Archmere Academy, a private Catholic high school in Delaware, arrived as a heavy underdog to open its football season in the fall of 1960.

Its opponent, St. James High School, a New Jersey powerhouse, had battered Archmere by 11 touchdowns in a scrimmage a year earlier.

Yet Archmere had an unlikely weapon: Joe Biden.

The Archmere coach had filled his roster by recruiting nearly half the team from the lunch line and devised an offense that relied on power running, misdirection and the occasional pass. On a reverse in that game, Biden scurried 40 yards untouched for a touchdown in a 12-0 upset.

“He was a halfback, and he scored some running touchdowns too, but he was the guy that was the main pass catcher,” one of Biden’s teammates, Michael Fay, recalled. “We were seniors in 1960, so throwing the ball was almost a mortal sin. But he caught seven or eight touchdown passes in eight games, which was a lot for back then.”

Source: New York Times

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