From the Archives: Tigers nip Green 13–6, Kaz’s runs clinch win

Editor’s Note: In honor of the 150th season of Princeton Football, The Daily Princetonian will be re-publishing football articles from our archives. This article was originally published on Nov. 27, 1950, after Princeton beat Dartmouth to finish undefeated. Some polls had the Tigers as national champions — the last time Princeton could claim a national championship in football.

In almost incredibly dramatic fashion, undefeated Princeton, led by the running of Dick Kazmaier and Jack Davison, ground out a hard-fought 13–7 win over scrappy Dartmouth in Palmer Stadium today. The victory assured the Tigers of an undefeated season and the Ivy League title as Penn went down before a vastly improved Cornell team.

No game has ever been played in Palmer Stadium under conditions which could hope to equal those of this game today. The slippery ball and the gale which blew from the open end of the stadium made sustained offensives unlikely. As it turned out it was the end runs of Dick Kazmaier which brought about the win.

The first quarter was a battle against the elements for both teams. A wind blowing from the open end of the stadium made kicks carry 70 yards in one direction and nothing at all in the other. Dartmouth, winning the toss and gaining the wind in the first quarter, scored with a minute remaining in the period.

Princeton, frustrated by the wind and rain, found it impossible to get a scoring march underway. At the beginning of the game the Tigers recovered a fumble on the Dartmouth 36 but were unable to get underway.

When, the Tigers got the wind in the second quarter, Chandler began to move his ball club. A plunge by Davison netted a yard before Kaz took charge. Running wide to his left behind beautiful blocking, the Junior ace went 37 yards for the score. The ensuing try for the extra point was missed when McNeil fumbled the slippery ball.

On the next series of plays a poor Dartmouth punt rolled out on the Green 29. On the first play Kazmaier again went to his left, eluded two tacklers and dragged another five yards before going down on the four. Three plunges by Davison put the ball over. On the conversion attempt, Kaz went around left end and shot over for the point.

The third quarter saw Princeton, still moving with the wind, push Dartmouth back in the shadow of its goalposts in the opening minutes. Forced to punt from its own five, the Big Green saw the wind blow the ball back enough to give the Tigers the ball on the 14. For the rest of the period the play see-sawed back and forth with neither team gaining a distinct advantage.

The Princeton offense, fighting against the wind, completely took the play away from Dartmouth with Davison running the ball 75 percent of the time. Dartmouth was unable to cross the mid field in the final quarter.

Let’s face it. The game Saturday was not football; It was much more like Water polo played in a wind-tunnel. It was too bad that the graduating Tigers had to play their last game under conditions which made it difficult to distinguish teams and virtually impossible to tell one player from another. It was a great season for a great team. Now the players can sit back and wait until the individual plaudits are handed out by men who don't see most of their selections play all year. Most likely to receive national acclaim are Finney, Donan and Kazmaier. Their contribution has been valuable but they are all parts of a team.