Football's Last Iron Men

1934, Yale vs. Princeton, and One Stunning Upset (Bison Original)

By: Norman L. Macht

Narrated by: Jack Stoll

Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In November 1934, the Princeton football team - unbeaten in its last 15 games - faced the 3-3 Yale Bulldogs, who gave new meaning to the term underdogs. As much a thrilling play-by-play account of college football at its finest as it is a fascinating work of sports history, this book chronicles the season that brought Princeton and Yale together in a game like no other since.

Football’s Last Iron Men follows the teams from the hiring of future Hall of Fame coaches Fritz Crisler and Greasy Neale through spring practice to their annual clash on November 17. The Yale Elis, it seemed, had no chance. How those 11 players - who never left the game - stunned Princeton 7-0 is a chapter in football history. It was an era of 165-pound linemen, quarterbacks who called their own plays, and student athletes who earned no special treatment. But the story of Yale’s Iron Men is also part of a larger history, for it took place during the Great Depression, when millions of struggling Americans found hope in the courage and grit of the team who wouldn’t quit.

©2010 Norman L. Macht (P)2021 Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska

Reliving the 1934 Yale upset of Princeton

Football's Last Iron Men recalls the 1934 Yale upset of previously undefeated Princeton, fresh off a fifteen-game winning streak. In an era of athletes playing both offense and defense, as author Norman L. Macht points out, Yale (entering the game with a 3-3 record) only used eleven players. The game featured future Michigan coaching legend Fritz Crisler, who coached Princeton. Greasy Neale was an assistant coach for the rival Yale Bulldogs. Neale would go on to winning two NFL championships with the Philadelphia Eagles. Macht details the build up to the legendary game, and takes the listener to the thrilling conclusion of Yale's 7-0 upset.