Harley Lofton and football in the 1920s

Football has always been a violent game.

The American game took after the English game of rugby, in England, and began after our Civil War, in the late 1860s.

From its beginning in America, the game tended to be pretty wild. The scrums (scrimmages) were uncontrolled mayhem, the rules of the game were scant, protective equipment for the players was almost non- existent, and fans applauded violent action on the field. The forward pass was illegal. Players could lock arms in mass formations, and used their heads as battering rams.

The result was that injuries, and even deaths on the field of play were all too common. In the 1890s, football had become a game of "gruesome" injuries -- wrenched spinal cords, crushed skulls, broken ribs that pierced the heart.

In the fall, eastern newspapers published weekly columns of obituaries of the young men who had died of football injuries that week. It got so bad that in 1905 there was a serious movement for a total ban of the game.

In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States. Because of poor eyesight he had not played the game at Harvard. However, Teddy Roosevelt was a great proponent of the vigorous lifestyle, and he stepped into the controversy with his considerable clout as President of the USA.

He called together coaches and representatives of the premier football schools (mainly Ivy League Colleges) to the White House. He urged them to curb the excessive violence and set an example of fair play for the rest of the country. It was not easy, but the prestige of the Ivy League Schools, and the idea that the US government might step in was such that by 1906 the forerunner of the NCAA was born.

Rules for the game were adopted. The rush to drop football by colleges stopped, and football, while still rough, became a fairer, safer sport for the young men involved.

By the 1920s, with the emergence of professional teams with stars like Red Grange and Jim Thorpe, football was well on its way to becoming the popular fall sport it has become. However, in Midwest high schools it was still a new experience.

Schools did not have money in the budget for a football program. As a consequence, coaches were frequently not teachers, or connected with the school. For my father, who grew up in Presho, South Dakota, it was up to the boys to recruit a local banker, who had played a little college football to be their coach. That did not mean that the boys did not learn the game or have good teams. In the 20s

Winner was the big rival of Presho in South Central South Dakota. Winner had an outstanding athlete, one Frank Leahy, who made the Winner team formidable. For the four years my dad and Frank Leahy were in high school, Presho they never did beat Winner in football---though they did beat them once in basketball. Leahy went on to have a stellar football career at Notre Dame, and later, as a Notre Dame football coach, achieved lasting fame as one of Notre Dame's all-time great coaches. A similar situation -- using a coach who had no connection with the school, took place in the North Platte High School in 1921. North Platte's choice of coaches affected the outcome of the Nebraska State Football Championship that year.

Harley Lofton was a McCook farm boy who attended the boarding school of Nebraska School of Agriculture in Curtis. In 1921, Lofton played right halfback on the Aggie team. The Aggies were playing North Platte High in November of that year. The winner would go on to play for the State Championship in Lincoln. (In those days there were no Classes. All teams played for just one Championship. Cambridge High, the football power in Southwest Nebraska, coached by Clint John, a druggist, had won the state championship in 1920.)

To the end of his life Harley Lofton recalled that crucial game with North Platte, as if it had happened yesterday.

Late in the game, North Platte led the game 14-10, but the Aggies had the ball and had moved into the North Platte red zone. They thought they had won the game when the Aggie Quarterback completed a pass to Right Halfback, Lofton at the 3-yard line. Lofton caught the pass over his right shoulder. The ball was firmly cradled against Harley' shoulder pads, so he just left it there as he ran into the end zone.

He had taken about three steps in the end zone when he was tackled and the ball squirted loose and onto the ground. The referee ruled it a touchdown and the Aggies prepared to kick the extra point. Aggie fans began to celebrate their victory.

However, before the Aggies could get the kick away, Keith Neville, a North Platte Assistant Coach, ran out onto the field, for a conference with the referees. The problem, for the Aggies, was that Neville was not just any coach, but the ex-Governor of Nebraska, a man with great persuasive skills. The result of his conference with the game officials was that the officials reversed their decision, claiming that Lofton did not have possession of the ball as he crossed the goal line.

Years later, Lofton reflected on that moment, "I carried that ball 20 or 25 feet after the catch. I could still be carrying it if I hadn't got tackled -- in the end zone! I had total possession of that ball!"

Reversing that decision, meant that North Platte was entitled to go to Lincoln to play for the State Championship. In the Championship game the "Platters" met Lincoln High, and defeated the Lincoln team to win the Nebraska (All Class) State Championship for 1921.

It goes without saying that Aggie fans were disappointed. It went beyond that. They didn't leave the field. The referee, who had reversed his decision, made a mad dash for his car, but before he could drive away irate Aggie fans turned his car on its side. Fortunately, before things got really violent cooler heads (and the police) stepped in and order was restored.

Next day, the Aggie superintendent, Mr. Morris, protested the game with the Board of Control in Lincoln. Supt. Morris, Coach Thomas, and Harley Lofton went to Lincoln to attend the hearing. It turned out that there was no hearing. Instead, they got a decision -- because of the actions of the crowd, they were told that if the Aggies did not withdraw the protest, they would rule them out of all athletics for two years. There was no hearing! -- There was no recourse!

The Aggies had outgained North Platte 400 yards to less than 100. They had only punted the ball only twice the whole game. They had thoroughly outplayed the "Platters." But it was North Platte who had won the right to play for the State Championship (and win).

In 1922, Lofton was elected as Captain of the Aggie team. They had a good team that year also. But in the crucial game, against Gothenburg High, Lofton and the other Aggie halfback were both injured. The Aggies went down 14-3, ending their season.

Harley Lofton returned to the farm after graduating from the Curtis school. He farmed for a few years -- good years. When the lean times came, Lofton enrolled in McCook Junior College, with the first Class, in 1926. Later, he took a job with the Post Office, as a letter carrier -- first in McCook, where Senator Norris was on his route, and later in the Holdrege Post Office, where he served in several positions, including Rural Mail Carrier and Post Master, until retirement, in 1964. Mr. Lofton was active in many civic activities in both communities, including the McCook School Board, and his greatest activity, The Masonic Lodge, both in McCook and Holdrege, where he served in most of the offices.

Harley Lofton enjoyed his life and, in retirement, he could look back over many fine accomplishments with satisfaction.

But there was one accomplishment that didn't happen, and to the end of his days, it left Lofton with a bad taste in his mouth. It was that darn game -- that crucial game with North Platte, which kept the Aggies from winning the Nebraska State All-Class Football Championship in 1921.

Source: Holdrege Daily Citizen; When TR saved American Football-History in the Headlines