The 1935 College All-Star Game
Fans
and reporters, in anticipation of the second annual Chicago Charities
College All-Star Game, were able to observe an intra-squad game that
took place at Northwestern University’s Dyche Stadium. Members of the
All-Star team played a scrimmage game ten days prior to the scheduled
event, August 29, 1935, against the Chicago Bears who would again
represent the National Football League as the champions of the Western
Division. Players in the scrimmage game were interchanged on both teams
and no victory was awarded. Observers felt the next ten days of practice
would produce “a mighty fine team.”Frank Thomas of the University of Alabama coached the All-Stars of 1935. He had come into the game as the winning coach of that year’s Rose Bowl. Thomas became ill while in the All-Stars’ camp and was forced, for a time, to coach his team from a sick bed. Having sufficiently recovered, he came back to handle the All-Stars against George Halas’ Chicago Bears.
The
game proved to be a success before a crowd of 85,000 fans despite the
last half being played in a torrential downpour. During the first
quarter Jack Manders of the Bears scored a 27-yard field goal but the
next two quarters were scoreless for both teams. The fourth quarter,
played in a “sea of mud,” found the All-Stars needing to punt from their
own end zone. William Shepherd of Western Maryland and a spearhead of
both the offensive and defensive lines for the All-Stars, dropped back
behind the goal line to punt but fumbled the snap and was forced to
recover in the end zone, thus scoring a safety for the Bears. Despite
the 5-0 loss for the collegians, which included team member Gerald Ford
of Michigan, the New York Times stated, “Although the final score gave
the Bears the victory, no team ever showed more sheer power than the
losers without clicking on a single scoring run.”More on Bears History:
