Who said give it the old college try?

Who said 'give it the old college try'? John McGraw in 1913

The common phrase who said give it the old college try suffers from misattribution, but its real origin lies in early 20th century baseball. Knowing the correct attribution helps you avoid spreading myths and gives insight into how sports culture shapes American English. Discover the key figures who popularized this enduring expression.

Who said give it the old college try?

The phrase give it the old college try is most widely attributed to John McGraw, the legendary and fiery manager of the New York Giants, around 1913. It can be a bit of a mess to trace exact origins of century-old idioms, but early sports journalism consistently points to the baseball diamond rather than the classroom. McGraw reportedly used the line to describe a college-educated rookies desperate, sprawling, but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to catch a difficult fly ball.

Initially, the term carried a heavy dose of irony. In the early 20th century, professional baseball players were often rough-and-tumble figures who viewed college athletes as overly enthusiastic amateurs. To give it the college try meant to exert oneself with more zeal than skill, often resulting in a spectacular failure. It was less of a compliment and more of a locker-room jab at the college boys who didnt yet understand the gritty pragmatism of the professional leagues.

The Dugout Origins: John McGraw and the 1917 Giants

While there are whispers of the phrase appearing as early as 1912, the most cited story involves John McGraw during a game around 1917, which gave rise to the famous john mcgraw old college try quote.

Ill be honest - tracing these old dugout quotes is like trying to find a specific grain of sand at the beach. Most accounts agree that a rookie outfielder, fresh out of university, made a heroic dive for a ball that was clearly out of reach. He missed, the ball landed for a home run, and the veteran players began to mock him. McGraw, however, allegedly stepped in and said, Thats the eye, young fellow. The old college try.

In that context, McGraw was likely being sincere, even if his teammates were being sarcastic. He valued the hustle that the younger, educated players brought to the game, even if their efforts were statistically doomed. At the time, college-educated players were a distinct minority in Major League Baseball, accounting for roughly 15-20% of the leagues rosters. This ^[2] made their playing style - often characterized by a more reckless, spirited enthusiasm - stand out significantly from the seasoned pros who prioritized longevity and avoiding injury.

From the Diamond to the Pulpit: The Billy Sunday Connection

If McGraw gave the phrase its life, Billy Sunday gave it its wings. Sunday was a famous evangelist who had been a professional baseball player himself before taking to the pulpit. In June 1917, he published a widely read column titled The Old College Try,^[3] where he recounted the story of McGraw and the rookie, establishing a clear record for the origin of give it the old college try. This was the moment the phrase likely leaped from baseball slang into the national consciousness.

Sunday’s use of the phrase helped transition the old college try phrase meaning from a specific baseball insult to a broader moral lesson about perseverance. He portrayed the college try as a noble effort against impossible odds. This shift in tone is one of those interesting linguistic pivots - where a sarcastic remark about someone trying too hard becomes a badge of honor for anyone refusing to give up. Dead wrong? Not exactly. Just a very human evolution of language.

Babe Ruth and the Evolution of the Meaning

By the late 1920s, the phrase was well-entrenched, and for those wondering who said give it the old college try in later contexts, Babe Ruth, in his 1928 book, Babe Ruths Own Book of Baseball, defined it with his characteristic bluntness. He described it as playing to the grandstand or ^[4] making a strenuous effort to field a ball that obviously cannot be handled. Ruth’s definition highlighted the showboating aspect that still lingered around the phrase at the time. To the pros, running yourself into a wall for a ball that was 20 feet out of reach wasnt just futile; it was annoying.

However, as the decades passed, the sarcasm evaporated. I’ve found that by the mid-20th century, the phrase had largely lost its association with baseballs internal social hierarchies. It became a general idiom for making a sincere, all-out effort, usually with the acknowledgment that the odds are stacked against you. Today, when a boss or a coach tells you to give it the old college try, they arent calling you a show-off; theyre asking for your absolute best.

The Evolution of the College Try

Original Usage (c. 1912-1917)

• A sarcastic or ironic jab at overly enthusiastic, amateurish effort.

• Major League Baseball dugouts and sports journalism.

• John McGraw (Manager, New York Giants).

Popularization Phase (c. 1917-1928)

• Heroic effort in the face of certain failure; sometimes showboating.

• Religious sermons, national newspaper columns, and player memoirs.

• Billy Sunday (Evangelist) and Babe Ruth (Player).

Modern Usage (Post-1950s)

• A sincere, best-possible effort regardless of the outcome.

• General idioms used in business, education, and daily life.

• General public (idiom internalized in American English).

The Marathoner's Wall

Minh, a 35-year-old software engineer in Ho Chi Minh City, signed up for his first full marathon despite only having trained for 10km runs. He wanted to prove to himself that he could handle the distance, but his preparation was a bit of a mess due to a busy work schedule.

At the 32km mark, the heat and humidity of the city hit him hard. His legs felt like lead weights, and every breath was a struggle. He had never felt this kind of physical pain before, and his first instinct was to just sit down on the curb and quit.

Instead of focusing on the remaining 10km, he decided to give it the old college try - ignoring the logic that said he couldn't finish. He focused on just reaching the next water station, then the next lamp post, breaking the impossible task into tiny, manageable steps.

Minh crossed the finish line in just over 5 hours. His legs were cramping and he could barely stand, but the pride was real. He learned that the 'college try' isn't about being the fastest; it's about the grit to keep moving when your body is screaming at you to stop.