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From the archives | Sept. 26

Boston Yanks’ NFL debut at Fenway is a loss

Teddy Williams leads local football team

FENWAY PARK, Boston -- Teddy Williams, the fleet B.C. Alumnus and an old hand on the turf at Fenway Park, last night saved Boston’s rebirth of pro football from an artistic calamity.

The virile Philadelphia Eagles, rated a hot shot entry in the National League this semester, reeled off a touchdown per period under the artificial lights for a 28-7 triumph.

And Williams, the erstwhile Flying Fisherman of Gloucester, uncorked the longest scoring spring of the contest, aided and abetted by a burly block by Frank (Waltham H.C.) Gaziano, Auggie Lio, an East Bostonian by birth, inserted the extra point.

Thus the scoring contributions by the Boston team were purely of domestic nature. Williams bolted loose for several other good gains.

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19,815 fans paid

Kate Smith sand the National Anthem in spine-tingling manner, bands blared, service folks marched, 19,815 fans paid in, and the Eagles generally dominated the evening.

They had a 14-0 lead at halftime, scored in the third period on a 55-yard march featuring the dynamic running of Jack (“Moonbeam”) Banta, and again in the last period, when Ben Kish intercepted a daring Yank aerial in deep B territory, to set up a 26-yard drive in four plays.

The local Green Shirts stood off the Philadelphia entry vigilantly for 14 minutes and 49 seconds of the debut, then yielded a touchdown on the last play of the opening period.

Roy Zimmerman, an alumnus of San Jose State, pulled a qb sneak for one yard to climax a 50-yard 11-yard play advance. Zimmerman was pouring the T formation for the visiting firemen in this push, and also poured a pass to Larry Cabrelli (Colgate) for 18 yards that would have itself gone into pay dirt save for Cafego’s clothesline tackle.

Jack (So. Cal) Banta’s 19-yard swirl on a kick runback set up another T.D. in the second period. Jack (Syracuse) Hinkle’s 25-yard spurt over the left tackle on a quick opener was the vital play as the Eagles covered the distance in six plays.

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Banta did the scoring chores on a swift, short plunge, and Zimmerman raked up his second placement point.

Yanks lacked, as anticipated, offensive unity, but Herb Kopf wasn’t kidding when he said they’d show up with fangs bared. They made a real fight of it.