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THE HOW BOYS SHOWED 'EM HOW
by John Reid
KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News - Palo Alto Daily News
October 6, 2006 Friday
The representative from the Pacific Coast Conference in the 1952 Rose
Bowl was an unlikely one. The 1951 Stanford football team had no
great expectations before the season started. Even its head coach,
Chuck Taylor, thought the then Indians were a middle-of-the pack
group and didn't make any pretenses about it. But the "How Boys"
showed 'em how, winning nine games in a row before losing the Big
Game to Cal 20-7 in front of 96,000. The loss was moot, for the Rose
Bowl berth had been already locked up by Stanford with an exciting
27-20 defeat of USC and its star, Frank Gifford, in a battle of two
unbeaten teams at the Coliseum.
Stanford led Illinois 7-6 after one half in the Rose Bowl, but was
snowed under in the second half, losing 40-7.
Seven of the members of the '51 squad gathered at the Palo Alto home
of Dick Horn on Wednesday to talk about that magical season some 55
years ago. The fact the team ended the year 9-2 with an appearance
in the Rose Bowl was startling, mainly because Taylor was upfront
with his players about the team's chances.
"Chuck said we had about the fifth best team in the conference,"
defensive tackle Al Kirkland said.
Taylor, an All-American guard on the Stanford team that beat Nebraska
in the '41 Rose Bowl, wasn't a fiery, Knute Rockne-type orator.
"Chuck Taylor wasn't the fight-talk type," Kirkland said. "During the
practices or the games, neither he or any of the coaches yelled at us."
"What I liked about Chuck is that before every game, he said he
thought we could win," defensive end Jack Rye said. "Even though the
other team might be favored."
Taylor had a low-key, lighthearted way of relaxing his players
before the game. Kirkland related a story of when Stanford played in
Washington's homecoming game.
"Washington invited us to their homecoming and got dates for us for
after the game," Kirkland said. "After we warmed up we went back into
the dressing room."
That's when Taylor turned to assistant coach Pete Kmetovic.
"Pete, do all the guys have dates for the party tonight?" Taylor asked.
"I think they do," Kmetovic replied.
"Let's go out and play," Taylor said.
Stanford beat a Hugh McElhenny-led Washington team 14-7. At the end
of the season, Taylor was named national Coach of the Year.
The players back then were much lighter than today's standards.
Defensive guard Jesse Cone, perhaps the strongest player on the team,
was 175 pounds. Defensive guard Cappy Cook, at 185 pounds, was regarded
as one of the toughest players on the team. Offensive center Rod
Garner, at 190 pounds, was a top-flight heavyweight boxer. Garner
broke an inmate's arm while fighting in an exhibition bout at San
Quentin Prison.
The team had star power with All-American receiver Bill McColl, fourth
in the Heisman Trophy voting that season. Running back Bob Mathias
was an Olympic decathlon champ in '48 and '52. It was Mathias' 96-yard
kickoff return for a TD that tied the game at USC 20-20. Quarterback
Gary Kerkorian was an All-American that season, his injury in the
third quarter of the Rose Bowl playing a part in that second-half
collapse. Horn, a safety, was named to the 100-year all-time Stanford
team along with McColl. Reserve quarterback Bobby Garrett, who replaced
the injured Kerkorian, and receiver Sam Morley, became All-Americans
in 1953. Garrett and Morley were a pass combination at South Pasadena
High. Linebacker Chuck Essegian made his mark as a baseball slugger,
but was also a hard-nosed LB.
It was a team in every sense of the word, with players giving up their
body for the good of the cause. Defensive end Ron Eadie described a
play Rye made in the USC game.
"Rye was a powerful guy," Eadie said. "Two guards pulled out and
tried to knock him down. A fullback came in and tried to knock him
down. Rye then tackled the halfback with the ball."
Reserve safety Frank "Skip" Crist was one of the heroes in the USC
game with a long interception return to set up the winning touchdown.
"Skip was sent in and told to look out for a little pass," Kirkland
said. "He intercepted it and was going in for a touchdown. Rye and
I knocked out the last guy on the outside. But Skip cut back inside
and they darn near killed him in there."
After Crist's interception, Stanford was inside the 20-yard line.
Kerkorian called three plays with Harry Hugasian running the ball
between powerful guard Norm Manoogian and tackle Jim Vick.
Manoogian was one of four Armenians starting on the team. Kerkorian,
Essegian and Hugasian were the other three. Manoogian related a
story about Kerkorian's search for extra tickets for the USC game.
Kerkorian, from Southern California, had a lot of relatives living
in the area.
"Gary went up to athletic director Al Masters and asked for extra
tickets," said Manoogian, who went on to coach football at Foothill
College for 20 years. "Al asked, 'How many do you need?' Gary said,
'I only need 180.'"
"We went to an Armenian party at the Biltmore Hotel after the game,"
Manoogian said. "I wanted to have Cone meet my parents. We introduced
him as 'Jesse Coninian.'"
Players on the Stanford team were affectionately given Armenian names,
such as "Mathiasian" or "Kirklandian."
Mathias died recently at the age of 75. Other starters have gone on
to greater glory, including defensive tackle Bob Lathem, Kerkorian
and Garner.
"We had no cliques," Manoogian said. "But we all had one common goal.
The coaches made us believe in them."
There was the Stanford "Vow Boys" of 1933-35, the "Wow Boys" of 1940
and Taylor's "How Boys" of '51.
"We played over our heads throughout the season," Morley said.
"That's why they called us the 'How Boys.' Some sportswriter wrote,
'I don't know how they're doing it.'"
"We overachieved," linebacker Ted Tanner said.
And how, boys.
by John Reid
KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News - Palo Alto Daily News
October 6, 2006 Friday
The representative from the Pacific Coast Conference in the 1952 Rose
Bowl was an unlikely one. The 1951 Stanford football team had no
great expectations before the season started. Even its head coach,
Chuck Taylor, thought the then Indians were a middle-of-the pack
group and didn't make any pretenses about it. But the "How Boys"
showed 'em how, winning nine games in a row before losing the Big
Game to Cal 20-7 in front of 96,000. The loss was moot, for the Rose
Bowl berth had been already locked up by Stanford with an exciting
27-20 defeat of USC and its star, Frank Gifford, in a battle of two
unbeaten teams at the Coliseum.
Stanford led Illinois 7-6 after one half in the Rose Bowl, but was
snowed under in the second half, losing 40-7.
Seven of the members of the '51 squad gathered at the Palo Alto home
of Dick Horn on Wednesday to talk about that magical season some 55
years ago. The fact the team ended the year 9-2 with an appearance
in the Rose Bowl was startling, mainly because Taylor was upfront
with his players about the team's chances.
"Chuck said we had about the fifth best team in the conference,"
defensive tackle Al Kirkland said.
Taylor, an All-American guard on the Stanford team that beat Nebraska
in the '41 Rose Bowl, wasn't a fiery, Knute Rockne-type orator.
"Chuck Taylor wasn't the fight-talk type," Kirkland said. "During the
practices or the games, neither he or any of the coaches yelled at us."
"What I liked about Chuck is that before every game, he said he
thought we could win," defensive end Jack Rye said. "Even though the
other team might be favored."
Taylor had a low-key, lighthearted way of relaxing his players
before the game. Kirkland related a story of when Stanford played in
Washington's homecoming game.
"Washington invited us to their homecoming and got dates for us for
after the game," Kirkland said. "After we warmed up we went back into
the dressing room."
That's when Taylor turned to assistant coach Pete Kmetovic.
"Pete, do all the guys have dates for the party tonight?" Taylor asked.
"I think they do," Kmetovic replied.
"Let's go out and play," Taylor said.
Stanford beat a Hugh McElhenny-led Washington team 14-7. At the end
of the season, Taylor was named national Coach of the Year.
The players back then were much lighter than today's standards.
Defensive guard Jesse Cone, perhaps the strongest player on the team,
was 175 pounds. Defensive guard Cappy Cook, at 185 pounds, was regarded
as one of the toughest players on the team. Offensive center Rod
Garner, at 190 pounds, was a top-flight heavyweight boxer. Garner
broke an inmate's arm while fighting in an exhibition bout at San
Quentin Prison.
The team had star power with All-American receiver Bill McColl, fourth
in the Heisman Trophy voting that season. Running back Bob Mathias
was an Olympic decathlon champ in '48 and '52. It was Mathias' 96-yard
kickoff return for a TD that tied the game at USC 20-20. Quarterback
Gary Kerkorian was an All-American that season, his injury in the
third quarter of the Rose Bowl playing a part in that second-half
collapse. Horn, a safety, was named to the 100-year all-time Stanford
team along with McColl. Reserve quarterback Bobby Garrett, who replaced
the injured Kerkorian, and receiver Sam Morley, became All-Americans
in 1953. Garrett and Morley were a pass combination at South Pasadena
High. Linebacker Chuck Essegian made his mark as a baseball slugger,
but was also a hard-nosed LB.
It was a team in every sense of the word, with players giving up their
body for the good of the cause. Defensive end Ron Eadie described a
play Rye made in the USC game.
"Rye was a powerful guy," Eadie said. "Two guards pulled out and
tried to knock him down. A fullback came in and tried to knock him
down. Rye then tackled the halfback with the ball."
Reserve safety Frank "Skip" Crist was one of the heroes in the USC
game with a long interception return to set up the winning touchdown.
"Skip was sent in and told to look out for a little pass," Kirkland
said. "He intercepted it and was going in for a touchdown. Rye and
I knocked out the last guy on the outside. But Skip cut back inside
and they darn near killed him in there."
After Crist's interception, Stanford was inside the 20-yard line.
Kerkorian called three plays with Harry Hugasian running the ball
between powerful guard Norm Manoogian and tackle Jim Vick.
Manoogian was one of four Armenians starting on the team. Kerkorian,
Essegian and Hugasian were the other three. Manoogian related a
story about Kerkorian's search for extra tickets for the USC game.
Kerkorian, from Southern California, had a lot of relatives living
in the area.
"Gary went up to athletic director Al Masters and asked for extra
tickets," said Manoogian, who went on to coach football at Foothill
College for 20 years. "Al asked, 'How many do you need?' Gary said,
'I only need 180.'"
"We went to an Armenian party at the Biltmore Hotel after the game,"
Manoogian said. "I wanted to have Cone meet my parents. We introduced
him as 'Jesse Coninian.'"
Players on the Stanford team were affectionately given Armenian names,
such as "Mathiasian" or "Kirklandian."
Mathias died recently at the age of 75. Other starters have gone on
to greater glory, including defensive tackle Bob Lathem, Kerkorian
and Garner.
"We had no cliques," Manoogian said. "But we all had one common goal.
The coaches made us believe in them."
There was the Stanford "Vow Boys" of 1933-35, the "Wow Boys" of 1940
and Taylor's "How Boys" of '51.
"We played over our heads throughout the season," Morley said.
"That's why they called us the 'How Boys.' Some sportswriter wrote,
'I don't know how they're doing it.'"
"We overachieved," linebacker Ted Tanner said.
And how, boys.