Frank Leahy
Boston College, 1939-1940
Notre Dame, 1941-1943
Notre Dame, 1946-1953
To a room in the Palmer House George Halas
Brought Bulldog Turner, Sid Luckman and me
For me to teach the t-formation to them.
We pushed the bed aside and George Halas
Sang Sid Luckman’s praises, the Jew who threw
The shit out of the ball and ran with it also.
Sid Luckman practiced reverse pivots, handoffs,
Pitch-outs, bootleg plays, and he threw a little
Buttonhook pass to George Halas across the room.
There was a knock on the door and Ed Sprinkle
Appeared, a defensive end of about 210 pounds.
Solly Sherman was with him, another Jew.
Bulldog Turner, the always-smiling Texas boy
Who played center, had discovered fellow
Hardin-Simmons alum Ed Sprinkle for the Bears.
Bulldog Turner observed that the Bears now
Had two Jew quarterbacks. Solly Sherman had
Also played the position at the University of Chicago.
Before long a bottle of bourbon came out.
Ed Sprinkle said, ‘We call George Connor Moose
‘But a less likely Moose there ain’t never been.’
‘Moose weighed only three pounds at birth
‘So his mother, a nurse, fed Moose every hour
‘With an eye dropper for his whole first year.’
George Halas chimed in. He said, ‘Well, it’s 1947
Now and Moose could play every damn position
On the team, which is why we call him Moose.’
Sid Luckman became thoughtful and said
After his playing days he was going to join
A cellophane company called Cel-U-Craft.
Solly Sherman nodded wisely and predicted
A big future in the postwar era for companies
In the packaging industry, like Cel-U-Craft.
Bulldog Turner and Ed Sprinkle predicted that
They would go into coaching. George Halas
Stated that he would die on a football field.
It then occurred to me that I could write a book
About the t-formation. I could and I should and
I would, and I did, when I retired from Notre Dame.
Ed Sprinkle