Statue of Liberty play

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The Statue of Liberty is a trick play in American football, occasionally seen in high school football, college football and NFL.

1 Execution of the play
2 History of the play
3 References in pop culture
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Execution of the play

Although many variations of the play exist, the most common involves the quarterback taking the snap from the center, dropping back, and gripping the ball with two hands as if he were to throw. He then takes his non-throwing hand and uses it to place the ball behind his back while pump faking a throw to one side of the field. While his arm is still in motion during the fake throw, he hands the ball off behind his back to a running back or a wide receiver in motion, who runs the football to the opposite side of the field. The play is contingent upon the defense being tricked out of position by the pump fake, and then being unable to catch up with the runner as he runs in the opposite direction of the fake.

The play is named after the positioning of the quarterback as he hands the ball off. If done correctly, he should have one hand in the air and the other at his side, resembling the pose of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. When executed properly, the Statue of Liberty is a very deceptive and high-yardage play. However, because of the difficult coordination of motions it is often very challenging to properly execute the play, and this may lead to a fumble, sack, or lost yardage. Additionally, disciplined defenses will be more likely to pick up on the fake and will not be tricked by the play.

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[edit] History of the play

Amos Alonzo Stagg was the first to call the play, but it was made popular by Fielding H. Yost during his tenure as head coach of the football team at the University of Michigan.^[1]

The Baltimore Colts ran a version of the play in December, 1970. Led by 37-year-old quarterback Johnny Unitas, The Colts beat the Oakland Raiders in the 1970 AFC Championship game 27-17.

In recent years, it was perhaps used most famously by Jared Zabransky and Ian Johnson in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl^[2] between the undefeated Boise State Broncos and the Oklahoma Sooners. The play, known as "Statue Left" by the Broncos, clinched Boise State a two-point conversion for the overtime victory, and surprised the Oklahoma defense as well as many television viewers who had never seen a Statue of Liberty play before. The game between the two teams is referred to as one of the closest and most exciting college football games of all-time,^[3] due in part to the do-or-die nature of this play. It is run in the trips shotgun set.

In a regular season matchup against the Michigan Wolverines in 2007, Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dennis Dixon faked a statue of liberty to Runningback Jonathan Stewart and then ran for a crucial touchdown almost unseen.

An unusual example occurred when the New England Patriots played the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2007 NFL Divisional round of the playoffs. To be precise, the Patriots actually executed a reverse Statue of Liberty play, in that the run, not the pass, was the fake element of the play. It involved a fake direct snap to the Patriots' running back which caused the defense to move to stop the run; meanwhile, Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, who actually had the ball, stood in the Statue of Liberty pose for a moment before finding wide receiver Wes Welker open for a touchdown pass.

[edit] References in pop culture

The Statue of Liberty play was a staple of football games in Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoons. In these cartoons, the main character would quickly dress up as the Statue of Liberty, then majestically walk the ball to the end zone for a touchdown.

The Statue of Liberty play was referenced in the Brady Bunch television series of the 1970s.

The Statue of Liberty play was referenced by Krusty the Clown during an episode of The Simpsons in a dream sequence/hallucination.

In the movie "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze", Michaelangelo shouts "Donnie, Statue of Liberty!" right after they get a pizza delivered as a way of showing he wants to play a quick game of impromptu football with the a slice of pizza representing the ball.

The Wilco song "Kingpin" off the album Being There includes the lyric, "Statue of Liberty play / Only works once / don't throw it away".

In the movie "Leatherheads", The Duluth Bulldogs run the Statue of Liberty play.