Fifth Down Game (1940)
Encyclopedia
The Fifth Down Game is a college football
game that was conceded by the victor after films confirmed that errors by the game officials had allowed an unpermitted fifth down as the last play of the game.
, a team is allowed four attempts or "downs
" to move the ball 10 yards (9.14 m) towards the goal line. If the offense moves ten yards in four attempts or fewer, it gains a "first down," which restarts the process. If, after four attempts, the offense has neither scored nor gained ten yards, the other team is given possession of the ball. Under normal circumstances (for example, excluding penalties which can involve replaying a down), no team is supposed to be allowed five attempts.
Dartmouth would manage to hold off Cornell's offense for nearly the entire low-scoring game. Dartmouth scored first, achieving a field goal for three points in the fourth quarter.
Finally, with less than a minute remaining in the game, Cornell got the ball on Dartmouth's six-yard line. Cornell expected to have four chances to win the game. On its first down, fullback Mort Landsberg gained three yards. On its second down, Cornell halfback Walt Scholl managed to run the ball to the one-yard line. On the third down, Mort Landsberg tried to run up the middle but did not gain more than a few inches. On the fourth down, Cornell was penalized for delay of game, and Referee Red Friesell spotted the ball just over the 5-yard line in order to replay the fourth down. With nine seconds left on the clock, quarterback "Pop" Scholl threw an incomplete pass into the end zone. Normally, the ball would have gone to Dartmouth, which would have used up the remaining seconds and won the game, 3-0.
But following the fourth down, Linesman Joe McKenny signaled that the ball should go to Cornell again. Referee Friesell agreed. Making the most of the unexpected opportunity, quarterback Scholl threw a touchdown pass, and following the extra-point kick, Cornell won the game, 7-3.
, acting athletic director Bob Kane
, and President Edmund Ezra Day
, a Dartmouth alumnus, agreed that Cornell should send a telegram to Dartmouth offering to forfeit the game. Dartmouth accepted.
The New York Times N.F.L. sports blog "The Fifth Down" is named in part after the incident in this game.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game that was conceded by the victor after films confirmed that errors by the game officials had allowed an unpermitted fifth down as the last play of the game.
Background
In American footballAmerican 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...
, a team is allowed four attempts or "downs
Down (football)
A down is a period in which a play transpires in American and Canadian football.-Description:A down begins with a snap or free kick , and ends when the ball or the player in possession of it is declared down by an official, a team scores, or the ball or player in possession of it leaves the field...
" to move the ball 10 yards (9.14 m) towards the goal line. If the offense moves ten yards in four attempts or fewer, it gains a "first down," which restarts the process. If, after four attempts, the offense has neither scored nor gained ten yards, the other team is given possession of the ball. Under normal circumstances (for example, excluding penalties which can involve replaying a down), no team is supposed to be allowed five attempts.
The Fifth-Down Game of November 16, 1940
Cornell entered the contest with 18 straight victories over a two-year period.Dartmouth would manage to hold off Cornell's offense for nearly the entire low-scoring game. Dartmouth scored first, achieving a field goal for three points in the fourth quarter.
Finally, with less than a minute remaining in the game, Cornell got the ball on Dartmouth's six-yard line. Cornell expected to have four chances to win the game. On its first down, fullback Mort Landsberg gained three yards. On its second down, Cornell halfback Walt Scholl managed to run the ball to the one-yard line. On the third down, Mort Landsberg tried to run up the middle but did not gain more than a few inches. On the fourth down, Cornell was penalized for delay of game, and Referee Red Friesell spotted the ball just over the 5-yard line in order to replay the fourth down. With nine seconds left on the clock, quarterback "Pop" Scholl threw an incomplete pass into the end zone. Normally, the ball would have gone to Dartmouth, which would have used up the remaining seconds and won the game, 3-0.
But following the fourth down, Linesman Joe McKenny signaled that the ball should go to Cornell again. Referee Friesell agreed. Making the most of the unexpected opportunity, quarterback Scholl threw a touchdown pass, and following the extra-point kick, Cornell won the game, 7-3.
The Forfeit
Officials discovered their error after reviewing the game films. Cornell's players, coach Carl SnavelyCarl Snavely
Carl "The Grey Fox" Snavely was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Bucknell University , the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Cornell University , and Washington University in St...
, acting athletic director Bob Kane
Robert Kane (sports administrator)
Robert Kane was a celebrated sports administrator.Kane attended Ithaca High School and Cornell University, where he established himself as a talented sprinter. As a senior at Cornell, he was elected to the Sphinx Head Society....
, and President Edmund Ezra Day
Edmund Ezra Day
Edmund Ezra Day was a U.S. educator.Day received his undergraduate and master's degrees from Dartmouth College and his doctorate in economics from Harvard. While at Dartmouth, be became a brother of Theta Delta Chi. He went on to serve as the fifth president of Cornell University from 1937 to 1949...
, a Dartmouth alumnus, agreed that Cornell should send a telegram to Dartmouth offering to forfeit the game. Dartmouth accepted.
Aftermath
Although there is some doubt whether the 1940 Cornell forfeit was "official" according to NCAA rules, the game is regarded as a 3-0 Dartmouth victory, instead of a 7-3 triumph by Cornell. This is described as the only time in the history of football that a game was decided off the field.The New York Times N.F.L. sports blog "The Fifth Down" is named in part after the incident in this game.
Sources
- Cory Bennett, "Part II: The Fifth-Down Game," The Cornell Daily Sun (November 8, 2007) http://cornellsun.com/node/26006
- Cory Bennett, "Part III: The Nation Reacts in Wake of Concession," The Cornell Daily Sun (November 8, 2007) http://cornellsun.com/node/26008
- "The Infamous Fifth Down: Cornell vs. Dartmouth," YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKvefN4PmT4
- Beano Cook, "Beano Cook's top 10 moments in college football," ESPN.Com http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2615391&type=story