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Oberlander's 500-yard game
By Bernie McCarty
Dartmouth's Andy "Swede" Oberlander may have been the first player in football history to run and pass for 500 yards from scrimmage in a single game.
The 62-13 thrashing Dartmouth handed previously unbeaten Cornell Nov. 7,
1925 has been much chronicled. Strangely, no researchers have made an attempt
to compile the game statistics from the numerous detailed contemporary newspaper accounts. The Associated Press reported a Dartmouth team passing figure
of 12 completions in 19 attempts for 231 yards. But by all accounts Oberlander's six touchdown passes alone gained over 210 yards.
Approximate figures satisfy this writer as an indicator of a gridder's statistical performance. Certainly no exact totals can be re-created from old
newspaper accounts, especially pre-1930. Trying to be as conservative as
possible, this writer has developed the following approximate stats for Oberlander vs. Cornell: 11 pass completions in 14 attempts for 313 yards, and 19
rushes for 160 yards. A total of 473 yards. Oberlander's figures definitely
are not less, and could be much more.
Oberlander's six touchdown heaves covered 15, 21 and 52 yards to wingback
Myles Lane, 49 and 50 yards to end George Tully, and 24 yards to end "Heinie"
Sage. Some sources award longer distances for the TD tosses. Oberlander
accounted for eight touchdowns in all by scoring himself on runs of one and
48 yards. Oberlander set up his one-yard TD plunge by punting 55 yards to the
Big Red 11 where tackle Nate Parker recovered a fumble. Tully connected on all
eight of his conversion attempts.
The astonishing triumph over Cornell probably represents the high point in Indian grid history.
130 one can argue Dartmouth fielded its greatest
football machine in 1925. Four Indian gridders
were named to the United Press' All-America first
team, Oberlander, Tully, guard Carl "Dutch" Diehl,
and tackle and captain Nate Parker. And quarterback Bob MacPhail, Sage and Lane were something
special. Lane, a soph and Oberlander's favorite
receiver, ranked among the nation's scoring leaders in 1925 with 18 touchdowns. Oberlander scored
12 TD's, but his total number of TD passes may
forever be a mystery.
Now let's add some real sportswriting to this
essay. Granny Rice reviewed the Dartmouth-Cornell
fracas in the Monday, Nov. 9 edition of the New
York Herald Tribune.
"Dartmouth, in scoring nine touchdowns against
Cornell, put on the greatest combined passing and
running attack football has yet shown. It was one
of those astounding exhibitions of skill that a
spectator may look upon once in ten years.
"Swede Oberlander was the main wrecking party in
a Cornell debacle. A rangy 200-pound six-footer,
he threw the ball 40 and 50 yards as accurately as
Johnny Kling or Jimmy Archer ever pegged to second
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base. He ran the ends; hit the line; he took out tacklers for Lane and other
Dartmouth backs; he tackled with deadly effect and when he kicked his spirals
traveled 55 yards. It was the finest exhibition of all-around brilliancy in
every department of the game that any back has shown since Jim Thorpe knew
his football prime. Oberlander's long passes were thrown with a consistent
and flawless accuracy almost beyond belief. And when they were thrown half
the length of the field more often than not, Tully, Lane and Sage, flying for
the goal, were taking the ball out of the air as Speaker handles an outfield
fly."
Oberlander was a phenomenal all-around football player. But it was his 1925
performance as a passer of amazing marksmanship, strength and poise that
gained the big tailback lasting fame. A rugged young man, Oberlander operated
at tackle in 1923 when Dartmouth compiled an 8-1 record, losing only to Cornell. In 1924, with Oberlander in the backfield, the Indians went undefeated,
the record being marred by a 14-14 tie with Yale. Oberlander reached his peak
in 1925 and Dartmouth roared through a perfect campaign, receiving considerable attention in the various national championship listings.
Even appoximate stats are probably unrecoverable from Dartmouth's four early
1925 victories over Norwich, Hobart, Vermont and Maine. The 14-0 Indian win
over rugged Brown isn't worth statiscizing. Blocked punts set up both Dartmouth tallies. This was the forerunner of the famous undefeated Brown "Iron
Men" club of 1926.
The Indians polished off Harvard 32-9 before 53,000 at Cambridge. It was the
worst Harvard defeat up to that time. According to the AP, Oberlander passed
for 123 yards and two TD's, rushed for 122 yards and one TD, and gained 129
yards returning intercepted passes. Let's leave it at that in order to devote
space here to the Dartmouth season finale against Chicago.
Many "experts" at the time felt Chicago would prove to be Dartmouth's Waterloo.
Famed Maroon coach Amos Alonzo Stagg had fashioned a mighty defensive line,
and Stagg was a pioneer in the art of forward passing. If any opponent could
stop Oberlander's passing it would be Chicago. The Maroon season record was
only 3-4-1. Chicago challenged only top-flight foes, however, beat Purdue and
Northwestern and tied Ohio State, and stopped "Red" Grange in the mud, something powerful Penn (a 6-0 victor over Chicago) could not do.
It was no contest as the Indians rolled 33-7. Oberlander pitched four scoring
aerials and another punt, this time rolling for 51 yards, set up the other
TD when Parker picked up a fumble and scooted 13 yards to the endzone. Chicago
could not handle Lane who simply blew past the secondary to grab three touchdown tosses. MacPhail ran wild for over 100 yards, reeling off gallops of 30,
25, 15, 13 and 10 yards. And Lane and MacPhail excelled on pass defense.
The various detailed newspaper accounts of the game differ so much that even
approximate stats may be impossible to compile for Oberlander. He seems to
have completed 11 of 17 passes for about 200 yards, and rushed for close to
100 yards -- a total in the neighborhood of 300 yards.
An important final note. The year 1925 ranks with 1947 as one of the two
greatest seasons in grid history for the sheer number of all-time superstars
produced. Forget Grange, "Wildcat" Wilson, Ernie Nevers, Benny Friedman,
"Peggy" Flourney, Eddie Tryon, "Pooley" Hubert and Johnny Mack Brown, Jack
Slagle, and on and on. Oberlander was the only unanimous All-America backfield
choice in 1925.