O. D. Thompson
Encyclopedia
Oliver David Thompson, Esq. was an early football
player at Yale
, who played alongside Walter Camp
. After his time at Yale, Thompson played, and served as the manager, for the Allegheny Athletic Association
. However Thompson is best known for paying Pudge Heffelfinger $500 (UD Dollars) to play for Allegheny against their rivials, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club
. Thompson's historic actions went unoticed until the 1960s, when an 1892 account ledger prepared by Thompson - while he was manager of the Allegheny Athletic Association included the line: "Game performance bonus to W. Heffelfinger for playing (cash) $500." The ledger is currently on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, Ohio
.
alongside Walter Camp at Yale from 1876 through 1878. Before this, Camp had developed the current game of football from the sport, rugby
. Since Thompson had worked with Camp for three years, this qualified him as the foremost gridiron authority in western Pennsylvania
. In 1879, Thompson became the first Yale football player to score against Harvard.
in football history. On November 30, 1876, Yale was playing Princeton
in Hoboken, New Jersey
. Early in the game, Camp ran for a good gain on a play, however when he was finally tackled, he threw the ball forward to Thompson, who ran for a touchdown. The Princeton players protested the play. Since the rules of football were still unclear in 1876, a coin toss was used by the referee to decide if the play stood. Yale won the toss and the touchdown stood. However according to one of Yale's "special rules" that were agreed upon before the game by both teams, the touchdown didn't count in the scoring, however the point after
did to give Yale a 1-0 lead. Later Thompson would also successfully threw the ball forward as he was being tackled. Princeton didn't bother to protest the play this time and Yale went onto win the game 2-0. The forward pass was then banned after that game. However, when the forward pass was legalized in 1906, Walter Camp oppossed the idea.
After his graduation from Yale, Thompson continued to play football, or at least rugby, with great success throughout the 1880s.
returned to their home, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, and formed the Allegheny club's football team. Since both men had played the sport at Yale, alongside Walter Camp, forming team wasn't too hard. The Allegheny A. A. took up football largely to give them a recruiting edge over the established Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Many Allegheny club members had gone to eastern colleges and played football. At that time athletic clubs and associations, ranging from the best with extensive facilities to local organizations with minimum meeting rooms, were in their prime as a source of fraternal fellowship for athletes.
In 1891, a bitter rivalry developed between the two clubs. Efforts were made by local media to schedule a game between the two clubs. However O. D. Thompson, Allegheny's manager, carefully avoided a game. He feared a one-sided loss to Pittsburgh because his team lacked the time needed to practice together that the East End team already had. Allegheny dropped to a 2-2-1 record, which forced Thompson's resignation as the manager and captain of the team. However Thompson was still very much active in the team's affairs. That season, Thompson wrote in his ledger that expenses of $25 each would be paid to Sport Donnelly, Ed Malley and Heffelfinger for playing for Allegheny against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. It was also at this same game that Heffelfinger was given $500 extra to play. Accusations then arose that Allegheny had paid Heffelfinger. However they could not be proven until the discovery of Thompson's ledger, a half a century later. A week later Thompson's ledger shows that Allegheny paid Sport Donnelly $250 for playing against Washington & Jefferson
. Thompson would finish the 1892 season in New York City
, defending several Allegheny track and field
players from Amateur Athletic Union
charges of professionalism.
By 1893, Allegheny was once again under the full leadership of Thompson. That season, he scheduled some of the better known athletic clubs from around the nation. During a 28-0 victory against the Cleveland Athletic Club
that season Thompson played tackle alongside Sport Donnelly.
A year later Thompson helped the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, by setting up an unnamed player who was trying to sell that team's play signals.
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 at Yale
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...
, who played alongside 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...
. After his time at Yale, Thompson played, and served as the manager, for the Allegheny Athletic Association
Allegheny Athletic Association
The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is today the North...
. However Thompson is best known for paying Pudge Heffelfinger $500 (UD Dollars) to play for Allegheny against their rivials, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club
Pittsburgh Athletic Club (football)
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club football team, established in 1891, was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1892 the intense competition between two Pittsburgh-area clubs, the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, led to William Heffelfinger becoming the first known...
. Thompson's historic actions went unoticed until the 1960s, when an 1892 account ledger prepared by Thompson - while he was manager of the Allegheny Athletic Association included the line: "Game performance bonus to W. Heffelfinger for playing (cash) $500." The ledger is currently on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Yale
Thompson played the position of halfbackHalfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
alongside Walter Camp at Yale from 1876 through 1878. Before this, Camp had developed the current game of football from the sport, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
. Since Thompson had worked with Camp for three years, this qualified him as the foremost gridiron authority in western Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. In 1879, Thompson became the first Yale football player to score against Harvard.
Forward pass
While at Yale, Thompson and Camp executed the first "legal" forward passForward 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...
in football history. On November 30, 1876, Yale was playing Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
. Early in the game, Camp ran for a good gain on a play, however when he was finally tackled, he threw the ball forward to Thompson, who ran for a touchdown. The Princeton players protested the play. Since the rules of football were still unclear in 1876, a coin toss was used by the referee to decide if the play stood. Yale won the toss and the touchdown stood. However according to one of Yale's "special rules" that were agreed upon before the game by both teams, the touchdown didn't count in the scoring, however the point after
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
did to give Yale a 1-0 lead. Later Thompson would also successfully threw the ball forward as he was being tackled. Princeton didn't bother to protest the play this time and Yale went onto win the game 2-0. The forward pass was then banned after that game. However, when the forward pass was legalized in 1906, Walter Camp oppossed the idea.
After his graduation from Yale, Thompson continued to play football, or at least rugby, with great success throughout the 1880s.
Allegheny
In 1890, Thompson and John MooreheadJohn Moorehead
John K. Moorehead, Jr. was an American football player for Yale. He played alongside Walter Camp, the inventor of the modern game, during the late 1870s. He was also a member, and club president, of the Allegheny Athletic Association, an amateur football club which fielded the first recognized...
returned to their home, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, and formed the Allegheny club's football team. Since both men had played the sport at Yale, alongside Walter Camp, forming team wasn't too hard. The Allegheny A. A. took up football largely to give them a recruiting edge over the established Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Many Allegheny club members had gone to eastern colleges and played football. At that time athletic clubs and associations, ranging from the best with extensive facilities to local organizations with minimum meeting rooms, were in their prime as a source of fraternal fellowship for athletes.
In 1891, a bitter rivalry developed between the two clubs. Efforts were made by local media to schedule a game between the two clubs. However O. D. Thompson, Allegheny's manager, carefully avoided a game. He feared a one-sided loss to Pittsburgh because his team lacked the time needed to practice together that the East End team already had. Allegheny dropped to a 2-2-1 record, which forced Thompson's resignation as the manager and captain of the team. However Thompson was still very much active in the team's affairs. That season, Thompson wrote in his ledger that expenses of $25 each would be paid to Sport Donnelly, Ed Malley and Heffelfinger for playing for Allegheny against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. It was also at this same game that Heffelfinger was given $500 extra to play. Accusations then arose that Allegheny had paid Heffelfinger. However they could not be proven until the discovery of Thompson's ledger, a half a century later. A week later Thompson's ledger shows that Allegheny paid Sport Donnelly $250 for playing against Washington & Jefferson
Washington & Jefferson Presidents football
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team represents Washington & Jefferson College in collegiate level football. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is affiliated with the Presidents' Athletic Conference...
. Thompson would finish the 1892 season in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, defending several Allegheny track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
players from Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
charges of professionalism.
By 1893, Allegheny was once again under the full leadership of Thompson. That season, he scheduled some of the better known athletic clubs from around the nation. During a 28-0 victory against the Cleveland Athletic Club
Cleveland Athletic Club
The Cleveland Athletic Club is a historic organization in a historic building designed by J. Milton Dyer. The club was in financial difficulaty in 2007....
that season Thompson played tackle alongside Sport Donnelly.
A year later Thompson helped the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, by setting up an unnamed player who was trying to sell that team's play signals.