“Untold Stories” are the Roo Tales yet to be written for a second book after the first book is finished and published. Hope you enjoy these untold story previews.
Here’s one:
Gene Neeley lost an arm in a 1911 hunting accident at age 15. The kid was told by family and doctors that he’d never play the sport of football again. Neeley didn’t listen.
When Neeley enrolled at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, he decided to go out for football. In 1915, he made the team as a defensive lineman. In 1916, Neeley was voted as “best man” on the Dartmouth line. During that 1917 season, Neeley made what Life magazine termed the most “spectacular” play of the year. The Dartmouth lineman intercepted a pass with his one arm, bowled over the offensive linemen in his way, and rumbled to a score against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Neeley finished the 1917 season as a first-team All-American. All while playing on the defensive line with one arm. The New York Times ran an article on the Dartmouth player, and included a photo.
The lure of the oil business sent Neeley from New England to Texas after graduation, but the lure of football turned out to be too great after his arrival. When the head coaching position at Austin College opened up for the 1921 season, Neeley grabbed it. He led the Roos to a winning season, including a victory over SMU at Fair Park.
Pitcher Jim Abbott was also born without a right arm. It didn’t matter. Abbott developed a system to compensate for that disability, and eventually found himself pitching in the Major Leagues for the New York Yankees. If we learn anything from Abbott or former AC coach Eugene Neeley, it should be that disabilities are a molehill not a mountain. And the human spirit to overcome is an awesome sight to behold.
