<P> The wishbone is a 1960s variation of the T - formation . It consists of three running backs: a fullback lined up directly behind the quarterback, and the two halfbacks split behind the fullback . It can be run with two tight ends, one tight end and one wide receiver, or two wide receivers . Most offensive systems that employ the wishbone use it as their primary formation, and most run the ball much more often than they pass . The wishbone is a common formation for the triple option offense in which the quarterback decides after the snap whether to hand the ball to the fullback for a run up the middle, pitch the ball to a running back on the outside, or keep the ball and run it himself . </P> <P> The wishbone was developed in the 1960s by Emory Bellard, offensive coordinator at the University of Texas under head coach Darrell Royal . The offense was an immediate success, and Texas won the national championship in 1969 running a wishbone / option system . It was subsequently adopted by many other college programs in the 1970s, including Alabama and Oklahoma, who also won national titles with variations of the offense . However, as with any hugely successful formation or philosophy, as teams learned how to defend against it, it became much less successful . </P> <P> Today, the wishbone / option offense is still used by some high school and smaller college teams, but it is much less common in major college football, where teams tend to employ more pass - oriented attacks . The United States Air Force Academy (aka Air Force), the United States Naval Academy (Navy) and Georgia Tech are among the few NCAA FBS teams that commonly use the wishbone and its variations . Ironically, because it is now rare in the college game, its effectiveness has increased, as defenses are no longer accustomed to defending against it . </P> <P> The wishbone has very rarely been used in professional football, as it was developed after passing quarterbacks became the norm . NFL quarterbacks are not necessarily good runners, and are in any case too valuable to the offense to risk injury by regularly running with the football . During the strike season of 1987, the San Francisco 49ers used the wishbone successfully against the New York Giants to win 41 - 21 . Coach Bill Walsh used the wishbone because of his replacement quarterback's familiarity with a similar formation in college . </P>

What two offensive formations evolve in american football in the 1960s