Princeton at Yale

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  The Minneapolis journal, Minneapolis, Minn., November 16, 1903, page 9

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  DEWITT The HERO Princeton’s Captain Makes All Scores for His Team and Defeats Yale. Costly Fumbles Prevent Scores for the Blue-Elis Play Sloppily at Times. New Haven, Conn, Nov. 16.-John r. Dewitt of Eagleville, Pa, captain of the Princeton football eleven, Saturday proved his title as the greatest in dividual player in the world by win ming his own game from the much Wanted Yale eleven, and probably cinching for the tigers the American football championship for 1908. In the first half of the game he grabbed the ball on an attempted field goal by Mitchell, the Yale halfback, and ran eighty yards for a touchdown. In the second half, with only one min ute left to play, after missing field goal from the twenty-yard line. he kicked goal from placement which gave Princeton it’s winning score. The final figures stood: Princeton IL; Yale, 6. Yale played sloppily and stupidity at times. but took the lead at the start when Hogan scored Yale’s first touch down after the blue backs had smashed the ball down the field from center to Princeton’s goal, Hogan being the particular star at rushing. 1t was kicking game from start to finish, both teams being unable to gain and punting on the third down fncessantly. Dewitt missed two field goals and Mitchell who did Yale’s kicking, missed the same number. Honors were even in the first half, but In the second Yale was completely outplayed. both in the punting and rushing game. Driven back steadily during the last twenty minutes of play, the wearers of the blue found them and with the ball In Princeton’s pos session in Yale territory Dewitt made his two attempts at goal. The last of them was from exactly the same spot that Poe kicked his famous field goal four years ago. win ming the last game Princeton has taken from Yale until Saturday. All Blue at the Start. In fourteen minutes from the time play began Yale had torn thru Prince tons line consistently and sent Hogan across the line for a touchdown. princeton could not cope with Yale’s stone wall defense, and the play was largely in the orange and black terri rory. Yale followed up the advantage &nd again pressed toward the tiger goal line. A tumble gave the ball to Princeton, when Yale was on the verge or crossing the line for another score. Again Yale pounded Princeton’s line TOT snort, consistent gains. and again yale was within striking distance. A tWenty-yard penalty lost the chance. ana the Yale quarterback signaled for an attempt at a goal from the field. Mitchell dropped back, but the pass was bad, and he fumbled the bali on Prlnceton,s twenty-yard line. Dewitt broke thru, snatched the ball from the ground, and. protected by fine inter- Terence, covered the rest of the field FOR touchdown. The goal was kicked and the score tied. -n – Costly FumbIes Prevent Scores ~. Again at the outset of the second half Yale’s superiority of offense was apparent, for the blue kept the play In Princeton’s half of the field most of the time. Twice Captain Rafferty, men rushed the ball with Irresistible force toward the orange goal line, and twice with touchdowns in sight Yale hurled themselves thru the opposins line, only to lose their last hope of victory thru holding in the line. The. Yale men were the first to show the effects of the struggle Prince ton, meanwhile. never wavered and the orange and black line became stancher Yale could not gain, but its forwards were sturdy on the defense and Princeton could not penetrate the blue line for substantial gains. Accordingly. Princeton resorted to kick Ing and with five minutes left to PLAY announcer Yale tumble placed Yale in serious trouble near it’s own goal line Crowd Waits Breathlessly Bowman was forced to kick from b@‘iihS1 ebiC . o”il Sodl line. lie punted we’ll to Yale’s forty-two-yard line. Vetterlein, who was playing back, caught the ball and with great presence of mind, heeled fair catch With the score still at 6 to 6, the great crowd was GREATNESS while De. witt prepared to try for goal 1t q slight angle. The distance was for. bidding, but Dewitt was equal to the occasion, and shot the ball between the goal posts in superb style, thereby insuring Princeton it’s victory.

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  Waterbury evening Democrat, November 16, 1903, page 9

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  TIGERS DOWN YALE Captain John De Witt the Hero of the Hour. VICTORY IN ONE DESPERATE KICK PrincetOn’s Great Leader Made a Record Play, Scoring a Goal mt FOrty-tvvO Yards DHstance-The Team Then Rugged Him. Team Then Rugged Him. NEW HAVEN, Conn, Nov. 1e.-on every Princeton tongue there is but one name, and in every Princeton heart there is a new image enshrined side by side with those of Lamar and the beloved Poes. This name and this image are those of John De Witt. Ev- cry heart and every voice is tuned in praise of Old Nassau, the dogged, the valiant and the victorious, for on the trampled and torn gridiron of Yale field the glory of Yale became as tale that is told, the tigers humbling the blue by the close score of Il to 6-and John De Witt did it. .~..s.- Seldom in the history of football has there stood on the gridicon, strong and cool in the desperate need which comes at the eleventh hour, so picturesque, so indomitable leader as the big Prince ton captain proved himself. Grim with the call of his hearts desire and begrimed with the turf to which he had been hurled in the long battle for supremacy, this year so deeply dear to old Nassau, the big captain stood, easily, coolly, summoninS his every faculty for the beautiful play the great orange smeared stands awaited in the hush that is only felt when thousands are silent. Thrice his panting forwards, grind ing steadily and swiftly, had opened the door of victory to the great drop kicker, and thrice it had been closed in their faces, miserably and weakly. %hn SnH Unkw terlein, the tiger quarter back, made a fair catch, which gave Princeton a chance for a goal from placement, the big leader knew that undying, glory and comparative oblivion hung on, ei- ther side of the scales. ..e. Forty-two yards away arose white and clear against the dark background of the quiet and waiting stands the white goal posts of Yale. Vetterlein lay prone upon the ground, holding the leather for his captain to sight, while the big Yale forwards, ten yards away, were swinging their arms and digging their cleated shoes into the turf in readiness for the spring. There were less than two minutes left to play, and the seconds dragged forward and kicked. The Yale men shot from the crouch into the air, their arms extended, but the ball sailed on serenely far over their heads, spinning lazily on its shorter axis. Not breath of wind turned it, and so long and so high was the kick that the Yale team had time to turn in it’s tracks and see the oval sail cleanly and truly over the crossbars and be- tween the posts. Then that happened which makes mems hearts beat quick with the joy of living and fighting. The entire Princeton team beat down upon their captain and hugged him where he stood, the big, rugged men who had fought for him and for Old Nassau pressing their checks to his in the ec- stasy of devotion. De. Witt fought them off like so many children and, still the leader, struck them with his fists, exhorting them to their places for the final few seconds of grinding strug- gle. Banked in the west stand, tier on tier, stood the men of Old Nassau, many of them members of the class of 1904, which had seemed doomed to go down in college history as the first class that never saw Princeton team humble Yale, and suddenly over this stand shot lightning streak of orange. in the gathering twilight dancing like beaten gold. From that moment till the whistle blew-a second or so to Princeton, an age to Yale-the singing tigers forgot the existence of gridiron, of every thing but victory.

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  The semi-weekly messenger, Wilmington, N.C., November 17, 1903, page 1

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  DAY OF FOOTBALL SURPRISES SCORES YESTERDAY VERY DIFF FERENT FROM WHAT EXPECTED Carolina Downs ClemsOn-PrincetOn Wins from Yale-CarliSle Indians Puts it on PennSy1vania-GeOrSetown Has Easy Time With Column bian. Chapel Hill, N. c.. November II the score OF II to 6. Therefore the most surprised people in the world tonight are the Clemson boys, who imagined that their team was the best in the land and who counted on a VIC tory and an easy one over the Univer- Sity eleven But Cardinals players took a brace today from the game they have been putting up and from the first till the asst every man was IL every play. So the feature was decid edly Cardinals team work. Clemson played great baIl-the ECU lar Heisman article-but they could not win. All the scoring was done in the first half. In the second half each side trieu to add to Its scOre-but he team played evenly matched ball and The score remained as it a So C1emson’s record is broken. Previous to this game they had scored 136 points to their opponents 0. And Car DINA has got her nerve again and viii start in at once to win the Virginia game. A very large number of visitors were on the hill to take in the game. There was a good deal of bettIng-Clemson giving the odds and no Clemson money went begging-every dollar offered was covered Tonight the University students are having a glorious time. They are eel ebratlng the victory as only they know how. The Clemson team will return home in the morning, accompanied BY a large n gloomy crowd of rooterS. PRINCETON II, YALE S. New Haven. Conn, November IA. Yale went down to defeat before the men of Princeton today in the annual football game on the Yale field. by a score of II to 6. The contest which was one of the most spectacular ever witnessed on Yale’s gridiron. was ~stubbOrnly fought throughout. Until the last five minutes of play, when Dewitt, the Princeton captain, kicked a mar velous goal from placement and broke the tied score of six to SIX. the result was in doubt. Yale made one touchdown. from which a goal was kicked. Princeton equalled Yale’s record and added a goal from placement At the end of the first half. the score was tied and close observers looked for a Yale victory, but the New Haven men were unable to get NlAC kiS@hIAA w IN lAiN SoA “ihi DeWitt’s kicking ability gave to his team the victory. While Princeton deserved TO win, Yale deserved to lose for Princeton’s scores were practically the direct resuits of Yale’s fumbling. Yale’s small store, moreover. vas due to fumbling equally as fatal Within fourteen minutes from the time play began, Yale had torn through ~Princeton’s line consistently and had sent Hogan across the line for a touchdown. Princeton could not cope with Yale’s defense. and the play was largely on orange territory Yale followed up her first advant age and again pressed toward the Tigers goal line. A tumble came here, but a Yale man fell on the ball Yale again pounded Princeton’s line for short, but consistent gains and again Yale was in striking dis tance The Yale quarter back, with the game we’ll in hand. apparently decided to ave his men and signalleG for an attempt at a goal from the field. Mitchell dropped back and fumbled the ball on Princeton’s twenty yard line. The visitors broke through, Dewitt snatched h bal

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  Vermont phœnix, Brattleboro, Vt., November 20, 1903, page 3

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  NEWS IN BRIEF. PRINCETON WON FROM YALE. Score Was 1t-6-DeWitt Princeton’s Star Dartmouth II, Harvard 0. Score Was 11-6-DeWitt Princeton’s Star Dartmouth II, Harvard 0. Thirty thousand people saw Princeton win from Yale on the Ellis own stamping ground at New Haven Saturday in one of the fastest foot ball games ever play ed, IL to g. The teams were very even ly matched, but the element of luck was with Princeton and her men seemed to have more stamina. Yale scored first, and soon afterward Dewitt, the Prince ton captain, secured the ball on FUN BILE and sprinted 73 yards for a touch down from which he kicked goal In the second half Dewitt who Is the greatest kicker on the gridiron this year. booted the ball squarely between the goal posts with a placement kick from the 43d yard line. where Quarterback Vetterline heel ed the ball on receiving a punt from Bow man of Yale. Poor old Harvard, already beaten by Amherst, drank bitter dregs again. the big fellows from Dartmouth pushing the Harvard players all over the field in the new stadium at Cambridge and winning Ito. Dartmouth simply had the heavier, quicker and more scientific team and outclassed Harvard at every point of the game. Yale ought to have an easy proposition against Harvard at Cambridge Saturday, but several of the Yale regulars have been in poor condition since meeting Princeton. The big four, o-called-Princeton, Yale, Harvard and Rennsylvania-eXists only as a memory this year. OF the eastern colleges Prince ton must be ranked first, Yale undoubtedly second, but Dartmouth has been beat en- only by Princeton and must be adj Judged a place ahead of Harvard and Pennsylvania. In fact, Columbia, by win ming easily from Pennsylvania and Cor nell, is entitled to consideration for fourth place.

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The text is the machine reading of the page, mistakes and all.

Yale leads 71–⁠45–⁠10 in 126 meetings, counting the 97 since this game.