Factoid Feast XV
As discussed in Factoid Feasts I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, and XIV, my searches through football history sometimes lead to topics too important to ignore but too minor to Tidbit. Such nuggets are factoids, three of which are shared today.
The Fredericksburg Donkey
It was not uncommon for football teams of the past to include their mascots in team pictures. Small children, dogs, goats, and other domesticated animals often appear. While having a donkey as the mascot was not unusual, having that donkey lie under a tree surrounded by the 1907 Fredericksburg High School team from Ohio is one of the more unusual team/mascot poses I have seen.
Most important, an image of a donkey posed with a team from Ohio presents the opportunity for the worst possible Dad joke. See if you can predict my nickname for the donkey, which you can find at the end of this Tidbit. Feel free to suggest your own nickname in the comments.
Ain't That A Kick In The Head
Regular readers will recall that Cornell was among the nation's leaders in investigating helmet safety, working with McGregor Goldsmith and the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory to develop Absorblo, using it as an external helmet pad to cushion blows to the head. You might think they would have been more careful about head injuries than other teams in the 1950s, but that appears not to be the case.
For decades, Penn and Cornell ended their seasons by playing one another on Thanksgiving. That was the case in 1955 when Cornell visited Penn's Franklin Field. During pre-game warmups, Cornell's All-Ivy end, Stan Intihar, collided with a team manager, John Pagnucco, resulting in both being knocked unconscious.
Others carried the player and manager to the team dressing room where they came to. Despite being knocked out pre-game, Intihar entered the game with one minute left in the first quarter. The news reports noted that the pre-game incident did not seem to affect Intihar, as evidenced by his blocking and recovering a punt at Penn's 25-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, helping Cornell to a 39-7 victory.
Green Bay drafted Intihar in the 18th round of the 1956 NFL draft, one round after Bart Starr, but he does not appear to have reported to camp.
Missing Illustration
Yesterday's story concerned the history of teams joining the Big Ten, including a few that applied for membership and three that left the conference, although two of those later rejoined.
As I was preparing the story, I recalled having an illustration showing pennants or banners for multiple teams that were members in the 1890s, but I could not locate it at the time. While searching for a third factoid to include in this post, I found the illustration I was missing yesterday, so I popped it in here to complete the three-course meal that is a Factoid Feast.
The illustration is from an 1899 issue of the Chicago Tribune. It shows rooters for Chicago, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois in the stands, representing four of the seven original Big Ten members.
Dad Joke Warning
Q. What is the nickname for a donkey serving as the mascot for a football team from Ohio?
A. Joe Burro
Click Support Football Archaeology for options to support this site beyond a free subscription.
Dad joke response...."speechless". Lol