| rdfs:comment | - A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Rhodes went east to enroll at Yale University. At Yale, he played on the 1888 Yale football team that was coached by Walter Camp and included five players who were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: George Washington Woodruff, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Lee "Bum" McClung, Pudge Heffelfinger, and Pa Corbin.
|
| abstract | - A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Rhodes went east to enroll at Yale University. At Yale, he played on the 1888 Yale football team that was coached by Walter Camp and included five players who were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: George Washington Woodruff, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Lee "Bum" McClung, Pudge Heffelfinger, and Pa Corbin. Rhodes was also elected captain of the 1889 Yale football team, but he declined to serve. He was then elected, and did serve as, captain of the 1890 team. As captain of the 1890 team, Rhodes led Yale to a 32–0 win over Princeton in front of 25,000 spectators in Brooklyn. Though he was a lineman, Rhodes played an important role as a rusher in the 1890 Princeton game. He set up Yale's first touchdown with a run that took the ball to within two feet of the goal line, had another run of 30 yards, scored a touchdown and returned a punt through the Princeton line for a gain of 25 yards. One newspaper described Rhodes' reaction to the victory as follows: "The deep frown that has mantled the face of Capt William Castle Rhodes of the Yale foot-ball eleven since Saturday, gave way to a smile this afternoon. The smile became a genuine grin, as one by one the teeth of the Princeton Tiger were drawn, until by a score of 32 to 0 the formidable beast lay helpless and humiliated." Rhodes had a reputation as an aggressive player. In the 1889 Yale–Princeton game, Rhodes was disqualified due to rough play early in the second half. Prior to the 1890 Harvard–Yale game, one newspaper noted that Harvard's tackle would have to "look out" for Rhodes and questioned whether he could withstand "the hard knocks and blows which Yale's captain has the reputation of giving." Another newspaper focused on Rhodes' ability to cover the entire field of play: "Rhodes is an experienced and exceedingly talented player. He handles his man well, knows where to put them and literally seems to cover the whole field himself."
|
