to show [the] second eleven is not far behind the first." Spring and summer 1904: The origins of the forward pass The political roots of the pass In addition to the Ringling brothers and Robinson, another notable person from Baraboo, Wisconsin was Belle Case (1859–1931). The suffragette and attorney was, according to The New York Times at the time of her death, "probably the least known yet most influential of all the American women who had to do with public affairs in this country". She taught high school in Baraboo before marrying future Wisconsin Congressman, Senator, Governor and Presidential candidate Robert M. La Follette. Belle La Follette played an active role in her husband's political career. In the spring of 1904, Robinson was summoned by Governor La Follette to the Executive Mansion, which was just a short walk from the U of W campus. In a February 5, 1946 interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Robert Morrison, Robinson recalled that the Governor's "wife was from my home town and our families were acquainted ... So at the university football practices, where La Follette used to come occasionally, he would often stop to talk to me." Even so, Robinson was puzzled by the Governor's invitation until, "he showed me a letter from Teddy Roosevelt. There had been a lot of injuries in football and a movement was afoot to abolish the game. Roosevelt wrote that he did not want it wiped out and he thought it was an excellent game for character building, so La Follette asked me 'what do you think can be done to spread the game out and soften it up a bit?'" Writing in his memoirs, Robinson remembered suggesting "increasing the distance to be gained in a set number of downs, to develop the kicking angle and introducing some of the elements of basketball and English Rugby; with perhaps allowing the throwing of the ball forward." Sometime later, Robinson "met with the Governor and he told me to develop handling and throwing the ball because he was sure that eventually there would be changes in the rules along that line." Robinson learns to pass It was in the preseason of 1904 that Robinson first completely recognized the potential of the pass. Robinson later wrote: ... there came to the Wisconsin U squad a tall young Irishman from Chicago. His name was H.P. Savage, the same who later