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College Football History: The Wishbone
Youtube ^ | About a year ago | Matthew Wright

Posted on 11/09/2023 9:54:27 AM PST by wgmalabama

This is an entire series about the wishbone offense, creation, adoption and I assume it’s demise as I am still watching the series. Each is a boy 20 minutes long.

I never played sports growing up. Both my sons have state championships in a sport at different ages. Mainly because I believed athletic competition was as important as other things. I might say that was wrong now but was right at the time.

Anyway, this was a great but low volume series on the college wishbone offense and I found it informative and entertaining. I have no OCI with this video.


TOPICS: History; Outdoors; Sports
KEYWORDS: football; history; sports; wishbone
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If you were like me and always wondered about the wishbone offense and wanted to understand more (mainly history) then you might like this video series.
1 posted on 11/09/2023 9:54:27 AM PST by wgmalabama
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To: wgmalabama

I miss the Wishbone.


2 posted on 11/09/2023 9:55:01 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: wgmalabama

Back in the day when college football was different than the NFL.

Now CFB is just an NFL Farm League.


3 posted on 11/09/2023 9:55:40 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: wgmalabama

I always wondered what happened. It worked so well, and then..... it didn’t.


4 posted on 11/09/2023 10:00:54 AM PST by babble-on
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To: wgmalabama

I think there’s a lot of history in both football and baseball that smart coaches and managers will bring back because of forgotten effectiveness.


5 posted on 11/09/2023 10:01:18 AM PST by Jim W N (MAGA by restoring the Gospel of the Grace of Christ (Jude 3) and our Free Constitutional Republic!)
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To: dfwgator

The wishbone - 1940s T formation for the 1970s.


6 posted on 11/09/2023 10:01:19 AM PST by glorgau
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To: glorgau

Difference from the T-Formation is the Fullback moved up closer to the quarterback.


7 posted on 11/09/2023 10:03:39 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: babble-on

I think defenses learned to string it out to stop it push the back towards the sideline


8 posted on 11/09/2023 10:04:44 AM PST by A_Former_Democrat (Nancy's beard is larger than a pirate's . . . Covering for Pervert Paulie)
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To: babble-on

Defensive players got quicker and more athletic.

There wasn’t as much emphasis on speed back then with defensive line players. Now they can pretty much come close to running backs in running the 40-yard dash.


9 posted on 11/09/2023 10:04:58 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: babble-on

The Miami Hurricanes pretty much ended the Wishbone, they owned Oklahoma in the 80s, and that signalled the end of the Wishbone.


10 posted on 11/09/2023 10:06:11 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: wgmalabama

Pretty much a re-invented single wing.


11 posted on 11/09/2023 10:09:42 AM PST by DugwayDuke (Most pick the expert who says the things they agree with.)
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To: dfwgator

The Wishbone is an “equalizing” offense for smaller quicker teams.

Part of the Wishbone are wide gaps in the offensive line that create natural holes where a smaller lineman doesn’t have to overpower anyone as much as occupy them for a moment.

My late father and his friends(With NO children on the team), took a team in youth football for several years and thru several weight classes and taught them the Wishbone offense. By the time they topped off at 125lbs and ran the offense for 4 years they were unstoppable, went undefeated, and traveled to play teams designated as “unlimited” in weight but confined to an age. They literally ran these larger teams right off the field.

Of late it was used by the military academies(Navy, Army, Air Force) as an equalizer.


12 posted on 11/09/2023 10:10:47 AM PST by LeonardFMason
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To: LeonardFMason

It’s still widely used in High School.


13 posted on 11/09/2023 10:11:46 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: wgmalabama
College Football History: The Wishbone - Part 2
14 posted on 11/09/2023 10:13:06 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: wgmalabama
Is it the Army or Navy academies that still use the Wishbone?

I remember one did for awhile .

15 posted on 11/09/2023 10:13:58 AM PST by PROCON (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: babble-on

Also your quarterback gets pretty beat up playing the wishbone.


16 posted on 11/09/2023 10:16:57 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: glorgau

They cover that and I didn’t know about the T.


17 posted on 11/09/2023 10:21:07 AM PST by wgmalabama (Censored )
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To: Robert DeLong

I’m on part 6 now. I didn’t know if others might be interested.


18 posted on 11/09/2023 10:22:05 AM PST by wgmalabama (Censored )
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To: dfwgator
Defensive players got quicker and more athletic.

That's right. I'd say big, mobile linebackers in particular effectively ended those old-fashioned run-option offenses.

19 posted on 11/09/2023 10:23:04 AM PST by Alberta's Child (If something in government doesn’t make sense, you can be sure it makes dollars.)
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To: Robert DeLong
College Football History: The Wishbone - Part 3
20 posted on 11/09/2023 10:26:09 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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