ALS in pencil, signed “Pop,” two pages both sides, 8.5 x 11, October 1925. Letter to his good friend and fellow coach, Andrew Kerr. In part: “Sorry you had such tough breaks in your Carnegie game. Think you did good under the circumstances. We are not as good (I can’t believe) as our scores would indicate. Oregon’s beating of Washington is misleading as I understand the whole Washington team had a dose of ptomaine poisoning a few days before the game. Idaho held us well the first half but went to pieces the second half and our offense looked like a million for the first time this year. We didn’t use the fan pass nor our regular lateral passes in that game but did cash in on our old off tackle passes which had been going big in every game.”
Warner then sketches nine separate offensive plays, adding small explanations to each one. After one play he writes: “We use a fake fan which should go well against Pitt because their guards back out when they see a pass coming. Rear man fakes pass and dashes through center. Halves cross & block ends adds to confusion to disguise.” After the next play he writes: “Our best play against Idaho was this. A hole opened up in the center so wide that it was laughable and it worked time after time.” Before his last two sketches he writes: “We found we were not getting anywhere with our triple pass around the ends so changed them to these plays and they are working better than the old triple pass.”
In fine condition, with some scattered mild toning. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Warner’s hand.
Warner had already made the rounds as head coach at four other schools before taking over the reigns at Stanford University a year before writing this letter. Despite the legendary coach’s pronouncement that his California school was “not as good...as our scores would indicate,” the squad managed a 7–2 record that season. Given Warner’s contributions to college football, including the screen pass and spiral punt, the nine offensive plays sketched here—with running commentary—provide remarkable insight into Warner’s brilliant mind. Pre-certified Steve Grad/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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