Terminology... Shovel Pass

This is article #13 in a series covering the origins of football’s terminology. All are available under the Terminology tab above. My book, Hut! Hut! Hike! describes the emergence of more than 400 football terms.

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As described in an earlier story about the origins of the quarterback sneak, some football legends really are legends. They are make-believe, balderdash, or worse, purposely inserted into the conversation to mislead.

The shovel pass stands on the podium of football terms with the murkiest beginnings. Its birth traces to an imaginary player, a real player several years after its actual origin, and a real coach several decades postpartum. 

The imaginary player was one Walter “Bug” Bujkowski, who was said to have thrown an improvised shovel pass for the NFL’s Duluth Eskimos in 1927. Unfortunately for Bug, his name does not appear on the Eskimos’ 1927 team roster or other period or current football sources. Instead, his name appears only on two blog sites that attempt to credit him with his purported feat.

The next incorrect claim goes to Western Maryland’s Stoney Willis. Willis tossed a pair of underhanded, behind-the-line-of-scrimmage passes to teammate Jimmy Dunn, who took them 30 and 39 yards for touchdowns to help Western Maryland tie Boston College 20-20 in 1932. Utah coach “Cactus” Jack Curtice also receives credit for pioneering the shovel pass in the 1950s.