Team member and Captain, William Orville Hickok is seen at the center of the photo. Being well known in athletic circles for his prowess and as a record holder in both shotput and hammer throw, Hickok was as well known for playing varsity football for Yale, playing guard in 1892, 1893 and 1894. A two-time football All American (1893 and 1894), Hickok was also immortalized in the 1894 Mayo Cut Plug card set. Hickok is certainly one of the more popular and better known Yale football players from the 1890s.
Hickok won his events against the British, even though a “scrap” occurred over the hammer-throwing. “At first it was decided to use a four-foot hammer in a 14 foot ring, but later the Englishmen insisted on a three-and a half foot hammer and a seven foot ring”, with the hope that it would affect the outcome of the competition, which it did not. “Nothing was done by the Englishmen that could in any way be called illegal in athletic rules, yet there was a tendency to draw the reins pretty closely on Yale, and “jockeying” seemed the prevailing English spirit.” Regardless, Hickok, a true gentleman and sportsman, had nothing but positive things to say about the contests and the hosts.
The above photo of Hickok is from our copy of “The Yale Pot Pourri”, 1894 (ex J.C. Sawyer - signed)
Besides Hickok, another member of the Athletic Team played football
at Yale as well, playing for the University Eleven in 1891, George Foster Sanford.
Sanford was better known for his coaching in the years after he left Yale (3 years at Columbia (including beating Yale), a year at Virginia, and 11 years at Rutgers). It
turns out that there is a tremendous amount of disinformation written about
Sanford and his time at Yale. Very briefly, he joined the class of ‘94S, and in
November of 1891 was playing for the Yale Football Eleven at center - coincidently, with Hinkey, McCormick and
Bliss, from the previous post. Sanford was known to put athletics before
academics which was reason for him leaving the Scientific School to join Yale’s
Law School, and in 1893 he was playing for the Law School Football Eleven. In
1894 Sanford was a member of the Athletic Team running the quarter mile and the
100 yard dash. Until just days before setting sail for England, Sanford was
doubtful to take part. The dean of the Law School had protested his racing, and
it wasn’t until passing his exams to the satisfaction of the faculty was he
allowed to compete against Oxford in the 100 and 440 yds. Sanford left Yale in
October of 1894. This photo identified on the reverse as having belonged to Sanford.
Other team members include:
E.H. Cady, Hurdles and High jump
D.B. Hatch, Hurdles and Broad Jump
A. Pond, 100 and 440 yds and Half-mile - Ashley Pond Jr. bought the land and founded the Los Alamos Ranch School, taken over in 1942 as the site of the Manhattan Project Weapons Development Laboratory (Project Y)(Oppenheimer).
W.S. Woodhull, Half-mile
J.E. Morgan, Mile and Half-mile
A. Brown, Shot and Hammer
L.P. Sheldon, Long Jump and High Jump - ran track at Andover in 1891, 1892
Full page with a cropped close up from the photo that is the subject of
this post, from the publication “The Graphic” , July 21, 1894.
