Today's Tidbit... Key Formations of 1957
The Libby Owens Ford Glass Company distributed a booklet previewing the nine college football games televised on NBC during the 1957 season. The booklet included several other tidbits, including a page describing the year's primary offensive and defensive formations.
The offensive formations included the T, Split T, T with Flankers, and the Single Wing. Three of the four had three running backs in the backfield.
The key defensive formations included the 6-2-2-1, 6-1-4, 5-2-4, and 5-4-2. The four-defensive back "Umbrella" defense was relatively new, as was the term for the outermost players in the Umbrella, the "cornerbacks."
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