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CHAPTER 9
MONOPOLY

INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, the assumptions, logic, and implications of perfect competition were
covered. This chapter examines monopoly by contrasting it with pure competition. Perhaps the
most important distinction is that while there are no barriers to entry under perfect competition,
under monopoly there is a sole supplier because some barrier blocks entry. All the important
distinctions between the two market structures flow from the difference in entry barriers. The chapter
also identifies similarities between perfect competition and monopoly. For example, both types of
firms try to maximize profit by producing at a level at which marginal cost equals marginal revenue.
The chapter concludes with a comparison of monopoly and perfect competition models from both
equity and efficiency perspectives. These comparisons are tempered by a number of factors that
make such comparisons problematic.

CHAPTER OUTLINE
Use PowerPoint slides 2-4 for the following section
Barriers to Entry: Restrictions on entry of new firms into an industry.
Legal Restrictions
• Patents and Invention Incentives
• Patent: Awards exclusive right to produce a good or service for 20 years.
• Licenses and Other Entry Restrictions
• Government sometimes confers monopoly rights.

Use PowerPoint slides 5-6 for the following section


Economies of Scale: Natural monopolies emerge from the nature of costs.
• Downward-sloping long-run average cost curve.
• A single firm can satisfy market demand at a lower average cost per unit than could two or more
firms.

Use PowerPoint slide 7 for the following section


Control of Essential Resources: Source of monopoly power is a firm’s control over some resource
critical to production.

Use PowerPoint slides 8-10 for the following section


CaseStudy: Is A Diamond Forever?

Use PowerPoint slide 11 for the following section


Barriers to Entry
• A unique experience can lead to monopoly profits.
• Local monopolies are most common.
• Long-lasting monopolies are rare.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as
permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
106 Chapter 9 Monopoly

Revenue for the Monopolist


Use PowerPoint slides 12-13 for the following section
Demand, Average Revenue, and Marginal Revenue: the demand curve for the monopolist’s
output slopes downward; the demand curve is also the monopolist’s average revenue curve.

Use PowerPoint slide 14 for the following section


The Gains and Loss from Selling One More Unit: additional units lead to a gain from selling one
more unit but also a loss from lowering price on all units sold. Thus, marginal revenue is less than
price.

Use PowerPoint slides 15-18 for the following sections


Revenue Schedules: As output increases, total revenue increases, reaches a maximum and then
declines.
• Marginal revenue: As price declines, marginal revenue falls because:
– The amount of revenue received from selling an additional unit declines.
– The revenue forgone by selling all units at this lower price grows.
Revenue Curves: Total revenue reaches a maximum where marginal revenue is zero.
• Where demand is elastic:
– Marginal revenue is positive.
– Total revenue increases as price falls.
• Where demand is inelastic:
– Marginal revenue is negative.
– Total revenue decreases as price falls.

Use PowerPoint slides 179-22 for the following sections


The Firm’s Costs and Profit Maximization: The monopolist is a “price maker.”
Profit Maximization:
• Total Revenue Minus Total Cost: Production rate where total revenue exceeds total cost by
the greatest amount.
• Marginal Revenue Equals Marginal Cost
• Graphical Solution: The profit-maximizing rate of output is found where the upward-sloping
marginal cost curve intersects the marginal revenue curve. The price the monopolist can
charge is limited by consumer demand.

Use PowerPoint slides 23-26 for the following sections


Short-Run Losses and the Shutdown Decision: Continue producing if the price is greater than
average variable cost. Shutdown if the price does not cover average variable cost.
Long-Run Profit Maximization: Barriers to entry can allow economic profit to persist in the long
run.

Monopoly and the Allocation of Resources


Use PowerPoint slides 27-30 for the following section
Price and Output Under Perfect Competition: Marginal benefit that consumers derive from a
good equals the marginal cost of producing that good. The market is allocatively efficient and
maximizes social welfare.
Price and Output Under Monopoly: While producing to maximize profit where marginal cost
equals marginal revenue, the monopolist charges a higher price and supplies less output than a
perfect competitor. Consumer surplus still exists, only in smaller amounts. Social welfare is not
maximized.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as
permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Chapter 9 Monopoly 107

Allocative and Distributive Effects: Consumer surplus is smaller under monopoly. Some of this
loss in consumer surplus is redistributed to the monopolist, but some is a deadweight loss, or welfare
loss, that is gained by no one.

Use PowerPoint slides 31-32 for the following section


Problems Estimating the Deadweight Loss of Monopoly
Why the Deadweight Loss of Monopoly Might Be Lower: Monopolists might be able to produce
output at a lower cost than competitive firms. However, fear of public scrutiny and political pressure
may not let monopoly price rise as high as it could.
Why the Deadweight Loss of Monopoly Might Be Higher: Resources used by the monopolist to
secure and maintain a monopoly position may create more of a welfare loss than simple models
suggest. Insulated from competition, the monopolist may become inefficient.

Use PowerPoint slides 33-35 for the following section


CaseStudy: The Mail Monopoly

Use PowerPoint slide 36-42 for the following section


Price Discrimination
• Price discrimination: Charging different prices for the same output to different groups of
consumers.
Conditions for Price Discrimination: The monopolist must:
• Be a price maker.
• Identify at least two classes of consumers with different price elasticities of demand.
• Be able, at little cost, to charge each group a different price for essentially the same product.
• Have a way to prevent those consumers charged the lower price from reselling to those who
pay the higher price.
A Model of Price Discrimination: Profit is maximized by charging a lower price to the group with
the more elastic demand.
Examples of Price Discrimination:
• Business versus household travel on airlines.
• IBM laser printer for business versus home.
• Two versions of Intel chip.
• Adobe Photoshop vs. Photoshop Elements.
• Discount coupons for amusement parks.

Use PowerPoint slides 43-44 for the following section


Perfect Price Discrimination: The Monopolist’s Dream
• Charge a different price for each unit of a good.
• Converts every dollar of consumer surplus into economic profit.

CONCLUSION
Pure monopoly, like perfect competition, is not that common. Although some firms may enjoy mo-
nopoly power in the short run, the lure of economic profit encourages rivals to hurdle seemingly high
entry barriers in the long run. The examination of perfect competition and pure monopoly provides a
framework to understand market structures that lie between the two extremes.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use
as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for class-
room use.
108 Chapter 9 Monopoly

CHAPTER SUMMARY

A monopolist sells a product with no close substitutes. Short-run economic profit earned by a
monopolist can persist in the long run only if the entry of new firms is blocked. Three barriers to
entry are (a) legal restrictions, such as patents and operating licenses; (b) economies of scale over
abroad range of output; and (c) control over a key resource.

Because a monopolist is the sole supplier of a product with no close substitutes, a monopolist’s
demand curve is also the market demand curve. Because a monopolist that does not price
discriminate can sell more only by lowering the price for all units, marginal revenue is less than the
price. Where demand is price elastic, marginal revenue is positive and total revenue increases as the
price falls. Where demand is price inelastic, marginal revenue is negative and total revenue decreases
as the price falls. A monopolist never voluntarily produces where demand is inelastic because raising
the price and reducing output would increase total revenue.

If the monopolist can at least cover variable cost, profit is maximized or loss is minimized in the
short run by finding the output rate that equates marginal revenue with marginal cost. At the profit-
maximizing quantity, the price is found on the demand curve.

In the short run, a monopolist, like a perfect competitor, can earn economic profit but will shut down
unless price at least covers average variable cost. In the long run, a monopolist, unlike a perfect
competitor, can continue to earn economic profit as long as entry of potential competitors is blocked.

If costs are similar, a monopolist charges a higher price and supplies less output than does a perfectly
competitive industry. Monopoly usually results in a deadweight loss when compared with perfect
competition because the loss of consumer surplus exceeds the gains in monopoly profit.

To increase profit through price discrimination, the monopolist must have at least two identifiable
groups of customers, each with a different price elasticity of demand at a given price, and must be
able to prevent customers charged the lower price from reselling to those charged the higher price.

A perfect price discriminator charges a different price for each unit sold, thereby converting all
consumer surplus into economic profit. Perfect price discrimination seems unfair because the
monopolist reaps maximum profit and consumers get no consumer surplus. Yet perfect price
discrimination is as efficient as perfect competition because the monopolist has no incentive to
restrict output, so there is no deadweight loss.

TEACHING POINTS
1. Monopoly is always an interesting topic to discuss in class. The text takes the view that
monopoly refers to a single seller of a good. Some economists prefer to use the term more
loosely, since a single seller of a product is quite difficult to find. The first issue to deal with in
this chapter is that of barriers to entry. The text identifies three main barriers that are the
sources of monopoly—legal restrictions, economies of scale, and control of an essential
resource.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as
permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Chapter 9 Monopoly 109

2. To fully appreciate the difference between monopoly and competitive profit maximization
solutions, it is important to recognize an important similarity—that both maximize profits
where marginal revenue equals marginal cost. Assuming identical market demand and cost
curves, the difference between profit-maximizing quantity and price occurs because for the
monopolist the relevant demand curve is the market demand curve, and hence marginal
revenue is less than price. It is vital for the student to appreciate the relationship between
demand and marginal revenue before adding cost data to the picture. Many students will find
numerical examples the most compelling evidence.

3. Sometimes students have the idea that monopolies are immune to losses. Remind them that
even monopolies may need to shut down in the short run.

4. Students often have the idea that monopoly is bad because of the excessive profits that a
monopoly makes. Actually, what is bad is not making profits but the deadweight loss created
as the monopolist reduces output below the competitive level. A related point to make is that
monopoly does not lead to efficient pricing. There is always a divergence between marginal
cost and price.

Marginal cost is the additional cost to society of using certain resources in a particular way.
Presumably these resources should be used to produce the goods that consumers value most
highly. A monopoly produces less than the amount of a good for which society is willing and
able to pay. Resources are therefore redirected toward the production of other, less desirable
goods. Monopoly underproduces goods that society wants.

5. The latter part of the chapter is concerned with price discrimination. For example, senior
citizens are often given discounts on meals at restaurants, students are given discounts on
movie tickets, and so on. You might encourage students to find their own examples of price
discrimination.

It is tempting to argue that price discrimination is bad because it flies in the face of our view of
fairness. However, it is easy to show that overall resource allocation is actually improved when
a monopolist is allowed to price discriminate because such behavior leads to an increase in
output. Thus, the argument against this behavior is purely a distributional one. When a
monopolist price discriminates, monopoly profits are increased and the price to some
consumers is also increased relative to the pure monopoly result. However, other consumers
enjoy lower prices, and total output is increased (toward the competitive industry level).
Because additional units of the good are produced, this generates a net gain to consumers
because the value (marginal benefit) exceeds the alternative resource use value (marginal cost)
of those units.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use
as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for class-
room use.
110 Chapter 9 Monopoly

ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES


Answers to Questions for Review
1. (Barriers to Entry) Complete each of the following sentences:
a. A U.S. ____________ awards inventors the exclusive right to production for 20 years.
b. Patents and licenses are examples of government-imposed _________________________
that prevent entry into an industry.
c. When economies of scale make it possible for a single firm to satisfy market demand at a
lower cost per unit than could two or more firms, the single firm is considered a
___________________________.
d. A potential barrier to entry is a firm’s control of a(n) _______________ critical to
production in the industry.

a. patent
b. legal restrictions
c. natural monopoly
d. essential or nonreproducible resource

2. (Barriers to Entry) Explain how economies of scale can be a barrier to entry.

If a firm’s long-run average cost curve slopes downward throughout the range of market
demand, a single firm can produce at a lower average cost than any other firm that tries to
enter the market. As firms compete to increase their market shares by expanding and thus
lowering cost and price, a single firm emerges naturally from the process. Any new firm trying
to enter the market is unable to match the monopolist’s economies of scale and, therefore, is
unable to match the monopolist’s price.

3. (CaseStudy: Is a Diamond Forever?) How did the De Beers cartel try to maintain control of the
price in the diamond market? How has this control been undermined?

De Beers kept their price high by limiting the supply of rough diamonds mined elsewhere. The
company withheld diamonds from the market when necessary to maintain the price—acting as
a price maker. De Beers also used marketing efforts to shore up demand for diamonds.

The cartel’s price control depended on maintaining control of the key resource—the rough
diamonds. De Beers’ price control has been lessened by new entrants into the market, such as
Russia, Australia’s Argyle mines, and Yellowknife in Canada.

4. (Revenue for the Monopolist) How does the demand curve faced by a monopolist differ from
the demand curve faced by a perfectly competitive firm?

A perfectly competitive firm faces a horizontal demand curve. It can sell as many units as it
wishes at the prevailing market price. In contrast, the monopolist faces the market demand
curve, which slopes downward. The monopolist can sell more output only if it lowers price. The
perfectly competitive firm is one of many firms selling a commodity, and no single competitive
firm is large enough to affect the market. However, the monopolist is a single firm producing a
unique product—with only one firm, the market demand curve applies to its output.

5. (Revenue for the Monopolist) Why is it impossible for a profit-maximizing monopolist to


choose any price and any quantity it wishes?

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as
permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Chapter 9 Monopoly 111

This is impossible because the monopolist cannot control the demand curve. Once the price of
the product is chosen, the demand curve, which is determined by consumers, indicates the
quantity demanded. Alternatively, the monopolist can choose the quantity, but the demand
curve will indicate the price at which that quantity can be sold.

6. (Revenue Schedules) Explain why the marginal revenue curve for a monopolist lies below its
demand curve, rather than coinciding with the demand curve, as is the case for a perfectly
competitive firm. Is it ever possible for a monopolist’s marginal revenue curve to coincide with
its demand curve?

The perfectly competitive firm faces a perfectly elastic demand curve, indicating that it can sell
additional units of its output without lowering its price. Thus, each additional unit has a
marginal revenue equal to the prevailing market price. However, the monopolist faces a
downward-sloping demand curve, indicating that it can sell additional units of its output only
by lowering the price on all units. If the monopolist lowers its price, the gap between price and
marginal revenue widens because the loss from selling all diamonds for less increases and the
gain from selling an additional diamond decreases Thus, beginning with the second unit sold,
marginal revenue is below the price, and the marginal revenue curve is below the demand
curve. A monopolist’s marginal revenue curve can coincide with its demand curve if the firm is
practicing perfect price discrimination—selling each unit for a different price.

7. (Revenue Curves) Why would a monopoly firm never knowingly produce on the inelastic
portion of its demand curve?

When demand is inelastic, a decrease in price actually reduces total revenue in spite of the
increased unit sales. Thus, marginal revenue is negative and a firm will never produce where
marginal revenue is negative.

8. (Profit Maximization) Review the following graph showing the short-run situation of a
monopolist. What output level does the firm choose in the short run? Why?

The firm will shut down in the short run. Average total cost exceeds average revenue at all
output levels, indicating that the monopolist cannot earn a normal profit in the short run. In
addition, average variable cost also exceeds price. Thus, if the firm operates in the short run, it
will suffer a loss equal to its fixed cost plus the uncovered portion of its variable cost.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use
as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for class-
room use.
112 Chapter 9 Monopoly

9. (Allocative and Distributive Effects) Why is society worse off under monopoly than under
perfect competition, even if both market structures face the same constant long-run average
cost curve?

The reduction in consumer surplus in both market structures is considered the deadweight loss
because it is a loss to consumers and no one reaps the benefits. A deadweight loss is a result of
higher prices and reduced output. In a monopoly, price always exceeds marginal costs, so
society would be worse off under a monopoly.

10. (Welfare Cost of Monopoly) Explain why the welfare loss of a monopoly may be smaller or
larger than the loss shown in Exhibit 8 in this chapter.

The loss may be smaller because a monopolist may have economies of scale that are not
available to a perfectly competitive firm and, thus, can charge a lower price. A monopolist may
charge a lower price to discourage entry of new firms or in response to political pressure. The
loss may be larger because resources may be diverted from more productive uses to secure the
monopolist’s position (rent seeking). Lack of competition may eliminate pressure for the
monopolist to maximize efficiency or to be innovative.

11. (CaseStudy: The Mail Monopoly) Can the U.S. Postal Service be considered a monopoly in
first-class mail? Why or why not? What has happened to the price elasticity of demand for
first-class mail in recent years?

A monopoly is a single firm producing a unique product that has no close substitutes. The
USPS was granted a monopoly in 1775. However, in recent years new firms providing close
substitutes for the USPS have entered the industry, such as email, text messaging, Federal
Express, UPS, etc. Many customers now use these methods in place of the USPS’s first-class
mail, eroding the Postal Service’s control of the market—reducing its monopoly power. The
availability of substitutes has greatly increased the elasticity of demand for first-class postage.

12. (Conditions for Price Discrimination) List three conditions that must be met for a monopolist
to price discriminate successfully.

First, the firm must be a price maker—that is, it must have some control over its price. Second,
it must be able to separate consumers into two or more groups with different elasticities of
demand. Finally, the firm must be able to prevent the group facing the lower price from
reselling the product to the group facing the higher price.

13. (Price Discrimination) Explain how it may be profitable for South Korean manufacturers to
sell new autos at a lower price in the United States than in South Korea, even with
transportation costs included.

This is a simple price discrimination problem. One need only assume that the demand elasticity
in the United States is greater than in Korea. This assumption is reasonable if the U.S. market
has more substitutes. Also, the long distance would prevent U.S. buyers from reselling in
Korea. Price discrimination calls for a higher price in Korea, where the price elasticity of
demand is lower. (By the way, it appears that autos are indeed sold at a higher price in Korea
than in the United States.)

14. (Perfect Price Discrimination) Why is the perfectly discriminating monopolist’s marginal
revenue curve identical to the demand curve it faces?

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as
permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Chapter 9 Monopoly 113

The perfectly discriminating monopolist can charge a different price for each unit as output
expands. By increasing output by one unit, the perfectly discriminating monopolist loses no
revenue from previous output since the prices attached to previous units do not change. The
gain in revenue is therefore just the price charged on the marginal unit.

Answers to Problems and Exercises


15. (Short-Run Profit Maximization) Answer the following questions on the basis of the
monopolist’s situation illustrated in the following graph.
a. At what output rate and price does the monopolist operate?
b. In equilibrium, approximately what is the firm’s total cost and total revenue?
c. What is the firm’s economic profit or loss in equilibrium?

a. It will produce 100 units of output and sell them at a price of $10 each
b. Total cost of approximately $750; total revenue of $1,000
c. Economic profit of approximately $250

16. (Monopoly) Suppose that a certain manufacturer has a monopoly on the sorority and fraternity
ring business (a constant-cost industry) because he has persuaded the “Greeks” to give it
exclusive rights to their insignia.
a. Using demand and cost curves, draw a diagram depicting the firm’s profit-maximizing price
and output level.
b. Why is marginal revenue less than price for this firm?
c. On your diagram, show the deadweight loss that occurs because the output level is
determined by a monopoly rather than by a competitive market.
d. What would happen if the Greeks decided to charge the manufacturer a royalty fee of $3
per ring?

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use
as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for class-
room use.
114 Chapter 9 Monopoly

a.

Profit is maximized at point e, where Qm units are sold at a price of Pm each.


b. With a downward-sloping demand curve, additional units can be sold only by lowering the
price on all units.
c. The deadweight loss is the area of triangle bce. If this was a competitive market, the
industry would produce at point c since the LRAC is the industry’s long-run supply curve
in a constant-cost industry. Consumer surplus would equal the area of the triangle acf.
With the monopoly, consumer surplus shrinks to the area of triangle abpm , a loss of area
pmbcf. The portion pmbef of the lost consumer surplus is redistributed to the monopolist as
economic profit. Triangle bce is not redistributed—it is a deadweight loss.
d. This would shift the LRAC curve upward by $3 and increase MC by $3. Therefore, the
new MC curve would intersect the MR curve at a lower output level, leading to a higher
price.

17. (Global Economic Watch) Go to the Global Economic Crisis Resource Center. Select Global Issues
in Context. In the Basic Search box at the top of the page, enter the phrase "Google monopoly." On
the Results page, go to the Global Viewpoints section. Click on the link for the February 19, 2010,
article "Is Google Gaining a Monopoly on the World's Information?" Does Google enjoy a barrier to
entry? What is the source of that barrier, if any?

Although the article was not explicit, Google appears to benefit from a barrier to entry based on
economies of scale. Technology firms often have high fixed costs, but low marginal costs. Therefore,
the first firm to grow large enough, enjoys very low average cost per unit. This cost advantage be-
comes a barrier to entry.

18. (Global Economic Watch) Go to the Global Economic Crisis Resource Center. Select Global Issues
in Context. In the Basic Search box at the top of the page, enter the term "price discrimination."
Write a paragraph about one example of an organization practicing price discrimination.

Student answers will vary. Make sure the examples demonstrate organizations increasing profit by
charging different groups of consumers different prices for the same product.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as
permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Another random document with
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Building a
championship football team
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Building a championship football team

Author: Paul W. Bryant

Author of introduction, etc.: Lloyd Jefferson Gregory

Release date: July 6, 2022 [eBook #68466]

Language: English

Original publication: United States: Prentice-Hall, 1960

Credits: Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading


Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was
produced from images made available by the
HathiTrust Digital Library.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BUILDING A


CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL TEAM ***
Building a
CHAMPIONSHIP
Football Team

PAUL W. “BEAR” BRYANT


Athletic Director and
Head Football Coach,
University of Alabama

Englewood Cliffs, N.J.


PRENTICE-HALL, INC.

© 1960, BY
PRENTICE-HALL, INC.
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK
MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM, BY MIMEOGRAPH
OR ANY OTHER MEANS, WITHOUT PERMISSION
IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER.
Library of Congress
Catalogue Card Number: 60-53173
Eighth Printing February, 1968

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA


08605—BC
Dedication
To a few close associates who were genuinely dedicated to the
game of football. These men were not only great assets to the game;
they also exemplified the true American way of life. Had it not been
for men like these, many of us would have fallen by the wayside. To
them, I am forever grateful.

Robert A. Cowan Herman Hickman


Fordyce, Arkansas Yale University—Sports Illustrated
Frank W. Thomas Jim Tatum
University of Alabama University of North Carolina
W. A. Alexander G. A. Huguelett
Georgia Tech University of Kentucky
H. R. “Red” Sanders Herman L. Heep
U. C. L. A. Texas A & M
Charles Caldwell Rex Enright
Princeton University University of South Carolina
Acknowledgment
This book would not have been possible had it not been for the
untiring efforts of Eugene Stallings, co-captain Texas A & M 1956, All
Conference SWC End, and assistant football coach, University of
Alabama. “Bebes” Stallings exemplifies the true meaning of football,
both as a player and as a coach.
A Real Competitor
“Fight on, my men,” Sir Andrew says,
“A little I’me hurt, but yett not slaine;
“I’le but lye downe and bleede awhile,
“And then I’le rise and fight againe.”

“Sir Andrew Barton,” Part 2, St. 16


(PERCY’S RELIQUES, Series II, Book II)

If Sir Andrew were coaching football today, he would be accused


of teaching “hard-nosed football,” for his battlecry “I’ll rise and fight
again” is that of Paul “Bear” Bryant, author of this book and self-
acknowledged teacher of hard-nosed or all-out football.
Paul Bryant is one of the ablest, most colorful, most controversial
mentors. Fans either love Bear Bryant or despise him—which makes
him excellent box office.
Competitive fires flame high in Coach Bryant. Legend has it he
once played an entire game with a broken leg, believable when one
considers the all-out effort he demands of himself and his players.
Deep down, he is a sentimentalist who leaves a heavy imprint on his
players. John David Crow, All-American back and Heisman Trophy
winner under Bryant at Texas A & M, and now a National Football
League star, says, “Coach Paul Bryant is the greatest coach in
America. He made a man out of me.”
Paul Bryant is a builder. When he came to Texas A & M in 1954,
Aggie fortunes were at a low ebb. In four years, Bryant’s Aggies won
25, lost 14, tied 2, and nine of those losses were in his first year.
As a sports writer and television commentator, this observer has
watched Southwest Conference football since 1915, the first year a
grid champion was crowned. The conference’s best job of coaching
was Bryant’s, beginning in 1954. His outstanding player walked out
of the Junction, Texas training camp, and Bryant would not let him
return. In their first game, the Aggies lost to Texas Tech 9 to 41. The
Aggies dropped all six conference games, but only Baylor was able
to achieve a two-touchdown margin. In 1956, Bryant built an
unbeaten team, with “my Junction boys” the nucleus.
There was something almost mystical about Bryant’s story of why
he was leaving Texas A & M for his alma mater, the University of
Alabama: “As a small boy, I sometimes would play until after dark,
and then, from afar off, I’d hear my beloved mother calling, ‘Paul,
come home.’ I’d run as fast as my legs would carry me.”
Some cynics sneer at Paul Bryant’s explanation. But the many
sportsmen who hold for him lasting respect and affection know this
warm-hearted man is telling the truth.
Lloyd Gregory
Houston, Texas
Table of Contents
Chapter Page
1. Why Football? 1
2. The Theory of Winning Football 8
3. Making the Most of the Coaching Staff 18
4. Defense—Our Kind of Football 24
5. Pass Defense—Objectives and Tactics 62
6. Our Kicking Game Techniques 111
7. Our Offensive Running Game 140
8. Our Offensive Passing Game Techniques 176
9. Training the Quarterback 186
10. Planning for a Game 203
11. Our Drills 215
12. Those Who Stay Will Be Champions 231
Index 235
Building a
CHAMPIONSHIP
Football Team
CHAPTER 1
Why Football?

Have you ever wondered about football? Why it’s only a game
which is as fundamental as a ball and a helmet. But the sport is a
game of great importance. If you take all of the ingredients that go
into making up the game of football and put them into a jar, shake
well and pour out, you’ve got a well-proportioned phase of the
American way of life.

FOOTBALL IS MORE THAN A GAME


Football is the All-American and the scrub. It’s the Rose Bowl with
102,000 cheering fans, and it’s the ragged kids in a vacant lot using
a dime-store ball. It’s a field in Colorado ankle-deep in snow, and
one in Florida sun-baked and shimmering.
Leaping cheerleaders, a brassy band, and the Dixie Darlings are a
part of the wonderful game of football. It’s a rich guy being
chauffeured to the stadium gate, and a frightened boy shinnying the
fence and darting for the end zone seats. It’s a crowd which has
gone crazy as it rips down the goal posts. And it’s a nation stunned
and wet-eyed at the news of Knute Rockne’s death.
Football is drama, music, dignity, sorrow. It’s exhilaration and
shock. It is also humor and, at times, comedy. It’s a referee sternly
running the game. It’s an inebriated character staggering onto the
field and trying to get into the action.
Football is the memory of Red Grange, the Four Horsemen, and
the Seven Blocks of Granite. It’s a team’s traditional battle cry, such
as, “War Eagle,” in the middle of the summer. It’s a crisp fall day,
traffic jams, portable radios and hip flasks. It’s train trips, plane flights
and victory celebrations. It’s the losers moaning, “You were lucky,
just wait’ll next year!”
Names are football, such as Bronco, Dixie, Night Train, The Horse,
Hopalong, Bad News, The Toe, and Mr. Outside.

FOOTBALL IS THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL


For four quarters, football is the Great American Novel, with
chapters from Frank Merriwell, the Bible, Horatio Alger, the life of
Lincoln and Jack the Giant-Killer.
Newspaper photos, arguments, Mr. Touchdown USA, yellowed
clippings, the Hall of Fame, The Star-Spangled Banner—they’re all
football.
It’s a game of young men with big shoulders and hard muscles. It’s
also a game of old pros, such as, 38-year-old Charlie Conerly
quarterbacking the New York Giants to a football championship.
Football is popcorn, cokes, banners and cigaret smoke. It’s people
standing for the kick-off, lap blankets, pacing coaches, penalties and
melodious alma maters.
Football is a game of surprises. The big guy everybody picks in
pre-season as All-American fizzles out. But a kid nobody ever heard
of scores the winning touchdown and a star is born. It’s Tennessee
going 17 games without being scored on. It’s also tiny Chattanooga
upsetting mighty Tennessee, making a coach’s dream come true.
It’s the pro halfback who is a movie star. And the water boy who
got into a game at Yale. It’s Bronco Nagurski butting down a
sandbag abutment, and dwarfish Davey O’Brien disappearing from
sight behind an array of 250 pound linemen. It’s Harry Gilmer
jumping high to pass, and Coach Jim Owens proving that nice guys
finish first.
Football is Bud Wilkinson, whose Sooners are 40 points ahead,
walking up and down the sideline like a caged lion. It’s 35-year-old
Paul Dietzel and 90-year-old Amos Alonzo Stagg. It’s 6′8″ Gene “Big
Daddy” Lipscomb and 5′6″ Eddie LeBaron.
Women who don’t know a quick kick from a winged-T cheer every
move on the field, waving pennants, purses and even mink stoles.
That’s football. So is the pressbox with its battery of clattering
typewriters. And the oldtimer who claims they played a better game
in his day is a part of football, too.
It’s Ray Berry, who wears contact lenses, making unbelievable
catches for the Baltimore Colts. And after the game, when he dons
his thick glasses, he looks the part of a studious school teacher—
which he is after football season terminates.
It’s a scramble for tickets, playing parlays, wide-eyed youngsters
getting autographs, a fist fight in the stands, second guessing,
banquets, icy rains, color guards, fumbles, goal line stands,
homecoming queens, and the typical mutt running onto the field
attracting everyone’s attention.
Football is Tommy Lewis jumping off the bench in the Cotton Bowl
game and tackling a touchdown-bound Rice runner simply because,
“I’ve got too much Alabama in me, I guess.” It’s the quivering voice
of a dying George Gipp telling his Notre Dame teammates, “Win one
for the Gipper.”
It’s New Year’s, Christmas and the Fourth of July rolled into one.
It’s VJ Day, the Declaration of Independence, Haley’s comet and
Bunker Hill. It’s tears and laughter, pathos and exuberance.
Football is a game that separates the men from the boys, but also
it’s a game that makes kids of us all.
Most of all it’s a capsule of this great country itself.[1]

[1] The author extends sincerest thanks to Clettus Atkinson,


Assistant Sports Editor, Birmingham Post-Herald, for contributing
his fine depiction to the meaning of football.

FOOTBALL IS THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE


Football, in its rightful place, can be one of the most wholesome,
exciting and valuable activities in which our youth can possibly
participate. It is the only sport I know of that teaches boys to have
complete control of themselves, to gain self-respect, give forth a
tremendous effort, and at the same time learn to observe the rules of
the game, regard the rights of others and stay within bounds dictated
by decency and sportsmanship.
Football in reality is very much the American way of life. As in life,
the players are faced with challenges and they have an opportunity
to match skills, strength, poise and determination against each other.
The participants learn to cooperate, associate, depend upon, and
work with other people. They have a great opportunity to learn that if
they are willing to work, strive harder when tired, look people in the
eye, and rise to the occasion when opportunity presents itself, they
can leave the game with strong self-assurance, which is so vitally
important in all phases of life. At the same time they are developing
these priceless characteristics, they get to play and enjoy fellowship
with the finest grade and quality of present day American youth.

The Game’s Intrinsic Values

Not only is football a great and worthwhile sport because it


teaches fair play and discipline, but it also teaches the number one
way of American life—to win. We are living in an era where all our
sympathy and interest goes to the person who is the winner. In order
to stay abreast with the best, we must also win. The most
advantageous and serviceable lesson that we can derive from
football is the intrinsic value of winning. It is not the mere winning of
the game, but it is teaching the boys to win the hectic battle over
themselves that is important. Sure, winning the game is important,
and I would be the last to say that it wasn’t, but helping the boy to
develop his poise and confidence, pride in himself and his
undertakings, teaching him to give that little extra effort are the real
objectives of teaching winning football.
If I had my choice of either winning the game or winning the faith
of a boy, I would choose the latter. There is no greater reward for a
coach than to see his players achieve their goals in life and to know
he had some small part in the success of the boys’ endeavors.
Boys who participate in football, whether in high school or college,
are in their formative years. It is every coach’s responsibility to see
that each boy receives the necessary guidance and attention he so
rightly deserves. I would be deeply hurt and embarrassed if I learned
a boy wasn’t just a little better person after having played under my
guidance. If we, as coaches, lose the true sense of the value of
football and get to a point where we cannot contribute to a boy
progressing spiritually, mentally, and physically, we will be doing this
wonderful game of football a great injustice by remaining in
coaching.
The coaching profession is honorable and dignified and we
football coaches are in a position to contribute to the mental
development and desirable attitudes which will remain with the boys
throughout their lives. We have the opportunities to teach intangible
lessons to our players that will be priceless to them in future years.
We are in a position to teach these boys intrinsic values that cannot
be learned at home, church, school or any place outside of the
athletic field. Briefly, these intangible attributes are as follows: (1)
Discipline, sacrifice, work, fight, and teamwork; (2) to learn how to
take your “licks,” and yet fight back; (3) to be so tired you think you
are going to die, but instead of quitting you somehow learn to fight a
little harder; (4) when your team is behind, you learn to “suck up your
guts” and do whatever it takes to catch up and win the game; and (5)
you learn to believe in yourself because you know how to rise to the
occasion, and you know you will do it! The last trait is the most
important one.

The Greatest Display of Courage

One personal reference will illustrate the intangible attributes that


football teaches. We have all seen or heard someone tell about the
greatest display of courage a team has ever shown. When a team
you coach has had such an experience, it makes you exceedingly
happy and proud of your position and the team. While I have never
been ashamed of any of my football clubs, I will always have a soft
spot in my heart for one of my teams in particular. I think my 1955
Texas A & M team displayed the greatest courage, rose to the
occasion better, and did more of what I call “sucking up their guts
and doing what was required of them” in a particular game than any
other team with which I’ve ever been associated.
We were playing Rice Institute in Houston on a hot, humid
afternoon. Our play was very sluggish and before we fully realized it,
the game was almost over, and we were behind 12-0. We were
leading the Conference race up to this point, but it was beginning to
look as if we were going to be humiliated before 68,000 people.
Having become disgusted with my starting unit’s ineffective play, I
withdrew the regulars from the game early in the fourth quarter. With
approximately four minutes left to play, I decided to send the regulars
back in. I told them they still had time to win the game if it meant
enough to them to do so.
The first unit went on to the field and immediately called time out. I
later found out they vowed to each other they were going to do
whatever it took to win the game. We eventually got possession of
the football on our own 42-yard line, and the clock showed 2:56
remaining to play. Again the boys called time out, giving each man a
few seconds to make up his mind just exactly what he was going to
do. On the first play from scrimmage, Lloyd Taylor, a little halfback
from Roswell, New Mexico ran 58 yards around left end for a
touchdown. He kicked the extra point and the score was 12-7, with
2:08 remaining in the game. We tried an on-side (short) kick, and
Gene Stallings recovered the ball on Rice’s 49-yard line. Our
quarterback, Jimmy Wright, then threw a 49-yard pass to Lloyd
Taylor who made a beautiful catch as he crossed the goal line. Taylor
scored his fourteenth point as he kicked his second point-after-
touchdown placement. With the score 14-12, we lined up and kicked
the ball deep to Rice. Forcing Rice to gamble since they were
behind, they attempted a deep pass which our great fullback, Jack
Pardee, intercepted and returned 40 yards to the 3-yard line. On the
next play Don Watson carried the ball across for a touchdown,
making the final score 20-12 in our favor.
After the game in our dressing room when everyone was
congratulating each other, and everything was in a state of
confusion, Lloyd Taylor suggested we thank the Master for giving us
the courage to make the great comeback. From that game on we
have always said a prayer of gratitude after the game, win, lose, or
draw.
The particular incident cited was the greatest display I have ever
seen of boys reaching back and getting that little extra, showing their
true colors, and rising to the occasion and putting into practice the
thing that we preach and believe in.
What do we get out of coaching? There is nothing in the world I
would swap for the associations with those boys, and the other fine
men I have coached, and the self satisfaction of knowing I’ve helped
many boys to find themselves. In my estimation, football is truly a
way of life.
CHAPTER 2
The Theory of Winning Football

Every football team has a slogan, and each coach has his own
theory as to what makes a winning team. We are no exception. Our
slogan is, “Winning is not everything, but it sure beats anything that
comes in second.” Our theory on how to develop a winning team is
very simple—WORK! If the coaches and players will work hard, then
winning will be the result.
We want to win. We play to win. We are going to encourage, insist
and demand that our players give a 100% effort in trying to win.
Otherwise we would be doing them a great injustice. It is very
important for the boys to have a complete understanding of what
they must do in order to win.
When a boy has completed his eligibility or has played four years
under our guidance, I like to believe he will graduate knowing how to
suck up his guts and rise to the occasion, and do whatever is
required of him to get his job done. If our boys are willing to work
hard, and we give them the proper leadership and guidance, then
they will graduate winners and our athletic program will be a
success.

HOW TO START BUILDING A WINNER


Building a winning football team is something that cannot be
accomplished overnight, or even in a year or two, if the program is
starting from scratch. I believe, irrespective of the time element
involved, a football program has little chance of succeeding unless
the following “musts” are adhered to:
1. The coach must have a definite plan in which he
believes, and there must be no compromise on his part.
2. The football coach must have the complete cooperation
and support of the administrators and the administration, who
must believe in the head coach, his staff, and his plan.
3. The coach must have a long term contract.
4. The coach must not only be dedicated to football, but he
must be tough mentally.
5. The head coach must have the sole responsibility and
authority of selecting his staff of dedicated men, who must
believe in the head coach and his plan.

The Administration Must Believe in Your Plan

It is vitally important that a coach build a solid foundation for his


program. In order to do this he must have complete cooperation from
every member of the school’s administration. In many cases the
school officials will not have a complete and thorough understanding
of your athletic program. It is important that you explain to them just
what you are trying to accomplish, how long it will take, and why you
are doing it in your particular manner. The administrators and the
administration must understand the value the program has for each
boy who participates, and the ways the program can benefit the
entire school system. Therefore, before a coach accepts a particular
position he should give considerable thought to the administration’s
philosophy, attitude or point-of-view toward the football program. If
the school president or principal is skeptical, consider the position
seriously before accepting it. Building a championship team is
difficult enough with full cooperation from everyone, but it is an
impossible coaching situation without the administration’s full support
and confidence.

The Coach Must Have a Long Term Contract

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