Looking for an OLD football poem

Subject: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: GUEST,The Og
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 11:15 AM

MANY years ago (late 40s/early 50s) I read a football poem (could easily be provided a melody) that has nearly escaped my memory. Some of the terms are no longer in general use and at least a line is missing, but can you help me? I went something like this...

Oh, the ends they slash and the tackles smash,
And the guards they submarine,
The halfbacks flash and the fullbacks crash,
And the center stoops between.
But, lo, the wily quarterback,
???
He simply gives the ball away,
And keeps his jersey clean.

Thanks for your help!

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: GUEST,#
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 12:24 PM

The following gem was used as an
introduction in a letter to the Football Writers o f America.
"Ballad of the T Formation. "
( To the tune of "McNamara's
Band." )
"Ah , the ends they crash and the
tackles smash and the guards they
submarine,
"Th e halfbacks lunge, the fullbacks
plunge, the center stoops between,
"But, lo, the cerebral quarterback,
standing all serene,
"He merely gives the ball away and
keeps his jersey clean."
—Football News.
***********************************

I'm all buggered up here. Sorry about the mess but I want to make sure I don't lose this. It is from The Technique, Atlanta, Georgia, p.11, but because it's some sort of pdf(?) file I can't link to it.

Guest, The Og: You have one helluva memory.

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: GUEST,#
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 12:35 PM

OK. Every site I've searched that also has the poem only has the four lines. It is not credited to anyone in particular (or in general for that matter).

"Ballad of the T Formation"

Ah , the ends they crash and the tackles smash and the guards they
submarine,
The halfbacks lunge, the fullbacks plunge, the center stoops between,
But, lo, the cerebral quarterback, standing all serene,
He merely gives the ball away and keeps his jersey clean.

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: GUEST,The Og
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 12:58 PM

Thank you, #...!

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: GUEST,#
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 03:04 PM

Something I neglected to mention. The newspapers I found that in are from 1950.

You're very welcome.

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: The Og
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 06:47 PM

Ballad of the T Formation
tune = “McNamera’s Band” based on an item from a 27 October 1950 issue of The Technique (Georgia Tech’s newsletter), Atlanta, GA …p. 11

          1
When I was just a little lad, the mem’ries, all come back,
4                      1               2                         5
I dreaded being dirty, all encased in grimy black.
      1
My parents tried to teach me, that if I had the knack, I’d
4                      1                                     5         1
Learn the T formation, and become a quarterback.


    Oh, the ends they slash and the tackles smash,
       And the guards they submarine,
    The halfbacks lunge, the fullbacks plunge,
       The center stoops between.
    But, lo, the wily quarterback,
       Standing all serene,
    He merely gives the ball away,
       And keeps his jersey clean.

Now ev’rybody on the defense, wants a piece of me,
I’m the guy that rules the game, on this we all agree.
All the other players, both all pro and wannabe,
Want me sacked or on my back or wrapped in victory.

My thanks also to Guest .# who led me to an original source

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: GUEST,#
Date: 17 Aug 21 - 07:07 PM

Fantastic. :-)

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: cnd
Date: 18 Aug 21 - 07:42 AM

Good searching.

The reason the song cropped up in 1950 was because Bob Busby, president of the Midwest chapter of the Football Writers Association, sang it to start their meeting. One paper I found mentioned the meeting was held in Kansas City on August 13th, but that seems impossible as the paper was printed on July 26th, 1950 -- unless of course they mean it was the 1949 meeting. I'd assume they meant July 13th? Either way, it was said to "not original with Bob, either" (The Odessa (Tex.) American, July 26th, 1950, p. 7)

The closest I've come to finding the author is a funny epithet that the poem was often printed with: some variation of "'Tis reported that the above message was found on a dying Rutgers halfback." (The Nashville Banner, September 1st, 1950, p. 36)

Also worth noting for searching is that several sources replace "the wily quarterback" with "the cerebral quarterback," however I did find examples of both.

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: Mrrzy
Date: 18 Aug 21 - 08:47 PM

I love this place.

Subject: RE: Looking for an OLD football poem
From: cnd
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 08:40 PM

I randomly thought of this poem the other day, and have found two older references. The first stanza was printed more or less verbatim as above in Madison's Wisconsin State Journal, of October 13th, 1949 (p. 19). And John E. Spalding's A century of sports in Santa Clara County, 1900-1999, p. 52 credits it to the San Francisco Chronicle's Dick Friendlich. I can't access the whole article (see a snippet here) but his run of it is the earliest I've found, printed in the September 6th, 1949 edition.