Though not a victory for the Big Red, the game that came to be known as the "Fifth Down" game set the standard for fair play and sportsmanship in athletics. Top-ranked Cornell seemingly improved to 6-0 with a 7-3 victory over Dartmouth, scoring on the game's final play.  After reviewing game film on the following Monday, Big Red head coach Carl Snavely and acting athletic director Robert J. Kane wired Dartmouth officials to tell them Cornell scored on an inadvertent fifth down. Though there were no rules compelling the outcome to be changed, in an unprecedented act of sportsmanship, the Big Red relinquished claims to the win. The Big Green accepted the forfeit, winning the contest 3-0. It remains the only time a collegiate sporting contest has been decided off the field after the completion of a game.



MORE ABOUT THE GAME
* Colorado didn't uphold Cornell's 5th-down honor by John Steadman, The Baltimore Sun - Oct. 15, 1990
* Beano Cook's Top 10 Moments In College Football History by Beano Cook, ESPN.com - Oct. 6, 2006
* Part II: The Fifth Down Game by Cory Bennett, Cornell Daily Sun - Nov. 8, 2007
* Part III: The Nation Reacts in the Wake of Concession by Cory Bennett, Cornell Daily Sun - Nov. 8, 2007
* Cornell's sportsmanship didn't feel that good to everyone by Jerry Crowe, Los Angeles Times - Nov. 7, 2010
* Honor On The Line: The Fifth Down and the Spectacular 1940 College Football Season by Robert J. Scott & Myles A. Pocta