The 1896 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

during the 1896 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. As a member of the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

(SIAA), the team provided Georgia with its first undefeated season, compiling a 4–0 record and defeating

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

for the first time. The Bulldogs were co-champions of the SIAA with

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

, who joined the conference in 1896.

Before the season

This was the Georgia Bulldogs' second and final season under the guidance of head coach

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his inn ...

who had continued as coach for a second season at a salary of $40 per week for ten weeks. "It was rare in those days that a coach lasted more than one season". Several veterans returned from last season.

Rufus B. Nalley Rufus Benajamin "Cow" Nalley (December 27, 1870 – November 28, 1902) was a three sport participant at the University of Georgia, playing football and baseball and participating in track and field. He was described as being of average height and ...

and

Richard Von Albade Gammon Richard Von Albade Gammon (December 4, 1879 – October 31, 1897) was a University of Georgia football fullback who died after injuries sustained in a collegiate football game. Biography Richard Von Albade Gammon was born December 4, 1879 ...

were both in the backfield, with Gammon at

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, and Nalley as captain.

Schedule

Season summary

Wofford

The season opened in

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

with a 26–0 defeat of

Wofford Wofford may refer to: People with the surname *Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, 1931–2019), American writer *Dan Wofford, American politician *Harris Wofford (1926–2019), U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, 1991-1995 *James C. Woffor ...

North Carolina

In "the first big football game of the season", Georgia beat

24–16 in a close game. "For the first time in Southern football history the football supremacy of Virginia and North Carolina was successfully challenged." WarnerinAthens

The first touchdown came when George Whitfield Price went around right tackle for 8 yards. "There were yells of 'Price', 'Price' everywhere". Carolina's Heyward then got his own touchdown through right tackle. Later, Carolina's Belden made a great punt, which went over Lovejoy's head. Wright fell on it for a touchdown, giving Carolina the lead. Then Blanch broke through and tied the score with a 30-yard run between right end and tackle. He then later went around right end to put the Bulldogs up by a score as the first half ended. A blocked kick from Blanch and Key led to Georgia's final touchdown. After Green ran for 40 yards on a fake buck, Heyward scored the last touchdown for Carolina from 5 yards out. The starting lineup was Wight (left end), Price (left tackle), Blanch (left guard), Atkinson (center, Middlebrooke (right guard), Kent (right tackle), Watson (right end), Gammon (quarterback), Nalley (left halfback), Cothrell (right halfback), Lovejoy (fullback).

Sewanee

The Bulldogs defeated the

Sewanee Tigers The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...

26–0. Sewanee's offense was weak.

Auburn

In the rivalry game with

John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

to decide the conference, Georgia won 12–6 to close its first undefeated season. Georgia's quarterback the following season

Reynolds Tichenor Walker Reynolds "Tick" Tichenor (January 26, 1877 – November 16, 1935) was a college football player, coach, and official, as well as a sportswriter and attorney. Tichenor was a quarterback for John Heisman's Auburn Tigers of Auburn Uni ...

was at the same spot for the Tigers. Lovejoy scored Georgia's first touchdown, without Nalley using signals. The next touchdown came on another trick, with an

onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the o ...

to get the ball. Walter Cothran followed this with an 80-yard touchdown run. Tichenor then had a long punt return for Auburn. Tichenor once said he had been sprawled on the ground, when a big Georgia lineman jumped at him, knees first, with Tichenor rolling out of the way just in time. "The fellow was very polite," Tichenor said. "We both got up and he apologized very profusely for having missed me." Tichenor later transferred to Georgia to attend law school. The starting lineup was Wight (left end), Price (left tackle), Walker (left guard), Atkinson (center, Blanch (right guard), Walden (right tackle), Dougherty (right end), Gammon (quarterback), Nalley (left halfback), Pomeroy (right halfback), Lovejoy (fullback).

Postseason

The 1896 team is considered one of Georgia's early great ones. Georgia did not win another conference championship until the 1920 season.

References

Additional sources

* {{SIAA football champions

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Georgia Bulldogs football seasons College football undefeated seasons

Georgia Bulldogs football The Georgia Bulldogs football program represents the University of Georgia in the sport of American football. The Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Div ...