Dead,” New York Times, April 5, 1962.
159. “. . . landed outside the park.”: Joseph Coughlin, “Roundy Says,” Wisconsin State Journal, November 16, 1934.
159. to have traveled roughly 75 yards: Dave Lewis, “Once Over Lightly,” (Long Beach, California) Independent, July 30, 1950, 22-A.
159. “O’Dea’s kick was wonderful.”: “Badger Team Wins,” Chicago Chronicle, November 12, 1899; “Wisconsin Wins,” Daily Cardinal, November 11, 1899, 1.
159. “. . . near the edge of the field.”: Unlabeled newspaper clipping, Amos Alonzo Stagg Papers, University of Chicago Archives, box 58, folder 1. In the original source of this quotation, the word “marvelous” appears as “marvellous.” For purposes of clarity, I have corrected the typographical error.
159. “. . . as ever happened on a football field.”: “O’Dea Wins for Badgers,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 12, 1899, 17.
159. “to have not the slightest idea what to do.”: Ibid.
159. “the greatest individual play he ever saw.”: “O’Dea Made Sixty-Yard Dropkick While on Run,” (Zanesville, Ohio) Signal, October 20, 1943.
160. “. . . was running to his left.”: Ibid.
160. “. . . will always stay with me.”: Hank Casserly, “Hank Casserly Says,” (Madison) Capital Times, November 21, 1941, Sports, 1.
160. “. . . Wisconsin had a score, 5–0.”: “The Kangaroo Kicker,” Wisconsin Football Facts 1954, Wisconsin Athletic Review, 1954, 36.
161. he had miscalculated: Unlabeled newspaper clipping, Amos Alonzo Stagg Papers, University of Chicago Archives, box 58, folder 1.
161. at between 13,000 and 22,000: “Colleges Sign New Pact,” Chicago Chronicle, December 2, 1899; “Wisconsin, 17; Michigan, 5,” Chicago Daily Tribune, 3.
161. a football game in the West: This claim is asserted in both “Wisconsin Vanquishes Michigan, Though O’Dea Is Ordered Off Field,” Milwaukee Journal, November 30, 1899, 1, and “Wisconsin Is the Champion,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 1, 1899, 1.
161. numbering less than 8,000: Caspar Whitney, “Amateur Sport,” Harper’s Weekly, December 23, 1899, 1305.
161. that wouldn’t be possible: “Wisconsin Is the Victor,” Chicago Chronicle, December 1, 1899.
161. and even an occasional cowbell: “Badgers Triumph over Men of Michigan,” Los Angeles Times, December 1, 1899, 4; “Wisconsin Is Victor,” Chicago Chronicle, December 1, 1899, 1.
161. decorated in school colors: “Wisconsin Is the Champion,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 1, 1899, 1.
161. and the other in left center field: “Gridiron at the West Side Ballpark,” Chicago Chronicle, November 28, 1899.
161. behind the home plate area: Ibid.
161. ever for a football game in Chicago: “Colleges Sign New Pact,” Chicago Chronicle, December 2, 1899.
162. pay off the debt from the journey: “When Wisconsin Last Met Michigan,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 1, 1899, 2.
162. “. . . famous kicking leg t
o advantage in scoring.”: “Pat O’Dea’s Leg Will Govern Play,” Milwaukee Journal, November 28, 1899, 10.
162. “. . . offensive work has suffered.”: “Michigan a Slight Favorite,” Chicago Daily Tribune, November 30, 1899, 6.
162. “O’Dea is our greatest fear.”: Unlabeled newspaper clipping, Amos Alonzo Stagg Papers, University of Chicago Archives, box 58, folder 1.
162. “ . . . get me out of the game,” he said afterward: “O’Dea Defends His Act,” Chicago Chronicle, December 1, 1899.
162. “and tackled the Australian foully.”: “Wisconsin Is the Victor,” Chicago Chronicle, December 1, 1899.
162. “. . . seemed almost stereotyped.”: Ibid.
162. the Chronicle observed: Ibid.
163. “. . . without actual slugging.”: As quoted in “Pat O’Dea,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 2, 1899, 4.
163. his pleas were ignored: “O’Dea Defends His Act,” Chicago Chronicle, December 1, 1899, 4.
163. “. . . into his ribs with terrific force.”: “Wisconsin Is the Champion,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 1, 1899, 1.
163. “. . . and ordered O’Dea out of the game.”: Ibid.
163. “autocratic and unjust.”: Ibid.
163. “. . . than was O’Dea at this time.”: As quoted in “Pat O’Dea,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 2, 1899, 4.
163. “. . . in the eyes of his admirers.”: Ibid.
163. glancing fondly at his star player: Details and quotes regarding the celebration are taken from “Wisconsin Rooters Celebrate the Victory,” Milwaukee Sentinel, December 1, 1899, 2.
164. be guaranteed at least $1,000: Caspar Whitney, “Amateur Sport,” Harper’s Weekly, December 23, 1899, 1305.
164. “. . . larks in this agreement.”: Ibid.
165. “. . .which way the wind is blowing,” Whitney observed: Ibid.
165. “. . . color dear to Wisconsin men.”: “Victory for Maroons,” Sunday (Chicago) Inter Ocean, December 10, 1899, 1.
165. “. . . bewildered their opponents.”: Ibid.
165. “. . . the attack of Chicago . . . was directed.”: “Analysis of Chicago’s Victory,” Chicago Daily Tribune, December 10, 1899, 18.