Not many people know this, but when I was younger I actually won the Dawson Trophy, which is annually awarded to the best Red Rover player each season. The award is named for Red “Rover” Dawson, who invented the game Red Rover. In 1965 I won the Dawson Trophy because I had a perfect record both as a runner breaking through the opposing line, and also as part of the defending chain, where I didn’t allow a single opponent to break through.

Another interesting tidbit is that “Rover” Dawson was first cousins with Digby “Flopper” Newbury, who invented falling down. At first “Flopper” was just considered clumsy, but he eventually put this skill to good use playing Association Football for his high school team.