Split-T

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The Split-T is a formation used by the offense in football games in the 1940's and 50's and a variation on the T formation. Developed by Missouri Tigers head coach Don Faurot, the Split-T was first used in the 1941 season and allowed the Tigers to win all but their season opening match against the Ohio State Buckeyes and in the 1942 Sugar Bowl versus Fordham University^[1]. It is most well-known for helping the Oklahoma Sooners win a record-setting 47 straight games and two national titles between 1953 and '57.

1 Basics
2 History
3 Golden Days
4 References

[edit] Basics

In the 1930's and 40's, the forward pass was relatively new to football and most programs focussed on their running game instead. During this time, the University of Minnesota football team used the T formation to great effect, winning five national championships. In the basic formation, three running backs would line up about five yards behind the quarterback. In some variations a tight end would set up at each end of the offensive line. It could also use two wide receivers or one of each. This formation allowed for multiple different running and passing plays, but primarily focussed on running the option.

[edit] History

In 1941, Don Faurot of the University of Missouri developed the Split-T by doubling the space between the offensive linemen (causing the line to stretch 14 instead of 7 yards from end to end) and "splitting off" a wide receiver to one sideline while keeping a tight end in close. When he combined this new formation with the athletes he had at running back and quarterback, Coach Faurot created an offensive juggernaut. In that year, the Missouri Tigers finished the season 8 and 1 and received a bid to play Fordham (then an elite football program) in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers lost that bowl game 2-0 because rainy conditions and a wet field did not allow the Split-T to be used effectively.

Faurot got the idea from the "two-on-one" fast break in basketball when he was a player at Missouri in the 1920's. He knew that these types of plays forced the defensive player to make a decision about who to guard and "that made [him] wonder if the same thing couldn't be done in football." The idea worked and teams using the Split-T were able to run into gaps created in the defensive line by those decisions.

[edit] Golden Days

When Bud Wilkinson became the head coach of the football team at the University of Oklahoma in 1947 he instituted the Split-T as the standard offensive formation. Then, in 1953, all the pieces came together to make college football history. After losing to Notre Dame and tying Pittsburgh, the Sooners beat the Texas Longhorns 19-14 and went on to win their next 46 games in a row, setting an NCAA record that stands to this day. Ironically, the last team to beat OU before the streak started ended it when Notre Dame came in to Norman and beat the Sooners 7-0 on 16 November 1957^[2].

Other top football programs used the Split-T during this period as well. They include Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan, Penn State, and many more.