American football (demonstration) at the Games of the X Olympiad
Venue	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Dates	August 8, 1932

American football was ademonstration sport at the1932 Summer Olympics inLos Angeles. On the evening of August 8, 1932, seniors from three Western universities (Cal,Stanford, andUSC) were matched against those from the East Coast's "Big Three" (Harvard,Yale, andPrinceton).^[1] In front of 60,000 spectators at theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the West team won by a score of 7–6.All-AmericanGaius "Gus" Shaver from USC was the captain of the West team and the game's leading rusher with 145 yards on 16 attempts.^[2][3] The football game at the 1932 Summer Olympics, combined with a similar demonstration game at1933 World's Fair, led to theCollege All-Star Game which was an important factor in the growth ofprofessional football in theUnited States.^[3]

The game was originally proposed by organizers as an "intersectional" match-up between the defendingnational champions, University of Southern California, on the West Coast and East Coast stalwarts, Yale University. USC coach/former Yale coachHoward Jones delivered a confidential proposal from the President of the Organizing Committee for the 1932 Summer Olympics,William May Garland, to the President of Yale University,James Rowland Angell, inviting Yale to play in the game. On the heels of the 1929 Carnegie Report which decried various aspects of professionalism withincollege football, Angell reluctantly turned down the invitation.^[3][4] Although unable to secure a USC/Yale match-up and determined that football be a demonstration sport, the organizers "settled" on a game consisting ofall-stars who would have graduated by the Olympic games.^[3]

The game was scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. When afield goal attempt by the East fell short,^{[nb 1]} Shaver and another player from the Westmuffed the ball in an attempt to pick it up.^[1][3] According to various reports, Burton Strange from the East either carried the loose ball across thegoal line^[1] or simply fell on it in theend zone^[3] to give his team a 6–0 lead. Eddie Mays'extra point kick was blocked.^[3] With three minutes left in the game, Shaver scored over theright tackle to tie the game at 6–6, and Ed Kirwan's conversion put the West in the lead for good.^[1][3]

Like the other Olympic athletes, players for both teams lived in theOlympic Village.^[1] The starters for the West team consisted of six USC players, star halfbackRudy Rintala and two others from Stanford, and two from California.^[3] The starting line-up for the East team was four players from Harvard and seven from Yale.^[3] A number ofCollege Football Hall of Famers elected not to play in the game. All-AmericanAlbie Booth of Yale as well asErny Pinckert and All-AmericanJohnny Baker of USC decided not to play when offered paying jobs inHollywood.^[3]Barry Wood of Harvard, another All-American, was also selected to play in the demonstration, but he reportedly declined in order to concentrate on his studies.^[5]

• American football at the Summer Olympics

• 1932 in American football
• History of American football
• American football at the Summer Olympics
• Discontinued sports at the Summer Olympics
• Olympic demonstration sports
• Men's events at the 1932 Summer Olympics
• Events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

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