Clarence Alcott
Encyclopedia
Clarence F. Alcott was an American football
player, coach and investment banker. He was selected as an All-American end in both 1906 and 1907.
Alcott attended Yale University
where he played at the end position from 1905 to 1907. During the 1906 and 1907 seasons, the first in which the forward pass
was legal, Alcott developed a reputation as one of the sport's best pass receivers. In 1916, The New York Times
wrote that he "was one of Yale's most spectacular ends, especially in handling the forward pass."
In Yale's 6-0 victory over Harvard in November 1906, Alcott scored the game's only points on a touchdown pass from Paul Veeder
. Though it was neither the first nor the longest pass of the 1906 season, the Veeder-to-Alcott pass in the Harvard game was the most publicized pass in the first season of forward passing. Some publications refer to the touchdown pass from Veeder to Alcott in the 1906 Harvard game as the "first forward pass in a major game." In his book, "A Century of The Game: Yale-Harvard Is a Matter of Pride,' Al Morganti
claimed that "the first significant use of the forward pass in a major game, a 20-yard gain on a Paul Veeder-to-Clarence Alcoft pass in The Game of 190." Writing in The Washington Post
, Sally Jenkins called it one of the few significant forward passes thrown in the first season of the forward pass.
In fact, Eddie Cochems
's 1906 St. Louis University team built its offense around the forward pass in 1906. One of the top football officials in the country, West Point's Lt. Horatio B. Hackett officiated at Harvard, Yale and St. Louis University games in 1906. After watching St. Louis play, Hackett told a reporter, "It was the most perfect exhibition... of the new rules ... that I have seen all season and much better than that of Yale and Harvard. St. Louis' style of pass differs entirely from that in use in the east. ... The St. Louis university players shoot the ball hard and accurately to the man who is to receive it ... The fast throw by St. Louis enables the receiving player to dodge the opposing players, and it struck me as being all but perfect."
At the end of the 1906 season, Alcott was selected as a second-team All-American by Casper Whitney for Outing magazine In 1907, he was selected as a first-team All-American by Walter Camp
in Collier's Weekly
.
After graduating from Yale in 1908, Alcott served on Yale's football coaching staff from 1908 until at least 1919. He also served on Yale's Football Committee, responsible for setting football policy, starting in 1920.
Alcott later became an investment banker on Wall Street
in New York. He retired in 1935 and died in October 1957.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, coach and investment banker. He was selected as an All-American end in both 1906 and 1907.
Alcott attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he played at the end position from 1905 to 1907. During the 1906 and 1907 seasons, the first in which the forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
was legal, Alcott developed a reputation as one of the sport's best pass receivers. In 1916, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that he "was one of Yale's most spectacular ends, especially in handling the forward pass."
In Yale's 6-0 victory over Harvard in November 1906, Alcott scored the game's only points on a touchdown pass from Paul Veeder
Paul Veeder
Paul L. Veeder was an All-American football player for Yale University. Veeder played halfback, fullback, quarterback and punter for the Yale Bulldogs from 1904–1906 and was selected as an All-American in 1906.-Biography:...
. Though it was neither the first nor the longest pass of the 1906 season, the Veeder-to-Alcott pass in the Harvard game was the most publicized pass in the first season of forward passing. Some publications refer to the touchdown pass from Veeder to Alcott in the 1906 Harvard game as the "first forward pass in a major game." In his book, "A Century of The Game: Yale-Harvard Is a Matter of Pride,' Al Morganti
Al Morganti
Michael "Al" Morganti is a nationally recognized hockey analyst who has covered the National Hockey League and international competitions. He is currently a pre and post-game analyst for the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL for games broadcast on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and occasionally, The...
claimed that "the first significant use of the forward pass in a major game, a 20-yard gain on a Paul Veeder-to-Clarence Alcoft pass in The Game of 190." Writing in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Sally Jenkins called it one of the few significant forward passes thrown in the first season of the forward pass.
In fact, Eddie Cochems
Eddie Cochems
Edward Bulwer "Eddie" Cochems was an American football player and coach. He played football for the University of Wisconsin from 1898 to 1901 and was the head football coach at North Dakota State , Clemson , Saint Louis University , and Maine . During his three years at St...
's 1906 St. Louis University team built its offense around the forward pass in 1906. One of the top football officials in the country, West Point's Lt. Horatio B. Hackett officiated at Harvard, Yale and St. Louis University games in 1906. After watching St. Louis play, Hackett told a reporter, "It was the most perfect exhibition... of the new rules ... that I have seen all season and much better than that of Yale and Harvard. St. Louis' style of pass differs entirely from that in use in the east. ... The St. Louis university players shoot the ball hard and accurately to the man who is to receive it ... The fast throw by St. Louis enables the receiving player to dodge the opposing players, and it struck me as being all but perfect."
At the end of the 1906 season, Alcott was selected as a second-team All-American by Casper Whitney for Outing magazine In 1907, he was selected as a first-team All-American by Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
in Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
.
After graduating from Yale in 1908, Alcott served on Yale's football coaching staff from 1908 until at least 1919. He also served on Yale's Football Committee, responsible for setting football policy, starting in 1920.
Alcott later became an investment banker on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
in New York. He retired in 1935 and died in October 1957.
See also
- 1906 College Football All-America Team1906 College Football All-America TeamThe 1906 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1906 college football season...
- 1907 College Football All-America Team1907 College Football All-America TeamThe 1907 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:...