Pudge Wyman
Encyclopedia
Arnold Douglas "Pudge" Wyman (August 20, 1895 – March 4, 1961) was an American football
player. He was an All-American fullback
for the University of Minnesota
from 1915-1916 and halfback
for the Rock Island Independents
in the first season of the National Football League
in 1920. He is credited with several NFL firsts, including the first touchdown
, first kickoff return for a touchdown and first pass
ing touchdown.
in 1895 and graduated from Johnson High School in St. Paul, Minnesota.
where he played in the backfield of the legendary Golden Gophers football teams of 1915 and 1916 coached by Dr. Henry L. Williams
. Wyman was 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) tall, weighed 172 pounds (78 kg), and was one of best passers
in the game. From 1915-1916, Wyman and Minnesota end Bert Baston
were "one of the greatest forward-passing combinations in the history of the gridiron." In Baston's biography at the College Football Hall of Fame
, the 1915 and 1916 Minnesota teams were described as follows:
During the 1916 football season, Wyman was laid up for several days with "lumbago." Despite the illness, Wyman was selected in 1916 as a first-team All-American fullback by Walter Eckersall
of the Chicago Tribune
and a second-team All-American by the United Press and University of Michigan
Coach Fielding H. Yost.
, Wyman was inducted into the U.S. Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesota
. Wyman received his commission as a lieutenant and was sent overseas as an artillery officer in August 1917. He was assigned to the Fifth field artillery, where he remained throughout the war. He was promoted to the rank of captain shortly before the signing of the Armistice
in November 1918. After being discharged, Wyman returned to Minneapolis in May 1919.
team under head coach Henry L. Williams.
, Wyman played professional football for the Rock Island Independents
in the first year of the American Professional Football Association, which changed its name in 1922 to the National Football League
. On October 3, 1920, the first Sunday in league history, Wyman scored three touchdowns (two on blocked punts and another on an 86-yard kickoff return) in a 45-0 victory over the Muncie Flyers
. Wyman is credited with the first touchdowns on a blocked punt and the first kickoff return for a touchdown in league history. Because records are not available specifying the time of scoring in other games, the first touchdown ever in the NFL was scored either by Wyman or by Lou Partlow
in a game for the Dayton Triangles
. On October 10, 1920, the second week of the first NFL season, Wyman is credited with throwing the first touchdown pass in league history—a 35-yard completion to Waddy Kuehl against Hammond. Wyman also had five interceptions in 1920 for Rock Island. Wyman played in six games for Rock Island in 1920 before retiring from football.
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. He was an All-American fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
for the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
from 1915-1916 and halfback
Halfback (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...
for the Rock Island Independents
Rock Island Independents
The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team based in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. They joined the...
in the first season of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
in 1920. He is credited with several NFL firsts, including the first touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
, first kickoff return for a touchdown and first 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...
ing touchdown.
Early years
Wyman was born in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
in 1895 and graduated from Johnson High School in St. Paul, Minnesota.
University of Minnesota
Wyman enrolled at the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
where he played in the backfield of the legendary Golden Gophers football teams of 1915 and 1916 coached by Dr. Henry L. Williams
Henry L. Williams
Dr. Henry Lane Williams was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1891 and the University of Minnesota from 1900 to 1921, compiling a career college football record of 141–34–12...
. Wyman was 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) tall, weighed 172 pounds (78 kg), and was one of best passers
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...
in the game. From 1915-1916, Wyman and Minnesota end Bert Baston
Bert Baston
Bert Baston was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954....
were "one of the greatest forward-passing combinations in the history of the gridiron." In Baston's biography at the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, the 1915 and 1916 Minnesota teams were described as follows:
"Bert Baston was the receiver on a heralded Gopher passing partnership, hauling down the throws of Arnold 'Pudge' Wyman. The two paced Minnesota through the air, while Bernie BiermanBernie BiermanBernard W. "Bernie" Bierman was an American football player and coach. He coached from 1919 to 1950 except for a span during World War II when he served in the U.S. armed forces...
carried the ground attack as Minnesota compiled a record of 12 victories, a loss and a tie through the 1915 and 1916 campaigns."
During the 1916 football season, Wyman was laid up for several days with "lumbago." Despite the illness, Wyman was selected in 1916 as a first-team All-American fullback by Walter Eckersall
Walter Eckersall
Walter "Eckie" Eckersall was an American football player, official, and sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.-Early life:...
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and a second-team All-American by the United Press and University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Coach Fielding H. Yost.
World War I
In the spring of 1917, with the United States' entry into World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Wyman was inducted into the U.S. Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Fort Snelling, originally known as Fort Saint Anthony, was a military fortification located at the confluence of the Minnesota River and Mississippi River in Hennepin County, Minnesota...
. Wyman received his commission as a lieutenant and was sent overseas as an artillery officer in August 1917. He was assigned to the Fifth field artillery, where he remained throughout the war. He was promoted to the rank of captain shortly before the signing of the Armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
in November 1918. After being discharged, Wyman returned to Minneapolis in May 1919.
Football coach
In the fall of 1919, Wyman served as an assistant coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers footballMinnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
team under head coach Henry L. Williams.
Professional football
In the 1920 NFL season1920 NFL season
The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural regular season of the National Football League which was called the American Professional Football Association in 1920 and 1921...
, Wyman played professional football for the Rock Island Independents
Rock Island Independents
The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team based in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. They joined the...
in the first year of the American Professional Football Association, which changed its name in 1922 to the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. On October 3, 1920, the first Sunday in league history, Wyman scored three touchdowns (two on blocked punts and another on an 86-yard kickoff return) in a 45-0 victory over the Muncie Flyers
Muncie Flyers
The Muncie Flyers from Muncie, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920-1921.-Origins:...
. Wyman is credited with the first touchdowns on a blocked punt and the first kickoff return for a touchdown in league history. Because records are not available specifying the time of scoring in other games, the first touchdown ever in the NFL was scored either by Wyman or by Lou Partlow
Lou Partlow
Louis Jerald Partlow was a running back who played ten seasons with the Dayton Triangles in the National Football League....
in a game for the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
. On October 10, 1920, the second week of the first NFL season, Wyman is credited with throwing the first touchdown pass in league history—a 35-yard completion to Waddy Kuehl against Hammond. Wyman also had five interceptions in 1920 for Rock Island. Wyman played in six games for Rock Island in 1920 before retiring from football.