| Return to One-Platoon Football In the late 1940's, rules permitting frequent substitutions allowed players to specialize in offense or defense, thereby developing the skills necessary to run complex formations such as the single-wing. The NCAA mandated a return to the one-platoon system, however, in 1953. Players could enter the game only once per quarter. Soon after the NCAA formally accepted football scholarships, one-platoon football was promoted as a cost containment measure. In the early 1950s, increasing costs and declining revenues had persuaded over 50 schools to drop the sport. A nostalgic return to earlier times may also have been appealing because college sports had recently been tarnished by cheating and gambling scandals. Many coaches opposed the rules change, recognizing that rested players would produce higher caliber play. The return to "iron man" football coincided with one of the worst periods in Drake football history. Although the Bulldogs were invited to the Sun Bowl after a seven-win season in 1957, Drake also suffered some of its most embarrassing defeats during this era. The NCAA phased-out most of its substitution restrictions by the mid-1960s-- possibly because television viewers thought professional football was more exciting. By then, Drake was competing in the College Division, against a softer schedule. |
 |