The 1946 College All-Star Game
It
was billed as a “million dollar game” due to the amount of money brought
in to the Chicago area and the fans did come in record numbers. The 1946
game was played on August 23 and area newspapers reported that fully
one-fourth of the stadium was filled with people from outside of the
metropolitan area. The attendance broke the previous year’s record
number with 97,380 fans and the seating overflowed at the lakefront
stadium at Soldier Field. The main attractions came in the form of
All-Star Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, a former player for the University
of Wisconsin and the Los Angeles Rams’ Bob Waterfield.
Indiana’s head coach, Bo McMillan, engineered the fourth victory for the
All-Stars. He had done so once before in 1938, when the All-Stars
defeated the Washington Redskins. McMillan’s two wins were an
unprecedented achievement for either a college or pro coach in the
series’ history. He had less than three weeks to put together a team
and, due to wartime conscriptions, allowances were made regarding the
eligibility of some players since they had never played pro ball.
Fullback Pat Harder played for a second time as an All-Star as did
halfback Otto Graham.
The
ceremonies at halftime proved entertaining as well with the University
of Georgia’s Charlie Trippi being awarded The Tribune Trophy for 1945 by
Bernie Bierman, coach of the 1945 team and the University of Minnesota.
The trophy is the emblem of honor given for being voted the game’s Most
Valuable Player. Also awarded recognition was the National Football
League’s Most Valuable Player, Bob Waterfield. Waterfield was unable to
accept his Joe F. Carr Memorial trophy as he was meeting with his team
at halftime. Therefore, his wife, movie actress Jane Russell, accepted
on his behalf. Bert Bell, National Football League commissioner,
presented the award.
As the first quarter got underway it looked as if the professionals
would have the upper hand. The Stars fumbled three times and lost the
ball twice with two of the errors being committed by Elroy Hirsch. But,
Hirsch lived up to his billing as “Crazy Legs” when he went around the
left end for 68 yards and completed the longest touchdown run from
scrimmage in the game’s history. Pat Harder kicked the extra point. The
second quarter was scoreless but in the third period, on their own
38-yard line, All-Star Otto Graham of Northwestern passed to Hirsch who
scored on the 62-yard play. The Rams fared no better in the fourth
period when Kenny Washington was tackled by Yale’s Paul Walker behind
the goal line for a safety.
Despite six fumbles by the All-Stars in the game, the Rams were shut out
and the contest ended 16-0. “Many college and high school coaches
brought key players to the game, realizing that here was an unexcelled
laboratory of football, with a grand opportunity of studying the
technique of the individual stars,” reported the Chicago Daily Tribune.