VanSurdam, Henderson E.

Student, Weselyan University in 1905. He was born in Hoosick Falls, New York, on September 28, 1881, the same year the railroads came to El Paso. A talented clarinetist, he won a music scholarship to Michigan Military Academy. His parents would not allow him to play football in high school, fearing he might break his musical fingers. Upon entering Wesleyan, he was made captain of the freshman football team and played varsity the next three years. He returned after graduation in 1905 to play another year – while studying chemistry – in order to fulfill his father’s wish that Wesleyan might beat its long-time rival, Williams. The Founder in NOVA, The University of Texas at El Paso Magazine, March 1978. In 1904, he was named to the sub All-American team and in 1905 was named the Walter Camp All-American Quarterback. Harry devised one of the first legal forward pass plays ever used by a college team, according to the Oklahoma Daily, in a 1966 article. In 1972, he was placed in the National College Football Hall of Fame. Thanks to the staff of the Hossick Township (New York) Historical Society (www.hoosickhistory.com)