ll, treble voice that brought an
exclamation from the side line. "It's a shame to do it. Bland Ballard is
robbing the cradle."
Such was Alex Moffat in the fall of '79, still something of the
"Teeny-bits" that he was in early boyhood. In two years Alex's name was
on the lips of every gridiron man in the country, and in his senior
year, as captain, he performed an exploit in goal kicking that has never
been equalled.
In the game with Harvard in the fall of '83, he kicked five goals, four
being drop kicks and one from a touchdown. His drop kicks were all of
them long and two of them were made with the left foot. Alex grew in
stature and in stamina and when he was captain he was regarded as one of
the most brilliant fullbacks that the game had ever known. He never was
a heavy man, but he was swift and slippery in running, a deadly tackler,
and a kicker that had not his equal in his time.
Alex remained prominent in football activity until his death in 1914.
He served in many capacities, as member of committees, as coach, as
referee and as umpire. He was a man of happy and sunny nature who made
many friends. He loved life and made life joyous for those who were with
him. He was idolized at Princeton and his memory is treasured there now.
Wyllys Terry
One of the greatest halfbacks that ever played for Yale is Wyllys Terry,
and it is most interesting to hear this player of many years ago tell of
some of his experiences. Terry says:
"It has been asked of me who were the great players of my time. I can
only say, judging from their work, that they were all great, but if I
were compelled to particularize, I should mention the names of Tompkins,
Peters, Hull, Beck, Twombly, Richards; in fact, I would have to mention
each team year by year. To them I attribute the success of Yale's
football in my time, and for many years after that to the unfailing zeal
and devotion of Walter Camp.
"There were no trainers, coaches, or rubbers at that time. The period of
practice was almost continuous for forty-five minutes. It was the idea
in those days that by practice of this kind, staying power and ability
would be brought out. The principal points that were impressed upon the
players were for the rushers to tackle low and follow their man.
"This was to them practically a golden text. The fact that a man was
injured, unless it was a broken bone, or the customary badly sprained
ankle, did not relieve a man from playing every day.
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