52:
sales executive
Alexander "Bink" Dannenbaum concocted the idea of a mythical college football team. Using the name Jerry Croyden, Newburger phoned the New York papers and Dannenbaum phoned the Philadelphia papers with fantastic stories of Plainfield's lopsided victories over several (equally
113:
Finally, Newburger and
Dannenbaum had to confess, and "Jerry Croyden" wrote his final press release, stating that Plainfield had cancelled its remaining schedule as Chung and several other players were declared ineligible after flunking exams. The
56:
When the newspapers started printing the scores week after week, Newburger and
Dannenbaum invented other details, including a sophomore running back named Johnny "The Celestial Comet" Chung, whose amazing abilities on the
53:
nonexistent) schools, beginning in late
October. For the first two weeks, the scores and the opponents in the New York and Philadelphia papers did not match but by the third week, they were better organized.
507:"All the News That's Fit to Fake : In Days Gone By, the Terminally Mischievous Could Take Pride in Seeing the Flying Figments of Their Imaginations Make Their Way Into Print"
533:
65:
he ate on the bench between quarters. Hop-Along
Hobelitz was named as Plainfield's coach. There was even speculation that Plainfield might secure a bid to a small-college
377:
552:
425:
443:
468:
527:
130:": "Far above New Jersey's swamplands / Plainfield Teachers' spires! / Mark a phony, ghostly college / That got on the wires...!"
562:
572:
86:, to try to find the college—and, of course, there wasn't one. (At the time, New Jersey had real teacher colleges in
76:
After several weeks of
Plainfield victories (padded by "wins" Newburger made up after the fact), Red Smith from the
557:
488:
127:
506:
95:
69:; in fact, Newburger had already planned for the team to "play" in the non-existent "Blackboard Bowl" in
99:
87:
107:
447:
403:
83:
567:
355:
119:
8:
350:
78:
345:
123:
28:
462:
58:
110:, none of them fielding football teams as the student bodies were largely female.)
103:
33:
537:
378:"The Greatest Hoax in Sports Reporting History (Yes, The Times Fell for It, Too)"
91:
82:(who by this time was also reporting the fake scores) decided to actually go to
546:
70:
45:
66:
402:
Levy, R. T.; Hamburger, Philip; Ross, Harold (November 22, 1941).
49:
426:"The Meaningless Hoax Before Manti Te'o's Meaningless Hoax"
62:
23:
528:"Plainfield State and Chung were Too Good To Be True",
118:
took it in good humor, reporting the hoax; columnist
401:
122:even wrote a song for Plainfield, to the tune of
544:
482:
480:
478:
267:
247:
227:
210:
193:
176:
159:
369:
553:Fictional American universities and colleges
475:
419:
417:
133:
375:
138:All games and opponents are fictitious.
414:
22:was an imaginary college, created as a
545:
467:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
486:
423:
376:Christine, Bill (January 15, 2016).
16:Fictional college created as a hoax
13:
14:
584:
521:
424:Barra, Allen (January 18, 2013).
330:Blackboard Bowl at Atlantic City
487:Eyman, Scott (26 October 1986).
358:, founded as Plainfield College
499:
436:
395:
1:
362:
321:
304:
287:
7:
563:Hoaxes in the United States
339:
39:
20:Plainfield Teachers College
10:
589:
573:1941 in the United States
489:"THE GREAT GRIDIRON HOAX"
128:Far Above Cayuga's Waters
36:fans across the country.
558:Plainfield, New Jersey
84:Plainfield, New Jersey
61:was chalked up to the
32:sports department and
404:"Plainfield Teachers"
356:North Central College
120:Franklin Pierce Adams
48:Morris Newburger and
530:The Westfield Leader
513:. October 11, 1987.
351:H. Rochester Sneath
298:Appalachian Normal
79:Philadelphia Record
536:2007-06-20 at the
382:The New York Times
346:Maguire University
312:November 22, 1941
295:November 15, 1941
29:The New York Times
511:Los Angeles Times
337:
336:
315:Harmony Teachers
275:November 8, 1941
255:November 1, 1941
235:October 25, 1941
168:Benson Institute
73:at season's end.
580:
515:
514:
503:
497:
496:
493:Sun-Sentinel.com
484:
473:
472:
466:
458:
456:
455:
446:. Archived from
440:
434:
433:
421:
412:
411:
399:
393:
392:
390:
388:
373:
141:
140:
34:college football
588:
587:
583:
582:
581:
579:
578:
577:
543:
542:
538:Wayback Machine
524:
519:
518:
505:
504:
500:
485:
476:
460:
459:
453:
451:
444:"Archived copy"
442:
441:
437:
422:
415:
400:
396:
386:
384:
374:
370:
365:
342:
136:
42:
17:
12:
11:
5:
586:
576:
575:
570:
565:
560:
555:
541:
540:
523:
522:External links
520:
517:
516:
498:
474:
435:
413:
408:The New Yorker
394:
367:
366:
364:
361:
360:
359:
353:
348:
341:
338:
335:
334:
331:
328:
326:
324:
320:
319:
316:
313:
310:
307:
303:
302:
299:
296:
293:
290:
286:
285:
279:
276:
273:
270:
266:
265:
259:
258:Randolph Tech
256:
253:
250:
246:
245:
239:
236:
233:
230:
226:
225:
220:
217:
215:
213:
209:
208:
203:
200:
198:
196:
192:
191:
186:
183:
181:
179:
175:
174:
169:
166:
164:
162:
158:
157:
154:
151:
148:
145:
135:
132:
41:
38:
26:, that fooled
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
585:
574:
571:
569:
566:
564:
561:
559:
556:
554:
551:
550:
548:
539:
535:
532:
531:
526:
525:
512:
508:
502:
494:
490:
483:
481:
479:
470:
464:
450:on 2021-08-30
449:
445:
439:
431:
427:
420:
418:
409:
405:
398:
383:
379:
372:
368:
357:
354:
352:
349:
347:
344:
343:
332:
329:
327:
325:
322:
317:
314:
311:
308:
305:
300:
297:
294:
291:
288:
283:
280:
277:
274:
271:
268:
263:
260:
257:
254:
251:
248:
243:
240:
237:
234:
231:
228:
224:
221:
218:
216:
214:
211:
207:
204:
201:
199:
197:
194:
190:
187:
184:
182:
180:
177:
173:
170:
167:
165:
163:
160:
155:
152:
149:
146:
143:
142:
139:
134:1941 "season"
131:
129:
125:
121:
117:
111:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
85:
81:
80:
74:
72:
71:Atlantic City
68:
64:
60:
54:
51:
47:
37:
35:
31:
30:
25:
21:
568:1940s hoaxes
529:
510:
501:
492:
452:. Retrieved
448:the original
438:
430:The Atlantic
429:
407:
397:
385:. Retrieved
381:
371:
281:
261:
241:
222:
205:
188:
171:
137:
115:
112:
77:
75:
55:
43:
27:
19:
18:
387:January 15,
202:Chesterton
88:Jersey City
46:stockbroker
547:Categories
454:2021-08-30
363:References
333:cancelled
318:cancelled
301:cancelled
278:Ingersoll
309:Saturday
292:Saturday
272:Saturday
252:Saturday
232:Saturday
153:Opponent
104:Glassboro
100:Montclair
67:bowl game
44:In 1941,
534:Archived
463:cite web
340:See also
96:Paterson
59:gridiron
40:The hoax
238:Winona
156:Result
124:Cornell
116:Tribune
108:Trenton
185:Scott
106:, and
92:Newark
284:13–0
264:35–0
244:27–3
150:Date
144:Week
50:radio
469:link
389:2016
219:Fox
147:Day
126:'s "
63:rice
24:hoax
323:10
549::
509:.
491:.
477:^
465:}}
461:{{
428:.
416:^
406:.
380:.
306:9
289:8
269:7
249:6
229:5
212:4
195:3
178:2
161:1
102:,
98:,
94:,
90:,
495:.
471:)
457:.
432:.
410:.
391:.
282:W
262:W
242:W
223:W
206:W
189:W
172:W
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.