Today's Tidbit... The Most Famous Player You've Never Heard Of

NYU’s Ed Smith striking a punting pose (1934 NYU yearbook)

New York University calls Manhattan's Greenwich Village home, and when they played big-time football back in 1935, they never left New York City. The Violets played and won six of the first seven games on their home field at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, with another victory over Rutgers at the Bronx's Ohio Field. NYU typically had 10,000 to 20,000 fan pass through the turnstiles for their games, but the season-ender versus Fordham at Yankee Stadium on Thanksgiving Day drew 72,000.

Despite having Rose Bowl hopes, NYU entered the game as underdogs to the 5-1-2 Fordham Rams, who had played a tougher schedule, including a loss to Purdue and ties with Pitt and St. Mary's. The Violets were led by second-year coach Mal Stevens, a former Yale player who, after graduating in 1925, assisted the Yalies before becoming the head coach, all while attending its medical school. He continued coaching while practicing orthopedic medicine and moved to NYU for the 1934 season. Smith liked to throw the ball. Entering the Fordham game, the Violets had completed 61 of 102 for 900 yards, which was high-volume pea tossing for the time. Their top tosser was Ed Smith, who had thrown for 466 yards and completed 14 of 15 passes in one game.