Member Biography

It was 1910 and football rules were undergoing major revision, including the divisions of playing time to four quarters of 15 minutes each. It was also the year Harvard sophomore halfback Percy Wendell emerged as one of the East's finest runners. Harvard finished 8-0-1 that season, arch rival Yale forcing a scoreless tie in the final game. Wendell was the star, gaining 103 yards on 21 rushes against the Elis. In the final victory of 1910, an 18-0 decision over Dartmouth, Percy had produced both of his team's touchdowns. Harvard slipped to a 6-2-1 mark in 1911, while Wendell continued to dominate the Crimson attack, leading the club in scoring. He drew Walter Camp's All-America selection in each of his first two years, but injuries sidelined his abilities as Harvard's senior captain in 1912. That, too, was a year of rules changes, the most notable being a reduction of field length from 110 yards to its current 100, and the addition of a fourth down to make 10 yards. Despite limited playing time, Wendell managed to play important roles in the drive to a perfect nine-game record, one of Harvard's finest marks during the pioneer era of the game. Included in the victory string was a resounding 20-0 defeat of Yale's Elis.