John Druze, Last of the Seven Blocks

[JoltinJoe]

John Druze, the last survivor of the Seven Blocks of Granite, was 91.

Former Fordham Block of Granite John Druze Passes Away
(http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/122905aau.html)

Former Fordham football player Druze dies (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10644652/)

Often called the greatest line in the history of college football, the Seven Blocks of Granite as they were in their youth and in their prime.

[Fordham]

R.I.P.

[Maverick]

Though the trumpet has sounded, silence follows not
for ears who have heard the old truths.

Thanks for the picture!!

[*****]

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

[jimbo65]

Thought I'd post the full poem to supplement what Joltin Joe posted earlier. "Goldberg" refers to Marshall Goldberg an All American QB at the University of Chicago when they were a national power (hard to believe today).


Great, mighty Minnesota fell upon a fateful day,
Both Yale and Army felt the axe and tossed their crowns away,
Big Holy Cross, an early boss, hears no more winning bands,
Yes, strange things happened everywhere but the Fordham wall stiil stands.

Once Carthage ruled an ancient coast, but where is Carthage now?
The Grecian Phalanx no more wears the winning olive bough.
And where are Persia's ruling hosts, that ruled all warring lands?
Their day is done, by sand and sun, but the Fordham wall still stands.

Who took the thrust of S.M.U. and rolled its charges back?
Who stood the Gaels upon their heels and broke up each attack?
Who held young Goldberg at the line with willing hearts and hands?
The answer rings from coast to coast: the Fordham wall still stands.

[Go...gate]

May he rest in peace.

Jimbo65, didn't Goldberg play for Pittsburgh?

[carney2]

May he rest in peace.

Jimbo65, didn't Goldberg play for Pittsburgh?


Yes. Mad Marshal Goldberg is a hall of famer from Pitt. Still alive to the best of my knowledge.

[ngineer]

Thought I'd post the full poem to supplement what Joltin Joe posted earlier. "Goldberg" refers to Marshall Goldberg an All American QB at the University of Chicago when they were a national power (hard to believe today).


Great, mighty Minnesota fell upon a fateful day,
Both Yale and Army felt the axe and tossed their crowns away,
Big Holy Cross, an early boss, hears no more winning bands,
Yes, strange things happened everywhere but the Fordham wall stiil stands.

Once Carthage ruled an ancient coast, but where is Carthage now?
The Grecian Phalanx no more wears the winning olive bough.
And where are Persia's ruling hosts, that ruled all warring lands?
Their day is done, by sand and sun, but the Fordham wall still stands.

Who took the thrust of S.M.U. and rolled its charges back?
Who stood the Gaels upon their heels and broke up each attack?
Who held young Goldberg at the line with willing hearts and hands?
The answer rings from coast to coast: the Fordham wall still stands.

One of my favorite poems of all time.... :read:

[JoltinJoe]

Marshall Goldberg was a two-time consensus All-America at Pitt in 1936 and 1937. The line in the Grantland Rice poem refers to an actual series of plays in the 1936 Fordham-Pitt game on October 31, 1936. The poem was published the very next day.

Fordham and Pitt were the premier football programs in the East during the last 1920's and early 1930's. In 1935, the two programs finally decided to settle the question of Eastern supremacy on the field. On November 2, 1935, the two teams met for the first time at the Polo Grounds in New York City in what was probably the biggest football game up to that point ever in the East. After 60 minutes before an SRO crowd, the question of Eastern supremacy was left unresolved: the teams played to a 0-0 tie.

Fueled by the scoreless tie, the prelude to the rematch on October 31, 1936 was even greater than the year before. Fordham's "Seven Blocks of Granite" were pitted against Marshall Goldberg, thought to be the premier running back in the East. The match-up between the famed two-way line and the fabled running back captured attention nationally. In the third quarter, Pitt charged into the Fordham 5-yard line and were within yards of drawing first blood in the series. Three times Pitt went to Goldberg and came up short as the Fordham line refused to budge.

On fourth down, the Panthers handed the ball to Bobby LaRue. Vince Lombardi got his hands on LaRue first, and Al Babartsky grabbed on to stop his progress. Then Alex Wojciechowicz -- probably one of the great college players ever and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame -- came over the top and drove LaRue into the ground. David Maraniss described the play in great detail in his book "When Pride Still Mattered."

The game ended once again as a 0-0 tie. The goal-line stand inspired Rice to write his poem, and the reference to Goldberg specifically referred to that dramatic goal-line stand.

In 1937, the Panthers and Rams went at it again. Believe it or not, they played to a third straight 0-0 tie!

In January 1938, the Fordham and Pitt basketball teams met in a game at Madison Square Garden. A New York newspaper famously predicted a 0-0 tie.

[JoltinJoe]

From the New York Times:

John Druze, Last of Fordham's Seven Blocks of Granite, Dies at 91 (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/31/sports/ncaafootball/31druze.html)

[Go...gate]

JoltinJoe, just wanted to add my voice to the kudos which you received on the Fordham Voyforums board (which I still can't get logged into) for your historical discussion of Johnny Druze and the Fordham's 1929 National Championship team. Don't know how '32 Fordham vs. '32 Colgate would have turned out, but it sure would have been a hell of a lot of fun. Happy New Year to all you Fordham men.

[Pard4Life]

Sad to see a legend pass... but no doubt he has achieved immortality. And that's a great poem too. Dad recites it whenever I mention Fordham... he will be sad to hear of his passing.

[JoltinJoe]

Don't know how '32 Fordham vs. '32 Colgate would have turned out, but it sure would have been a hell of a lot of fun. Happy New Year to all you Fordham men.

Happy New Year to all of you at Colgate.

If memory serves correctly, you would have a rooting interest in the '32 Rams over Colgate, would you not?

1932 was Frank Cavanaugh's last season, as his eye injury suffered in WWI caused him to almost entirely lose his sight during the '32 season. Fordham lost two games in '32, both of which were close. BC beat the Rams, 3-0, which had to be painful for Cavanaugh, since he left the Eagles to coach the Rams several years earlier. And "Sleepy" Jim Crowley's Michigan State team took a 19-13 verdict at the Polo Grounds.

The outcome of the Michigan State earned Crowley, one of ND's First Horseman, a "promotion." Crowley was named Fordham's coach for the 1933 season.

[Go...gate]

Indeed I would have had a rooting interest and it would have been a very tough choice. Guess I would just have to root for all the guys in maroon to do well! :)

[JoltinJoe]

Indeed I would have had a rooting interest and it would have been a very tough choice. Guess I would just have to root for all the guys in maroon to do well! :)

Perhaps another 0-0 tie. :)

[Go...gate]

Just imagine Kerr's famous Double-Wing offense (Ohio State coach Francis Schmidt once compared Colgate's ball handling to "watching the Yankees take infield practice") against the Seven Blocks.