Touchdown (ca. 1940s)

[Music] winter spring summer and fall each has its major sport and when the leaves start falling in Crazy patterns to the Earth there's a Tang in the air and we can hear the smack of CLE toe against pig skins football is Kingpin in the World of Sports and millions of people all over the country flop to the huge stadiums to watch the boys fight for dear old almaa within a period of less than 4 months brilliant stars are made and flashed across the front pages of newspapers a sharp signal from a cocky quarterback a quick flip of the ball a leap into the air and across the goal line for a touchdown and it's touchdowns that count the bigger the score the bigger the [Music] star it's a thrill to the player as well as The Spectator it's a big show football and it's not for weaklings it takes muscle bone and brain [Music] maybe it looks easy when a smooth running football machine mows down its opposition or two teams are matched to a standstill but let's go behind the game and find out something about what and how football heroes are made scenes like this take place in almost every College in the country big or little and the campuses are buzzing with prophecies is Smith allamerican IAL is Jones first man for tackle what's the coach got up his sleeve this year well let's see most colleges start calling out their squads late in the summer and the preliminary weeding process begins the veteran player of one or two seasons is put through a routine of physical conditioning that will prepare him for a tough campaign the newcomer is put through the same training and must prove his value as a candidate for the Varsity squad the boys have become a little flappy bicycling will loosen up the biceps and reduce the extra weight around the hips this Crouch will build up those legs for power and drive old tires and some white wash have their use and teach the future touchdown artists how to sidestep an imaginary opponent hurdles are part of a track man's game but how many times have you seen a ball carrier P the line for an opening and then streak for the goal posts [Music] all this stuff is easy and then comes the hard work those padded monuments are supposed to be the enemy take them out of the play as the cry and one after another the squad blocks out the dummy in only a few weeks those dummies will be tough young fellows who will have something to say themselves about being rubbed out of a play and they won't be so dumb hi there drop k for the game that's won on that extra point these fellows look like they've all got belly AES but what they learning is to hide the ball if you could imagine hiding anything as big as a [Music] football and here's the first real test scrimmage Squad a squad B Squad c will that sophomore make good that end position is open will he be as good as brown last gear and Tackle look at that husky fellow at God he's got power the line changes from day to day and only the coach knows who's who for the first game it's in scrimmage that the final points of the game are learned it's where that sophomore shows his metal and where the Back Field proves whether it is a good combination one of the most important phases of a winning play is interference the ball carrier is the one the crowds watch and cheer but it's his teammate who clear the way for that opening around end we moove all the opposition and anyone can carry a ball each man of the interference picks his opponent and removes him from the play it's a wide end Sweep with a cut back through [Music] tackle PR [Music] neat but sometimes times the opponent is too good to be taken out of a play he's got other ideas about that ball carrier he's going to nail him for a loss watch this play with the end getting his man skillfully nullifying the interference an end has to be tough and fast Gren and Barrett but this is as far as you go this next play is a spinner on a line Buck through Center watch carefully for the hidden ball play and interference opening a hole right through the center of the line for a good [Music] game not many touchdowns result from this play but it's pretty sure of long [Music] yards when your opposition is too strong for you to gain through the line or you find that the other fellow is punting just as good as you are then your next bet is through the air and here is what brings the crowds to their feet it takes perfect execution to be effective it's a gamble because an intercepted pass will make your name mud with the fans but if it clicks you become a genius watch this pass from quarterback to end way down the field for a long game it takes your breath away because the element of failure is always present after a long session of scrimmage the muscles become tired the wind short the legs lose some of their power and drive this is an oxygen tank now watch them [Music] go not good enough boys it's getting late we've got to work fast how about another shot of oxygen take a deep breath and we'll go to town there that's more like [Music] it after 3 years of Varsity playing The Pick of the country's football stars often go into the ranks of the professional competition here is Keen each team is made up of the toughest the roughest and the speediest you've got to take as much as you can give and under all kinds of [Music] [Applause] conditions what is it about this game that draws the crowds it's a big show with lots of color and it gives The Spectator a chance to yell for his favorite it's fast it's got power it's exciting when one man breaks away in the open it'll bring the crowds to their feet with a roar or it's that long pass which is intercepted that brings a groan or it's that desperate last minute drop kick for the winning points all these things make football thrilling but in the end the thing that counts is the fellow who crosses the goal line for the winning touchdown a [Music]