Class Note 1943
Issue
Jan-Feb 2020
We were sophomores! It was the middle of November 1940—exactly 79 years ago this month. It was just another football weekend in Hanover, and 15,000 fans witnessed one of the most heralded and memorable games in NCAA gridiron history! How can a team lose 7-3 on Saturday and then become victorious 48 hours later by a score of 3-0? The game was in an era before TV and instant replay.
In 1940 Cornell’s Big Red was ranked No. 2 in the nation and a 24-point favorite to demolish our varsity. Starring for the home team were classmates Harry Gerber and Remsen Crego as stalwart linemen and Bud Kast and Ray Wolfe in the backfield. Left end Bob Krieger ’41 kicked a 17-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give us a 3-point lead. But all Big Green hopefuls in the stands were merely waiting for the opponents to begin their onslaught. It was just a matter of time before Cornell came to life…. They did—on the final snap of the game! They scored their winning touchdown on a short pass play. Dartmouth lost, 7-3! The four of us—Bill Moseley, John Milburn, Nobu Mitsui, and I—sadly trudged to Thayer Hall for an early dinner. Bill, with dessert in hand, returned to our table, saying, “Hey, there’s a rumor going on that Cornell scored on an illegal extra down!” John piped up, “Bill, sit down! You’re dreamin’! Nobody’s going to change the score. We still lose!” But somebody did change the score. It was referee William “Red” Friesell, who sent a Western Union telegram to captain Lou Young ’41 confessing he allowed an illegal fifth down to Cornell. Referee Friesell admitted the final score should be Dartmouth 3, Cornell zero! Both college presidents agreed within hours. We won!
The 1940 fifth-down game still registers as one of the all-time greatest goofs in NCAA football history. It still ranks highly as an example of great sportsmanship and integrity for the good of the game! And to top it off, we were there.
Our class extends heartfelt condolences to the families of John Hyde, who died August 6, 2019; Palmer Wright, Ph.D., who died May 16, 2019; and David Bortz, who died in 2012, we have just learned.
—George Shimizu, 2642 Saklan Indian Drive, Apt. 2, Walnut Creek, CA 94595; (925) 937-2504; marymariko@comcast.net
In 1940 Cornell’s Big Red was ranked No. 2 in the nation and a 24-point favorite to demolish our varsity. Starring for the home team were classmates Harry Gerber and Remsen Crego as stalwart linemen and Bud Kast and Ray Wolfe in the backfield. Left end Bob Krieger ’41 kicked a 17-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give us a 3-point lead. But all Big Green hopefuls in the stands were merely waiting for the opponents to begin their onslaught. It was just a matter of time before Cornell came to life…. They did—on the final snap of the game! They scored their winning touchdown on a short pass play. Dartmouth lost, 7-3! The four of us—Bill Moseley, John Milburn, Nobu Mitsui, and I—sadly trudged to Thayer Hall for an early dinner. Bill, with dessert in hand, returned to our table, saying, “Hey, there’s a rumor going on that Cornell scored on an illegal extra down!” John piped up, “Bill, sit down! You’re dreamin’! Nobody’s going to change the score. We still lose!” But somebody did change the score. It was referee William “Red” Friesell, who sent a Western Union telegram to captain Lou Young ’41 confessing he allowed an illegal fifth down to Cornell. Referee Friesell admitted the final score should be Dartmouth 3, Cornell zero! Both college presidents agreed within hours. We won!
The 1940 fifth-down game still registers as one of the all-time greatest goofs in NCAA football history. It still ranks highly as an example of great sportsmanship and integrity for the good of the game! And to top it off, we were there.
Our class extends heartfelt condolences to the families of John Hyde, who died August 6, 2019; Palmer Wright, Ph.D., who died May 16, 2019; and David Bortz, who died in 2012, we have just learned.
—George Shimizu, 2642 Saklan Indian Drive, Apt. 2, Walnut Creek, CA 94595; (925) 937-2504; marymariko@comcast.net