Boyd Chambers

Boyd B. "Fox" Chambers was a college football coach. From 1909 to 1916, he served as the head football coach at Marshall, where he compiled a 31-26-3 record. From 1918 to 1921, he was the head coach at Cincinnati, where he compiled a 12-15-3 record. His overall record as a head coach was 43-41-7. [ [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=353 "College Football Data Warehouse"] , accessed 1-27-2007] After coaching at Cincinnati, he became the school's athletic director.

Tower Play controversy

In 1915 Chambers was involved in a controversy with what would become to be know as a “Tower Play” during a game between West Virginia Mountaineers and the Marshall Thundering Herd. The Mountaineers was heavily favored and their Head Coach Sol Metzger told the media he would “eat his hat if Marshall scores.” Chambers developed a special play to prevent the shutout. On the Thundering Herd fourth possession Marshall moved the ball down to the 15-yard line. Marshall back Dayton Carter came into the game. Marshall quarterback Brad Workman, took the snap and set up to pass. Marshall’s tackle Okey Taylor and Carter ran toward the end zone. Carter was hoisted onto Taylor shoulders as Workman rifled a high pass in their direction. Carter caught the ball and fell into the end zone for a score. Metzger argued with the officials, but the referee and umpire could find no rule to discount the score. The Mountaineers would go on to win the game with a final score of 92-6. Marshall would use this play against Ohio and Kentucky Wesleyan. Both Ohio and WVU protested to Yale’s coach Walter Camp who was in charge of college football rules. Camp upheld the scores; however he changed the rules to not allow the play for the 1916 season. [Woody Woodrum, [http://marshall.scout.com/2/545747.html "Marshall-WVU Series Has Great, Short History"] (Herd Insider Magazine) Posted 6-10-2006, accessed 1-27-2007]

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