Albie Booth

Who was Albie Booth?

Albie Booth was an American football player. He was a star at Yale University from 1929 to 1931, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

Booth, at only 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 144 pounds, was known as "Little Boy Blue" and the "Mighty Atom", and sportswriters compared him to the fictional Yale sports hero Frank Merriwell. A New Haven, Connecticut native, he attended Hillhouse High School before coming to Yale, where he was a hometown favorite. In the single wing offense of Yale coach Mal Stevens, Booth played the tailback position and was also the team's kicker.

Booth became famous in 1929, his sophomore year, after a spectacular performance against Army. Booth, not yet a regular starter, entered the game with Yale losing 13–0, and proceeded to rush for 233 yards and score all of Yale's points, leading Yale to a 21–13 upset win. Newsreels reported the game with the caption, "Booth 21, Army 13."

Against Army the following year, while playing defense early in the game, Booth intercepted an Army pass, but was then swarmed by Army tacklers and injured so severely he had to be carried off on a stretcher, and the teams played to a tie.