If you thought elaborate sales pitches to recruits was a college football development of the past 50 years, think again.
Look at this great recruiting letter sent to Dr. Richard Henry Harrison Jr. before the 1919 season. His great-grandson, Harrison Allen Jr., shared it with ESPN.
Dear "Chicken,"
Guess you are beginning to show symptoms of the "Pigskin Fever," if not get around some of the "Old Farmers," catch a bad case and come back this Fall and get fifteen hundred others infected with it. Every one is expected to put politics, business, and even their best girl aside and report September 15th, for duty at College Station. Blot out everything that will interfere with this arrangement.All Men who left school to enter the service are eligible to participate in Athletics this Fall, also Freshmen will be permitted to play their first year."Many changes have been made at A. and M. which will, I am sure, make your stay with us more pleasant and profitable. Our outlook for a successful season is indeed encouraging. The old stars among the Alumni have promised to come back from time to time and give us systematic help. A re-birth of college spirit has come into the hearts of ever A. and M. man, and I am convinced that the team that beats us will be champion of the Southwest.If any information is desired I shall be glad to furnish it. Let me have a letter at once stating you will report September 15th, ready to fight for victory, fair and square, hard but clean.Remember September 15th, and also remember, we want you, we need you, must have you.This is the motto for 1919: "They Shall Not Pass."Cordially your friend,D.X. Bible.
Harrison's nickname was "Chicken," hence the "Dear" line in the letter. His great-grandson believes it was written to him in an attempt to convince him to return to the football team in 1919 after a year of military service. From ESPN:
Written Aug. 20, 1919, Bible wrote to Harrison in hopes he would return to the A&M football team for the 1919 season. Allen said Harrison played for the Aggies in 1917 but not in 1918 as many members of the team served the United States in World War I. Harrison served in both World War I and World War II, and Allen said it is his understanding, though he's not 100 percent certain, that 1918 was one of his years of service.
The 1919 Texas A&M team is famous for going undefeated and not allowing any of its opponents to score. Harrison later graduated from the university with a doctorate in veterinary medicine and also served as the team's doctor.
How great would it be if teams went away from photoshopping recruits' pictures on magazine covers and instead recruited with typewriters and language like this? OK, maybe it would need some tweaking. Typewriters are inefficient and outdated and any recruiting letter with the word "profitable" would need to clearly be defined that the word isn't referencing under-the-table compensation.
For more Texas A&M news, visit AggieYell.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
