Earl Sprackling
Encyclopedia
William Earl "Bill" Sprackling (September 6, 1890 – May 27, 1980) was an American football
quarterback. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1964. A native of Cleveland, Ohio
, Sprackling was the quarterback for the Brown University
football team in 1909, 1910, and 1911. He was selected as an All-American at the quarterback
position in 1910 and has been rated as the best college football player in the United States in 1910.
Despite his size, Sprackling was chosen by Walter Camp
for his All-America teams three times, as a third-team selection in 1909, a first-team selection in 1910, and a second-team selection in 1911. He was reportedly the unanimous choice of all the experts to pick an All-American team in 1910, including Camp (published in Collier's Weekly
), the Evening Standard
(determined by the consensus among the various Eastern football experts who picked All-American teams),
Leslie's Weekly (compiled by Edward R. Bushnell, by polling 16 Eastern experts), and W.S. Farnsworth
, (for the New York Evening Journal
).
The "ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game" reviewed the records of college football in the years before the Heisman Trophy
was awarded and selected one player each year as the deserving recipient if the Heisman had been awarded in the early years of college football. Sprackling was selected as the deserving recipient for 1910. Sprackling was also picked as the top player of 1910 in a 1913 article identifying the top football player of each year from 1902-1912. Sports Illustrated
reached the same conclusion in a 2008 article picking the players deserving of the Heisman from the game's early years: "Sprackling had a fine season, but one game won him the Heisman. Brown had not won a game over Yale until Spackling helped guide his club past the Elis in 1910."
Sprackling was recognized as the greatest football player of 1910 despite competing against Jim Thorpe
. Sprackling later recalled playing against Thorpe and the Carlisle team: "I tripped Jim Thorpe instead of tackling him. The fans gave me the booing I deserved."
Walter Camp
wrote the following about Sprackling's performance against Yale: "Rarely has a quarterback on an American college eleven come out of a big contest with so fine a record. Sprackling by his unexcelled play in every department demonstrated more clearly than ever that he is the best quarterback in the country." In 1960, Sprackling and other members of the 1910 team that beat Yale was honored at a 50th anniversary reunion of the team.
. When the hotel in Pasadena refused to allow Pollard, one of the first African Americans to play in the NFL, Sprackling demanded to see the manager. According to an account published in Sports Illustrated
: "When the clerk refused, Sprackling pounded on the desk bell and shouted, 'If there isn't a room for Fritz Pollard, none of us wants one.' The manager appeared, and Pollard got a room."
Sprackling later had a career in business and became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Anaconda Wire and Cable Company.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1964. A native of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Sprackling was the quarterback for the Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
football team in 1909, 1910, and 1911. He was selected as an All-American at the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
position in 1910 and has been rated as the best college football player in the United States in 1910.
All-American
A historic account of Sprackling refers to him as a "cocky little quarterback" who weighed only 155 pounds. Another account referred to him as "[a] heady field general, clever in the open, a deadly tackler and an expert field goal kicker." Ivy League historian George Trevor called him an "eye-dazzler in the open field, a flashy punt-handler and bulls-eye passer. In addition, he could drop-kick field goals from nearly mid-field under pressure. As a quarterback, he was a marvel at calling plays, picking out soft spots in the defense of an opponent unerringly."Despite his size, Sprackling was chosen by Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
for his All-America teams three times, as a third-team selection in 1909, a first-team selection in 1910, and a second-team selection in 1911. He was reportedly the unanimous choice of all the experts to pick an All-American team in 1910, including Camp (published in Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
), the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
(determined by the consensus among the various Eastern football experts who picked All-American teams),
Leslie's Weekly (compiled by Edward R. Bushnell, by polling 16 Eastern experts), and W.S. Farnsworth
Wilton S. Farnsworth
Wilton Simpson "Bill" Farnsworth was an American sports writer, editor, and boxing promoter. He worked for William Randolph Hearst's newspapers from 1904 to 1937. He was the sports editor of Hearst's New York Evening Journal or New York American from 1914 to 1937...
, (for the New York Evening Journal
New York Journal American
The New York Journal American was a newspaper published from 1937 to 1966. The Journal American was the product of a merger between two New York newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst: The New York American , a morning paper, and the New York Evening Journal, an afternoon paper...
).
The "ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Game" reviewed the records of college football in the years before the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
was awarded and selected one player each year as the deserving recipient if the Heisman had been awarded in the early years of college football. Sprackling was selected as the deserving recipient for 1910. Sprackling was also picked as the top player of 1910 in a 1913 article identifying the top football player of each year from 1902-1912. Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
reached the same conclusion in a 2008 article picking the players deserving of the Heisman from the game's early years: "Sprackling had a fine season, but one game won him the Heisman. Brown had not won a game over Yale until Spackling helped guide his club past the Elis in 1910."
Sprackling was recognized as the greatest football player of 1910 despite competing against Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
. Sprackling later recalled playing against Thorpe and the Carlisle team: "I tripped Jim Thorpe instead of tackling him. The fans gave me the booing I deserved."
1910 Yale game
Sprackling won his greatest acclaim for his performance in Brown's November 1910 victory over Yale. In 18 prior matches, Brown had never beaten Yale. Sprackling played a central role in the victory, kicking three field goals, completing five of six passes for 180 yards and a touchdown, carrying the ball nine times for 36 yards, and returning 13 punts for 150 yards and five kickoffs for 90 yards. Brown had 608 total yards in the Yale game, and Sprackling was responsible for 456 of them. After the game, Brown students "carried Sprack on their shoulders, hugged and patted him and then the girls started to kissing him."Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
wrote the following about Sprackling's performance against Yale: "Rarely has a quarterback on an American college eleven come out of a big contest with so fine a record. Sprackling by his unexcelled play in every department demonstrated more clearly than ever that he is the best quarterback in the country." In 1960, Sprackling and other members of the 1910 team that beat Yale was honored at a 50th anniversary reunion of the team.
Top scorer in 1911
Sprackling was also selected as the captain of the 1911 Brown Bears football team. During the 1911 season, Sprackling scored 44 points, including seven touchdowns and three field goals. This was a higher point total than any other Eastern football player in 1911. Also in 1911, Sprackling wrote an article about playing the quarterback position that was published in newspapers. Among other things, Sprackling gave advice on signal calling:"A team is guided by signals by the quarterback and he should know them by heart, frontwards, backwards and in his dreams. He should give them in a low, smooth, even tone, not in a series of short, shrill, jerky numbers. The tone should come from the diaphragm and not the chest."
College Football Hall of Fame
In 1964, Sprackling was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. His biography at the Hall of Fame notes:"Bill Sprackling was Brown University's original 'Defiant One'. A peppery field general, Sprackling frequently chided his teammates over missed assignments and teased opponents with his refusal to don helmet and pads. This, from a man with matinee-idol features and a fragile-appearing 150-pounds over a 5-9 frame."
Later years
After graduating from Brown, Sprackling worked for a time as an assistant football coach at Brown. Brown played in the 1916 Rose Bowl game with star back Fritz PollardFritz Pollard
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League . Pollard along with Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920...
. When the hotel in Pasadena refused to allow Pollard, one of the first African Americans to play in the NFL, Sprackling demanded to see the manager. According to an account published in Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
: "When the clerk refused, Sprackling pounded on the desk bell and shouted, 'If there isn't a room for Fritz Pollard, none of us wants one.' The manager appeared, and Pollard got a room."
Sprackling later had a career in business and became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Anaconda Wire and Cable Company.