When Bill Walsh took the 49ers to the Superbowl 3x in the 1980s, it was his famed "West Coast Offense" that is partially credited for crashing the traditional smash-mouth football methodology used by most teams. Later it was the "Run and Shoot", but as early as 1978 the high flying Corryall attack of the San Diego Chargers shocked the world.
Before any of these pass-happy strategies were employed, the first innovation in pro football to draw some attention was the T-formation , where 3 runningbacks were placed in the backfield.
The original T formation is seldom used today, but it was successful in the first half of the 20th century. The formation -- as the forward pass became more prevalent -- led to a faster-paced, higher-scoring game. Before it replaced the single and double-wing formations in the 1940s -- it was the long-standing, key weapon used by the Chicago Bears, since the team's inception in 1920. Seen more as a complicated "gadget" offense, NFL coaches George Halas and Ralph Jones of the Chicago Bears along with author of the formation himself Clark Shaughnessy brought the style of play to life. College coach at the University of Chicago, Shaughnessy was a great innovator in football and is a large part of why the Bears of the early NFL were so dominant.
Yet, it wasn't until 1940 when the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins 73–0 in the NFL Championship that it became widely accepted around the league. Ironically, for years later -- until about 1953 -- the Pittburgh Pirates were still using the single-wing. With that said, once passing was legalized the T truly took on a new meaning. You see, when passing was first introduced to football back in the first decade of the 1900s, a rule had been made requiring quarterbacks to be 5 yards behind the line on scrimmage before being allowed to throw the ball. So, once passing was legalized anywhere on the field behind the line of scrimmage in 1933 the T-formation became a better method of play.
Solly Sherman, college quarterback at the U of Chicago under Shaughnessy, bought into the T, and was immediately recruited by Halas and the Chicago Bears after his graduation. Years later, Solly indoctrinated Hall of Fame Bear's QB Sid Luckman into the system. Sid went on to win four NFL Championships starting in 1940.
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