William George (American football) explained

William George
Currentposition:Center
Pastschools:Princeton (1889)
Highlights:
School:Princeton Tigers
Class:Graduate

William J. "Pop" George was an All-American football player at Princeton University. He was a four-year starter at Princeton from 1886 to 1889, during which time the 1886 and 1889 teams won national championships and compiled an overall record of 35-3-2. He was selected as the center on the first college football All-America team in 1889.[1] He played college football for Princeton until age 28, while enrolled in graduate studies, and during an era when eligibility standards were not strictly enforced.[2]

In the 1889 Princeton-Yale game, George was sustained an injury to his knee cap and "had the tendon of his ankle broken." George was taken from the game to Murray Hill Hotel in an ambulance.[3]

In 1920, he was selected to the all-time Princeton football team by Herring of the Princeton Alumni Weekly.[4]

Notes and References

  1. News: First All-America team -- no one knows for sure who started it. The Boston Globe. Tim Cohane. November 23, 1969. 75. Newspapers.com.
  2. Book: Princeton Football. Mark F. Bernstein. Arcadia Publishing. 2009. 17. 0738565849.
  3. News: Great Games of Football: The Princeton Team Defeats Yale; Twenty-Five Thousand People Witness. The Sun. 1889-11-29.
  4. Web site: Princeton's Greatest Players, 1869-1906. Princeton Tigers Football. April 8, 2022.