Henry Ketcham

Bio

They were years when football rule-makers were changing the game from one of mass-momentum to a more open style that we would recognize today. They were Hank Ketcham's years as an All-America lineman at Yale. Bareheaded Ketcham played center and guard as a quick, powerful, alert and innovative player. In 1911, he helped the Bulldogs to a 7-2-1 mark. The following seasons, when a rules change increased the value of a touchdown to six points, reduced the field from 110 to 100 yards and added a fourth down to make 10 yards, Yale had a 7-1-1 record. Then in 1913, Hank Ketcham captained the squad. As captain, Hank tried something new, also. He appointed Howard Jones (Yale 1908) as the school's first salaried coach. Years later, Ketcham recalled his playing career: "I played every varsity game for three years and was taken out only once for a slight injury...I am generally credited with having developed the term 'roving center'. Except for today's platoon systems, football hasn't changed materially. We had the on-side kick, the ball was a bit larger in circumference and the drop-kick was more popular than the place kick."

Career Highlights

• 1912 Consensus All-America
• 1911 Consensus All-America