The 1938 College All-Star Game
In
1937 George Marshall moved his dying franchise from Boston to Washington
D.C. and founded the Washington Redskins. With Ray Flaherty as coach
they defeated the Chicago Bears in the NFL Championship game that
December utilizing the talents of quarterback Sammy Baugh. During the
summer of 1938 they would face the College All-Stars at Soldier Field in
Chicago.
Bo McMillan of the University of Indiana coached the All-Stars in 1938.
As a player he was the architect of little Centre College’s stunning
upset victory over Harvard in 1921. Known as the “pastor” of the Praying
Colonels of Danville, Kentucky, McMillan would go on to become coach of
the Detroit Lions. But on August 31, 1938 his All-Star team would defeat
the aerial genius of the Redskins with their own passing attack.
Jim McDonald of Ohio State scored first for the All-Stars with a field
goal in the first quarter. Redskin fullback Max Krause plunged in from
the 2-yard line and Washington took the lead 7-3. In the second quarter,
Riley Smith hit a Redskin field goal to make the score 10-3. Quarterback
Cecil Isbell of Purdue University, who would become the game’s most
valuable player, completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to John Kovatch of
Northwestern in the third period but the extra point was missed leaving
the score at 10-9. Phil Dougherty of Santa Clara University then
intercepted a Redskin pass and ran it back 40 yards for another six
points but again, the extra point was missed.
In the fourth quarter Colby Davis of Indiana ran for a touchdown and
this time the extra point was blocked making the score 21-10 in favor of
the All-Stars. The Redskins’ George Karamatic scored from the 2-yard
line to
bring the Washington Redskins within five points. But, the All-Stars
weren’t through scoring and an interception and 35-yard touchdown run by
Andy Uram of the University of Minnesota sealed the victory for the
Stars.
It was the highest scoring performance of the game’s five-year history
and the collegians’ vastly superior manpower stunned onlookers. It was a
distinct surprise to the followers of professional football. Interesting
to note, Cecil Isbell overshadowed the talents of backup quarterback and
future Supreme Court Justice Byron “Whizzer” White with his 40-yard
touchdown pass during the game.
