Original photos from a collection of identified Yale photographs that all
date from 1888 – 1892. The first photo shows (L to R), Benjamin Lewis Crosby, William Walter
Heffelfinger and Stanford Newel Morison.
Crosby played for Yale in 1890 and 91. Immediately after graduation he worked at a law firm while attending law school but left in October of '92 to become the head coach of the Navy football team at Annapolis. He coached them to a 5-2-0 record, before falling ill and passing away on December 29th of that year, at the age of 24.
Heffelfinger played for Yale in 1888,
89, 90 and 91, becoming a three time All-American. (see O.D. Thompson post for more on Heffelfinger).
Morison played varsity football in 1889, 90 and 91. His brother, Samuel Benjamin Morison played for Yale in 1888.
Early, original, non- team photos with Heffelfinger are
virtually impossible to find.
The second photo shows Thomas Lee “Bum” McClung (played for Yale
in 1889 -1891), two time All-American, captain in 1891, and future Treasurer of the United States standing at the base of
the statue of Benjamin Silliman. The statue now sits in front of the Sterling Chemistry
Lab, but its location was at Henry Farnham Hall at the time of this photo.
In the third photograph, Vance Criswell McCormick,’93, is shown second from the left; played
for Yale in 91 and 92. All-American, captained the team in 1892. Later he was
to become politically active, including serving as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in the
19teens, director of Woodrow Wilson's presidential reelection campaign (1916), and
an appointment by Wilson to the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919.
