Almos Alonzo Stagg, Dr. Frank Seerly, and William Henry Ball

An All-American Yale player, Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862-1965) brought football to Springfield College and coached the institution’s first team in 1891. After arriving as a graduate student and instructor in 1890, Stagg posted a notice inviting students and faculty to play football for the institution. The first year ended with a 5-3 record, highlighted by a 26-0 defeat of Amherst and a contest against Yale at Madison Square Garden, the first-ever indoor football game. Yale fielded a team of five varsity players, two substitutes, and a group of Yale graduates. Springfield College, at this time, had less than fifty students from which to draw. Stagg was the only experienced player on the Springfield College squad and found his team outsized by an average of twenty pounds per man. In a great game, Springfield College showed true courage and pride, but ultimately lost 16-10. The newspapers labeled Stagg’s team the “Stubby Christians,” commending the team for the surprise they gave everyone in attendance and how they outplayed the giants from New Haven. After coaching for fifty-seven years at number of different institutions, he became the dean of college football coaches. Stagg pioneered the huddle, the man in motion, the end-around, and the Statue of Liberty play, among others. During October 2006, the refurbished Benedum Field was renamed the Amos Alonzo Stagg Field. In The Fireside Book of Football, Edwin Pope describes Stagg as “football’s Ben Franklin, Alexander Bell, and Thomas Edison all rolled into one.” Dr. Frank N. Seerley (class of 1890) was an alumnus and faculty member of Springfield College, as well as the Head of the Department of Hygiene at the YMCA headquarters in France. Among many other accomplishments, he earned his M.D. from the University of Vermont, taught animal mechanics, physiology and hygiene, and served as Dean at Springfield. In 1891, W. H. Ball served as one of the editors of The Triangle and is credited as having brought basketball to Montreal. He went on to work at the Y.M.C.A. in Montreal, Canada, served from 1916-1917 as a representative of the YMCA on the Joint Committee on Basketball Rules, and wrote an article titled "The Spirit of the Game" for Spalding's 1917-1918 Official Basket Ball Guide.

A small piece of the bottom right corner is missing; There is a small water stain on Stagg's right shoulder; The back reads "(9b) Mr. Alonzo Stagg '91, Dr. Seerley '90, and Mr. Ball '91, 1 col cut - Dr. Seerly - man in center - 2 1/4 wide x 2 1/2";

This photograph shows Amos Alonzo Stagg '91 on the camera's left, Dr. Frank Seerley '90 standing center, and William Henry Ball '91 on the camera's right. Stagg is wearing a Springfield College varsity S sweater, while the other two men are in suits. They are standing at the foot of Alumni Hall's. MacLean Terrace. This photograph may have been taken at an Alumni function at Springfield College, but the exact date and reason of the photograph is unknown. In 1890, the three played football together at the YMCA Training School, now Springfield College.