Statue of Liberty play (1922); El Foldo (1936); Philadelphia Decision (1955)

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STATUE OF LIBERTY PLAY

   A football play.

   5 November 1922, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. 25:
   _Paves Way fo Second Tally by "Statue of Liberty" Play_ (...)
   In fact, this particular piece of trickery, which they called the "Statue of Liberty" play out in the wilds of Pennsylvania, is so hoary that it is almost moss-bound, like the old oaken bucket.  Glenn Warner used it away back in the days of the Carlisle Indians, and it still goes on fooling the best defenses.
(It was used by Lafayette College in this article--ed.)

   6 November 1927, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. 52:
   It was the ancient "Statue of Liberty" play, withMcPhail faking a pass and Marsters coming around to take the ball from his over-stretched hand and continuing on around left end for the score.

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EL FOLDO

   Paul Dickson's BASEBALL DICTIONARY uses a 1939 citation from Barry Popik.  That's baseball, but this football use might have started it.

   5 December 1936, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. 10:
   _"The Grandest El Foldo."_
   Maxwell Stiles, football writer in The Los Angeles Examiner, said:
(...)
   "Of all the teams that ever played at Pasadena, Pitt has consistently done the grandest el foldo."

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PHILADELPHIA DECISION

   In boxing, for the judges to favor the home fighter.  This was used in the Denzell Washington film about "Hurricane" Carter.

   11 May 1955, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. 39:
   Johnny Saxton won the welterweight championship last October from Kid Gavilon in a bout that led to the fight-world term--"A Philadelphia decision."