It was in the early 1920s and Yale was preparing for it's big game against rival Harvard. These schools along with Princeton were the powerhouses of the early years of football, dominating the game until 1919, and this was always a big game. The quarterback and one of the captains was Charles Buell. Charles along with teammates George Owen and Charles Hubbard had been selected to the consensus All-American team in 1922.
In 1921 Charles along with Owen were named team captains. On the night of one particular game between Yale and Harvard Charles Buell was injured. He had injured his shoulder in a previous game but was going to play in this particular game anyway because it was so big.
The sentiment going around the Yale team was that a few good hits on Buell's shoulder and they could knock him out of the game giving Yale a decided edge. Coach T.A.D. "Tad" Jones then spoke to his players. Earlier in 1916 when he coached Yale before going off to WWI before a game with Harvard he challenged his players, "Gentlemen, you are now going to play football against Harvard. Never again in your whole life will you do anything so important."
But this was 1922. Coach Jones stood before his team and told them he was aware of the injury to Charles Buell. He then admonished his team telling them that any member of the team who deliberately hit Buell on his injured shoulder would be pulled from the game. If they were to win it would not be by taking advantage of injured players with cheap shots.
Late in the fourth quarter the score was tied 3-3. Charles Buell then took the ball and made the winning touchdown for Harvard with the game ending, Harvard 10, Yale 3.
However, while the winner on the field may have been Harvard the true winner was the man in the Yale locker room before the game. T.A.D. "Tad" Jones had shown his players that there is much more to football than winning the game on the scoreboard. True athletes know the value of sportsmanship. When you loose that you lose the game no matter what the score.
Sportswriter Grantland Rice is credited with coining the phrase "It's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game." At the time he was referring to a golf match and the gentleman atmosphere. However, it does hold true in all parts of life, although there are those who disagree with the phrase. It does tell us that in life there are more important things that always being first.
"For to me to live is Christ." Philippians 1:21
In 1921 Charles along with Owen were named team captains. On the night of one particular game between Yale and Harvard Charles Buell was injured. He had injured his shoulder in a previous game but was going to play in this particular game anyway because it was so big.
The sentiment going around the Yale team was that a few good hits on Buell's shoulder and they could knock him out of the game giving Yale a decided edge. Coach T.A.D. "Tad" Jones then spoke to his players. Earlier in 1916 when he coached Yale before going off to WWI before a game with Harvard he challenged his players, "Gentlemen, you are now going to play football against Harvard. Never again in your whole life will you do anything so important."
But this was 1922. Coach Jones stood before his team and told them he was aware of the injury to Charles Buell. He then admonished his team telling them that any member of the team who deliberately hit Buell on his injured shoulder would be pulled from the game. If they were to win it would not be by taking advantage of injured players with cheap shots.
Late in the fourth quarter the score was tied 3-3. Charles Buell then took the ball and made the winning touchdown for Harvard with the game ending, Harvard 10, Yale 3.
However, while the winner on the field may have been Harvard the true winner was the man in the Yale locker room before the game. T.A.D. "Tad" Jones had shown his players that there is much more to football than winning the game on the scoreboard. True athletes know the value of sportsmanship. When you loose that you lose the game no matter what the score.
Sportswriter Grantland Rice is credited with coining the phrase "It's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game." At the time he was referring to a golf match and the gentleman atmosphere. However, it does hold true in all parts of life, although there are those who disagree with the phrase. It does tell us that in life there are more important things that always being first.
"For to me to live is Christ." Philippians 1:21
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