Red Grange's Greatest Game.

Red Grange's Greatest Game. A 1924 victory over the University of Michigan gave University of Illinois football star Red Grange his nickname, the Galloping Ghost. In that game Grange scored four touchdowns within 12 minutes of play, but some observers say his performance in a 1925 game against the University of Pennsylvania was even more brilliant. . Galloping Ghost's Greatest Games "A streak of fire, a breath of flame / Eluding all who reach and clutch / A Gray ghost thrown into the game / That rival hands may seldom touch." So wrote syndicated sports columnist Grantland Rice in 1924 after University of Illinois halfback Red Grange scored four touchdowns within 12 minutes of play against the University of Michigan. With super-hero finesse, the All-American football sensation from Pennsylvania single-handedly outscored and outran the entire opposing squad. Before facing Grange, the Michigan team had compiled an impressive 20 consecutive wins. "There will be eleven hard, clean Michigan tacklers headed for him at the same time," vowed Michigan coach Fielding Yost before the game, according to Great Moments in American Sports. But from the first kick off it was clear who was in control. Known for split-second field assessments, Grange caught the kick off at the five-yard line, paused, and then dashed to the right. Suddenly he cut back to the middle of the field, eluding a wave of Michigan defenders, and scampered 95 yards for a touchdown on the game's first play. After the kickoff, the Wolverines made no headway against Illinois's tough defensive line and were forced to punt. Illinois took over on their own 33-yard line. The ball was handed to Grange, who darted to the right end and then cut back to the left through a break between two Michigan linemen. The linemen lunged, but Grange broke away and sprinted past two more defensive backs for a 67-yard touchdown run. As one New York Times reporter wrote, "he twists like a contortionist and slides sideways like a fiddler crab." After taking the snap on Illinois's next possession, Grange cut behind the tackle and then suddenly changed directions, dodging past around the end for a 56-yard touchdown dash. When Michigan floundered again at the 44-yard line, Grange again bounded through a hole in the Wolverine line to race for a touchdown. Although it was still the first quarter, Grange racked up four touchdowns and an amazing total of 263 yards. Sportswriters were already prepared to proclaim it the greatest display of ball-carrying in football history, but Grange wasn't finished. After sitting out the remainder of the first half, he returned in the third quarter, scoring again on a 12-yard run, then by throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass. In the second half alone he carried the ball 21 times for 402 yards, and completed six passes for 64 yards. With his spectacular performance, Grange was dubbed the Galloping Ghost and put the Fighting Illini over the Wolverines, 39-14. Grange's performance against Michigan made him an instant media darling and drew the interest of many professional football scouts, but it was only a preview of what was to come. During the next season he regularly dominated collegiate football's best teams. Then, on October 31, 1925, against a brawny University of Pennsylvania team that had practiced for weeks to stop him, Grange played a game that some say surpassed his performance against Michigan. Recent rain and snow had made the Penn field thick with mud, which many people expected would hinder Grange's performance. But true to his name, the Galloping Ghost put the ball in motion on the first play. He dodged a tackle, made a beeline for the sideline and then sprinted downfield for a 56-yard score. Grange continued to dazzle the more than 65,000 fans in Philadelphia in the next period. He scored against the Quaker defenders again, this time on a 55-yard run. He registered his third touchdown shortly after halftime on a 20-yard hook-and-lateral play to right end Charlie Kassell. Playing quarterback, Grange passed to Kassell, who then pitched it back to Grange on a give-and-go. Grange flashed by the defense and darted into the end zone. Altogether, Grange gained 363 yards, of a team total 450 yards, on 36 carries, scoring three touchdowns as Illinois logged a 24-2 win. When the team returned to Champaign, 10,000 students and townspeople met Grange at the railway station with banners and fireworks. When he stepped onto the train platform, students lifted him onto their shoulders. They chanted and sang as they carried him more than two miles to campus. For hours they stood outside his fraternity house celebrating. Finally, a modest Grange came to the window to speak. "We--er--had a fine visit down East," he said, according to the New York Times. "I don't know how to thank you fellows for everything, but the team deserves the credit." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.