INTERCOLLEGIATE FOOTBALL RESEARCHERS ASSOCIATION ™ The College Football Historian ™ ISSN: 1526-233x Vol. 1...No. 8 Established: Jan. 2008 Tex Noel, Editor ([email protected]) http://www.secsportsfan.com/college-football-association.html (The story is adapted from spectacular end to their college “Muzzy Field: Tales From A football careers in 1936. Instead, Forgotten Ballpark” by Douglas the season ended unexpectedly S. Malan, which chronicles the in Palau’s hometown. rich history, dating back to 1912, In 1935, the Rams stood among of this field in Bristol, Conn. With the top teams in the country Yankee Stadium, it is one of the before a loss to Purdue and ties last fields still in use where both against powerful Pittsburgh and Babe Ruth and Vince Lombardi high-flying St. Mary’s (CA) played.) dropped them to eleventh in the national rankings following their The Unknown Vince 6–1–2 campaign. Lombardi The crowning achievement had been the traditional Thanksgiving By Doug Malan Day battle against New York University. The Violet fielded a Long before Vince Lombardi was strong team in 1935, but a coaching legend and football Fordham shut them down, 21–0, icon, he was a lineman at in front of 75,000 fans at Yankee Fordham—scrappy, diligent and Stadium. Palau emerged into the known to his teammates as national spotlight with a “Butch.” touchdown catch, two interceptions, impressive punt A member of the famed Seven returns, and strategic punting; Blocks of Granite, he also was for his efforts, he earned the part of a class of talented young coveted Madow Trophy as the men from New England factory game’s MVP. towns that formed some of the greatest Fordham teams under Not surprisingly, Fordham head coach Jim Crowley. boosters and national pundits expected the Rams to challenge One of his classmates, for national supremacy, and the quarterback “Handy Andy” cries of “From Rose Hill to the Palau, hailed from Bristol, Conn., Rose Bowl” rang out across the and the duo was primed for a The College Football Historian-2- Paquin and Johnny “Tarzan” Druze at the left and right end Bronx campus in the autumn of positions. 1936. They formed a formidable line In late October, the Bristol Press and on defense shut down the announced that Fordham would high-flying St. Mary’s offense in appear in a benefit game at October 1936, prompting Muzzy Field in Bristol the Crowley to gush to the New York Sunday after Thanksgiving to American that he had witnessed raise money for a local toy drive. “the greatest defensive team” he’s Palau’s connections were ever seen. instrumental. The only thing that would change those plans was if Based on that performance, Fordham was chosen to play in Fordham publicist Tim Cohane the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. borrowed a nickname he remembered from a 1930 As the season progressed, the Associated Press photo caption game in Bristol appeared and inserted it into the game jeopardized by Fordham’s program the following week success. against vaunted Pittsburgh. Thus, the timeless moniker “The Lombardi was coming off a Seven Blocks of Granite,” though disappointing junior season in not born that day, certainly was which he injured his shoulder applied for posterity to the early in the season against Fordham line and their Vanderbilt and lost his starting stonewalling capabilities. job to Ed Franco. But the 1936 campaign featured sixteen top The Rams lived up to the hype, returning letterman and fighting Pitt to a scoreless tie in immense expectations, despite a front of 57,000 at the Polo difficult schedule that included Grounds. Southern Methodist, St. Mary’s (CA), Pittsburgh, Purdue, “Their attitude was typified by a Georgia, and New York custom the guards and tackles University. had of staring straight into the opponents’ eyes during that long Franco and Al Babartsky had moment of tension after the been moved from guard positions opening kickoff when the linemen to left and right tackle in 1936 to crouched, ready to spring into make room for Lombardi at right action when the ball was guard and Nat Pierce at left snapped for the game’s first guard. The center, future Pro play,” Robert W. Wells wrote in Football Hall of Fame inductee his biography of Lombardi. Franklin “Alex” Wojciechowicz, anchored the line with Leo After the tie against Pitt, The College Football Historian-3- Fordham entertained Purdue at the Polo Grounds and disposed of “There was no talk. There was the Boilermakers, 15–0; thinking just the open-eyed and menacing a Rose Bowl berth in easy reach, stare before the two lines crashed the Rams got too cocky against together, the opponents’ flesh Georgia the next week and played and sinew meeting the Rams’ to a 7–7 outcome. Despite a 5–0– granite barrier. The Fordham 2 record, Fordham still had a stare was a psychological weapon shot at Pasadena if they could that the players were convinced beat out New York University in gave them an edge.” the mud and sleet in Yankee Stadium on Thanksgiving Day. The offense was not shabby, But as the Rams ruined a good either, with captain and fullback NYU season in 1935, so too did Frank Mautte working in the the Violet derail Fordham’s backfield with Palau, who told planned trip west in 1936. Palau, Lombardi biographer David knocked out of the game with an Maraniss that Lombardi’s ankle injury, was not on the field motivational exhortations in the at the end of the surprising 7–6 huddle often forced Palau to tell loss. him to quiet down so he could call a play. Fordham’s attack As it turned out, Palau was not centered, not surprisingly, on a the only Ram not playing at full shift-heavy scheme taken from strength that day. For several Crowley’s alma mater. weeks during the season, some players were joining semipro “As the quarterback in Crowley’s teams in New Jersey on Sundays Notre Dame box formation, Palau to earn extra money under lined up a few yards behind fictitious names. center, then shifted to the left or right before the snap, often Dick Healy, an end for Fordham, ending up behind the right told Maraniss that “several of the guard,” Maraniss wrote. “On guys were hurt in the semipro many plays, he and Lombardi game the Sunday before the NYU had the same blocking game. Ed Franco was hurt in assignment, pulling out to that game. But they covered it double-team an opposing guard up.” or tackle. Vin hit from inside, Andy the outside. Palau was 165 Palau corroborated the story to pounds, 20 less than Lombardi. Maraniss, but exonerated his Palau said Lombardi was a close friend. brilliant blocker, a determined perfectionist.” He said, “Sure, it’s true. Ahhh, jeez! It’s true. Three linemen and one back. Can’t say who. Not The College Football Historian-4- Press. “If they had advertised us as they did here in Bristol, Vinnie. That’s probably why we everything would have been lost. Yeah. Ah, Jesus. Some of satisfactory.” the players were banged up. And they were pooped and it’s a Fordham’s game against WEAC shame. A shame! I was sure was the first college-semipro pissed off when I found out about game ever played in Bristol, and it. A chance to go to the Rose the Rams arrived in town with Bowl and they screwed it up. three of the Seven Blocks of Ahhhhhh!” Granite: Paquin, Pierce, and Lombardi. Though the Rose Bowl turned down the Rams, the Orange Bowl The Bristol Press acknowledged in Miami extended an offer, “but the Brooklyn native toward the it would’ve been humiliating to bottom of its pregame story. settle for second best and Lombardi often was an Fordham turned them down,” overlooked member of the team. Wells wrote. “No. 40 Vincent Lombardi, the right guard, is Fordham’s work So instead of heading to horse–steady and deadly effective Pasadena, Fordham readied for a on close-up plays,” the paper trip north to Bristol for, reported, listing Lombardi at 5- ironically, a Sunday game foot-11, 188 pounds. against a semipro team from the West End Athletic Club of Bristol. Palau was one of his closest Actually, the first scheduled stop friends, often bringing him to his was New Bedford, parents’ home in Bristol across Massachusetts, that Saturday, the street from Muzzy Field but when the team arrived in where Palau’s mother gave him town, Paquin noticed that the food. As the two friends grew into game’s advertisements touted adulthood, Palau said in a 2004 them as the Fordham Rams interview that Lombardi visited instead of calling them the frequently, enjoying his time with Fordham Collegians as they did Palau and his parents, Helen and in Bristol. Gustav. Paquin pulled the squad from the Local Celtic club members field in New Bedford where opened their homes to the thousands of fans had come to Collegians, and undoubtedly see them play. many, if not all, of them “We had no license to use the composed the record-setting school’s name and we didn’t feel crowd of 4,300 fans at Muzzy as though we should risk the Field for the two o’clock kickoff. chance and get tossed out of school,” Paquin told the Bristol The College Football Historian-5- host club, and the thousands of fans rejoiced the return of Palau. Also suiting up for Fordham were left tackle James Lawlor, center Little did they know that the William Cronin, right tackle bulldog-tough lineman was to William Ney, right end Healy, become a football immortal.