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AFM Magazine


Historical Perspective of the Single Wing Offense

by: John Becker
Football Coach
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Historical Perspective of the Single Wing Offense

By John Becker, Football Coach

Often times we think that a new offensive formation or scheme is innovative and has never been seen before.  As a young man in the 1970’s, my father would often recount stories of his 1948 undefeated and untied (untied was very important) mythical state championship team in Marshalltown, Iowa.  He would tell my brother and me about this strange offense where the center had to be especially skilled as a long snapper because he had to lead the running back to the play-side when snapping the ball directly to him.   My father played weak-side guard in an unbalanced line.  I always thought this offensive scheme to be outdated and would never work with modern athletes.  However, the use of the single wing offense in recent years has changed my opinion.

Fanfare of the Miami Dolphins “wildcat” offense, using deception and an unbalanced line, or even watching Tim Tebow, Darren McFadden and Colt McCoy, really turns back the clock.  This offense that I always considered old fashioned and out-dated is all the rage.  The single wing is back after a sixty year hiatus.  While some high schools and colleges continued to use it until the 1990’s, it certainly lost most of its luster earned back in the 1930’s and 40’s.  My father, who just turned 79, recited the history of the single wing to me from memory.  The idea was to get your best athlete the ball and have as many blockers out in front of him as possible.  Every play was a student body right or student body left.  This concept I was familiar with because my junior high football team ran Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay sweep to perfection. The original or “true” single wing formation featured an unbalanced line with both tackles on the play side.  The true single wing helped Bernie Beerman at Minnesota win multiple national championships with the help of players like Bruce Smith at tailback, end Bud Grant (NFL Hall of Fame Vikings’ coach) and my uncle Jerry Ekberg at tackle. Beerman preferred a straight ahead attack with no razzle, dazzle. Fritz Chrysler at Michigan won several National Championships with Forest Evasheski as a quarterback/blocking back and Tom Harmon (father of Mark Harmon former UCLA quarterback and NCIS star) at tailback who was a great runner and passer.  Chrysler featured plays where the tailback would take a direct snap from the center, spin and either hand-off to the fullback or fake a hand-off and keep the ball for a run around the end. Michigan would also send the wingback in motion and hand off to him as he ran to the unbalanced side. Knute Rockne had a variation of the single wing at Notre Dame known as the Notre Dame box.  However, the Notre Dame box was not a true single wing because it did not use an unbalanced line.  In the single wing the center snapped directly to the tailback or the fullback. If the formation was wing right, the tailback lined up seven yards deep in the backfield slightly right of the center. (see typical single wing plays). The fullback was a step or two ahead of the tailback slightly to the center’s left.  It was important that the snapper lead the ball carrier in the direction of the play, which is a lost art. The quarterback was strictly a lead blocker and situated close to the line between the right guard and right tackle.  This is something I don’t think we’ll see Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington do.  To the left of the center on the unbalanced side was a guard and end.  Both guards pulled, which meant the left guard had to be “quick and fast”, quoting my father who played left pulling guard.  The left end had to be particularly skilled at reaching to fill for the pulling left guard.  On the right side you had a guard, two tackles and an end. Line splits were 1-2 feet. Just outside the right end was a single wingback who was also a blocking back.  That is how the offense got its name the “single wing”. The formation could also be set up as wing left with the unbalanced line on the left side.

Most running plays were direct snaps to the tailback who of course, was the best athlete.  With the quarterback, fullback, two guards and the wingback out in front of him, how could he fail to gain yards? The center could also snap directly to the fullback.  Then spins and fakes could be implemented.  In the single wing you could run right or left but only when the play-side coincided with the unbalanced line.  Sometimes teams would line up in a double wing but always with an unbalanced line.  My father’s high school team lined up in an unbalanced line, right every play and only ran right.  “To keep things simple”, he says.  How can you argue with success?

For misdirection single wing teams would snap to the tailback who would spin and either fake to the fullback and keep it to run around the end or he would give it to the fullback for a run around the end always spinning with fakes. That was the extent of deception.  There were no reverses or counters.  The mindset was overpower the opponent every play and if they can stop us, then they are better than us.

When a pass play was called, it looked more like a modern day spread offense.  The center would snap directly to the tailback who might fake to the fullback and roll right with the two ends and the wingback going out for passes.  The fullback and quarterback stayed in to block.  You could run several variations of pass plays with different routes.  “We only ran two or three pass plays a game because we didn’t need to pass”, my father tells me.

 The substitution rules of the 30’s and 40’s made it important that your tailback be an outstanding athlete.  If your tailback could run, pass and punt then you had a potent offense.  In 1939 University of Iowa Heisman Trophy winner tailback Nile Kinnick ran for the only touchdown in a 7-6 victory over Notre Dame. But more importantly he punted over five times. Kinnick averaged over fifty yards a punt and was an expert angle punter kicking to the coffin corner.

Because the single wing was so popular and everybody used it, coaches figured out how to contain it.  This lead to innovations like the wing-T, triple option, veer, pro set, spread and so on.  Since we haven’t seen the single wing in a while, it has been haled as innovative but old timers know that it is back to the future.  Coaches realize if they run an offense that others don’t see very often, it is difficult for opponents to prepare. The size and speed of players has certainly increased since the 1950’s.  What has not changed is the concept of getting your best player, your play maker, the ball and creating angles and mismatches for blockers.  The single wing accomplishes that.  With athletes like Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy who can run the ball as well as pass we see a new single wing renaissance. Will the single wing be as common as the spread offense or are they merging into a highbred? Why waste the talents of your best athlete handing the ball off on 75% of your offensive plays? The fact remains that at any level, if you have an outstanding athlete who can run, throw and even punt like Nile Kinnick, Tom Harmon or George Gipp then, you should consider some form of the single wing.

 

About the Author: John Becker has coached Middle School and youth football for nine years.  He is a graduate of Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where he played offensive line.  John has been a subscriber to American Football Monthly for two years.






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