Milt Ghee
Encyclopedia
Milton Pomeroy Ghee, Jr. (November 17, 1891 – ?) was an American football
quarterback
. Born in Wilmette, Illinois
, Ghee attended Oak Park High School before enrolling at Dartmouth College
. He played college football for Dartmouth where he was selected as an All-American
in 1914. Ghee played professional football in the early days of the professional game. From 1916 to 1917, he played for the Canton Bulldogs
the included Jim Thorpe
. The Bulldogs won the professional league championship in both years. According to one historical account of the 1916 Bulldogs, "the Dartmouth All-America was a fine passer who deserved his acclaim, but he needed some time to acclimate himself to his new teammates." In 1917, Ghee threw for 17 touchdown passes and was picked for the All-Pro Team by a Cleveland newspaper. He helped the Bulldogs win the 1917 championship, hitting Greasy Neale with a short touchdown pass for a 7-0 win over the Detroit Heralds in a Thanksgiving Day match with 8,000 fans in attendance.
A historical account published by Sports Illustrated
in 1964 credits Ghee and Greasy Neale with pioneering the use of the huddle
during the 1917 season. He traced the practice to a 1917 game between Canton and Youngstown. With Canton at Youngstown's 22-yard line on a third down with one to go, Ghee noted, "In the huddle, our quarterback, Milt Ghee, an All-America from Dartmouth, said, 'Greasy, what will we do?'" In 1917, quarterbacks called the plays while information, and the huddle wasn't generally adopted until a decade later. According to Neale, "We used the huddle in 1917 because that was the only way we could figure out what we were going to do since we never practiced before the game."
Ghee also played in the APFA for the Chicago Tigers
in 1920 and the Cleveland Indians team (coached by Jim Thorpe in 1921. Ghee was 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighed only 167 pounds.
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...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. Born in Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
, Ghee attended Oak Park High School before enrolling at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. He played college football for Dartmouth where he was selected as an All-American
1914 College Football All-America Team
The 1914 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1914. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp...
in 1914. Ghee played professional football in the early days of the professional game. From 1916 to 1917, he played for the Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
the included Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
. The Bulldogs won the professional league championship in both years. According to one historical account of the 1916 Bulldogs, "the Dartmouth All-America was a fine passer who deserved his acclaim, but he needed some time to acclimate himself to his new teammates." In 1917, Ghee threw for 17 touchdown passes and was picked for the All-Pro Team by a Cleveland newspaper. He helped the Bulldogs win the 1917 championship, hitting Greasy Neale with a short touchdown pass for a 7-0 win over the Detroit Heralds in a Thanksgiving Day match with 8,000 fans in attendance.
A historical account published by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
in 1964 credits Ghee and Greasy Neale with pioneering the use of the huddle
Huddle
In sport, a huddle is when a team gathers together, usually in a tight circle, to strategise, motivate or celebrate. It is a popular strategy for keeping opponents insulated from sensitive information, and acts as a form of insulation when the level of noise in the venue is such that normal...
during the 1917 season. He traced the practice to a 1917 game between Canton and Youngstown. With Canton at Youngstown's 22-yard line on a third down with one to go, Ghee noted, "In the huddle, our quarterback, Milt Ghee, an All-America from Dartmouth, said, 'Greasy, what will we do?'" In 1917, quarterbacks called the plays while information, and the huddle wasn't generally adopted until a decade later. According to Neale, "We used the huddle in 1917 because that was the only way we could figure out what we were going to do since we never practiced before the game."
Ghee also played in the APFA for the Chicago Tigers
Chicago Tigers
The Chicago Tigers of the American Professional Football Association played only in the first year of the league and, because of this, have the distinction of being the first official NFL team to fold. They had a record of 2 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie...
in 1920 and the Cleveland Indians team (coached by Jim Thorpe in 1921. Ghee was 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighed only 167 pounds.