Anyone remember Rodney Dangerfield in "Caddyshack" feigning (badly) ''My arm! It's broken!"
It was the October 18, 1932 Daily Home News that ran the seventh of a series of humorous recollections with noted official O.W. “Red” Severence. This one was about the November 22, 1919 Rutgers-Northwestern game at Harrison Park in front of 15,000 fans. Northwestern coach Charlie Bachman drilled his team on a trick play he unveiled during the game. The key man was their star halfback, “Jim” who was to carry the ball over right tackle and then pretend to be knocked out. “And as sympathetic Rutgers linesmen stood around waiting for him to revive, Northwestern was to line up hurriedly and the ball would be snapped for a wide end run without calling signals.” The referee was warned to watch for the play and an opportunity arose in the third quarter. “The quarterback barked out the series play signals and everything started perfectly, with “Jim” gaining three yards over right tackle on the first down. Northwestern lined up quickly – only to find ‘Jim’ standing in his accustomed position at left half, a wide grin on his face over the three-yard gain. The awful stillness warning him that something was amiss, ‘Jim’ suddenly remembered the second part of the play, dropped to the ground and screamed: ‘Ow-ow! I’m hurt!’ The referee blew his whistle, and the second part of the ‘sure fire’ series still remains to be played.”
It was the October 18, 1932 Daily Home News that ran the seventh of a series of humorous recollections with noted official O.W. “Red” Severence. This one was about the November 22, 1919 Rutgers-Northwestern game at Harrison Park in front of 15,000 fans. Northwestern coach Charlie Bachman drilled his team on a trick play he unveiled during the game. The key man was their star halfback, “Jim” who was to carry the ball over right tackle and then pretend to be knocked out. “And as sympathetic Rutgers linesmen stood around waiting for him to revive, Northwestern was to line up hurriedly and the ball would be snapped for a wide end run without calling signals.” The referee was warned to watch for the play and an opportunity arose in the third quarter. “The quarterback barked out the series play signals and everything started perfectly, with “Jim” gaining three yards over right tackle on the first down. Northwestern lined up quickly – only to find ‘Jim’ standing in his accustomed position at left half, a wide grin on his face over the three-yard gain. The awful stillness warning him that something was amiss, ‘Jim’ suddenly remembered the second part of the play, dropped to the ground and screamed: ‘Ow-ow! I’m hurt!’ The referee blew his whistle, and the second part of the ‘sure fire’ series still remains to be played.”
