This 1912 University of Chicago (v. Minnesota) trophy ball was one of the earliest balls from a larger collection of University of Chicago trophy footballs that came up at auction a good number of years ago. The exact number of balls in the collection appears to be 23, based on the referenced lots in the original auction catalog. Most of the balls date from the 1920s, with several as late as 1932.
All of these footballs were found together during a home inspection, in the crawlspace of a Hyde Park Chicago home, where they had lay hidden for 70 plus years.
I have nicknamed this collection, somewhat in jest, in the manner used with recently discovered and significant old collections of baseball cards that come to auction. Encapsulated cards are labelled with names like the “Black Swamp Find” or the “Lucky 7 Find”, and so on. We don’t collect baseball or any type of sports cards, so we don’t know if they are just having fun or take this somewhat seriously.
Well, “The Floorboard Hoard” seems appropriate for these balls. And now that it’s in print it is a done deal.
The 1912 team was coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg and they ended their season with a 6 -1 record.
This ball is pictured in “Antique Sports Uniforms and Equipment, 1840 – 1940, Baseball – Football – Basketball, 2008, page 91. It has an embossed Spalding seal on one of its panels and embossed patent number and date by the laces. Ex Dan Hauser collection.
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