Booth, "Albie" (Albert J. Jr.)
Football
b. Feb. 1, 1908, New Haven, CT
d. March 1, 1959
When Army was leading Yale, 13-0, in the second quarter of their game on October 26, 1929, a 5-foot-6, 144-pound sophomore halfback came off the bench. He scored 14 points to give Yale the lead and then returned a punt 70 yards, running through the entire Army team, for another touchdown and a 21-13 victory. His name was Albie Booth, but the newspapers called him "Little Boy Blue" after that effort.
Oddly for someone his size, Booth didn't have great speed, but he was a remarkably shifty runner who could change directions quickly, stop on a dime and then get started just as fast, and change speeds to deceive tacklers. He was also an excellent punter and drop-kicker and a good passer.
The captain of the team in 1931, his senior year, Booth returned a kickoff 96 yards against Dartmouth, had a 53-yard run from scrimmage for another touchdown, and scored a third on a pass reception. His field goal with seconds to play gave Yale a 3-0 win over Harvard.
Booth captained the basketball team as a senior and played baseball, as well. In the last game he played in any sport for Yale, he hit a grand-slam home run to beat Harvard, 4-3.