Bob Quincy notes in his 1973 book They Made the Bell Tower Chime:
"John Heisman, a noted historian, wrote 30 years later that, indeed, the Tar Heels had given birth to the forward pass against the Bulldogs (UGA). It was conceived to break a scoreless deadlock and give UNC a 6–0 win. The Carolinians were in a punting situation and a Georgia rush seemed destined to block the ball. The punter, with an impromptu dash to his right, tossed the ball and it was caught by George Stephens, who ran 70 yards for a touchdown." The ball was thrown out of desperation by back Joel Whitaker.[1] Georgia coach Pop Warner complained to the referee that the play was illegal, however, the referee let the play stand because he did not see the pass.[1] Only four minutes of game time had passed when Stephens scored.[2][3]
Aftermath
The teams played a second time and North Carolina won 10 to 6.
