Carlisle Trick Duped Harvard

Crimson fans who watched their team go down to defeat today at least had the satisfaction of feeling that no undue trickery was involved.

But back in the fall of 1903, a Harvard team was nearly upset by a hoax that has since become legendary--the hidden ball trick of the Carlisle Indians.

At the beginning of the second half, Harvard kicked off to Carlisle. The ball was caught on the Indians' seven yard line by Johnson, their quarterback, but instead of making interference, the Indians grouped around Johnson as if to make a "flying wedge" formation. With this huddle of bodies as a shield, the ball was shoved inside halfback Dillon's jersey.

As soon as the ball was securely lodged, the whole Carlisle team fanned out in a long line across the field and scampered toward the Harvard goal line with arms outspread and palms up.

Posing as an interferer, Dillon ran through the entire Harvard team.

Afterward, in defending Carlisle against charges of chicanery, Coach Pop Warner said, "The public expects the Indian to employ trickery and we try to oblige."