The 1916 Auburn Tigers football team represented

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

in the 1916 college football season. It was the Tigers' 25th overall season and they competed 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 was led by head coach

Mike Donahue Michael Joseph "Iron Mike" Donahue (June 14, 1876 – December 11, 1960) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, baseball, tennis, track, soccer, and golf, and a college athletics administrator. He served as the head fo ...

, in his 12th year, and played their home games at

Drake Field Drake Field is a public airport three miles south of Fayetteville, in Washington County, Arkansas. It is also known as Fayetteville Executive Airport and was formerly Fayetteville Municipal Airport. Historical airline service Drake Field w ...

Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama, with a 2020 population of 76,143. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population o ...

. They finished with a record of six wins and two losses (6–2 overall, 6–2 in the SIAA).

Schedule

Game summaries

Georgia

In the 1916 game against

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 ...

,Auburn and Alabama Flirt With Renewed Relationship
''The Miami News'', December 25, 1928.

Moon Ducote Richard Joseph "Moon" "Duke" DuCôté ( ; August 28, 1897 – March 26, 1937) was an American baseball, football, and basketball coach, football and baseball player, football official, and businessman. He first attended Spring Hill College and ...

kicked a 40-yard

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

from placement off of captain Lucy Hairston's

football helmet The football helmet is a piece of protective equipment used mainly in gridiron football, although a structural variation has occasional use in Australian rules football. It consists of a hard plastic shell with thick padding on the inside, a f ...

in the fourth quarter and in the mud, which proved the only points in the 3–0 Auburn victory. The maneuver prompted a rule that stated the ball must be kicked directly off the ground. Parke H. Davis described it thus:

Ducote falls back to try for a goal from the field. Hairston removes his leather helmet and places it upon the ground. He creases the top of the helmet and sights it for the goal. Spectators curiously watch the proceedings. Suddenly, the ball is passed. Hairston receives it, places it on the helmet, which all suddenly see it is to serve as a mechanical tee. Ducote leaps forward, kicks the ball from the top of the helmet and drives it straight as an arrow for Georgia's crossbar, over which it sails evenly between the posts."

Florida

*Sources: The Tigers beat the winless

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

20–0. Auburn's fullback Scott was the star of the contest. The second touchdown was a 50-yard interception return by Godwin. The starting lineup was Jones (left end), Bonner (left tackle), Fricke (left guard), Goodwin (center), Campbell (right guard), Steed (right tackle), Burns (right end), Hairston (quarterback), Ducote (left halfback), Pendergast (right halfback), Scott (fullback).

Vanderbilt

*Sources:

Dan McGugin Daniel Earle McGugin (July 29, 1879 – January 23, 1936) was an American football player and coach, as well as a lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from ...

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's team ...

eliminated Auburn from SIAA title contention by a 20–9 score.

Josh Cody Joshua Crittenden Cody (June 11, 1892 – June 17, 1961) was an American college athlete, head coach, and athletics director. Cody was a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of Vanderbilt University, where he played several sports. As a versatil ...

carried the ball over for the first touchdown. Rabbit Curry played well at the start, but could not play the entire game due to an ankle injury.

made a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter to put the Tigers up 9–7. With the help of the forward pass, the Commodores scored two further touchdowns in the last quarter. The starting lineup was C. Jones (left end), Sample (left tackle), Frickie (left guard), Robinson (center), Campbell (right guard), Bonner (right tackle), Steed (right end), Hairston (quarterback), Ducote (left halfback), Prendergast (right halfback), Scott (fullback).

Georgia Tech

*Sources:

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 ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

overwhelmed rival Auburn 33–7 to clinch a share of the SIAA title. Tech end Dunwoody scored a touchdown when he recovered a fumble and raced 20 yards. Center

Pup Phillips George Marshall "Pup" Phillips (September 24, 1895May 1, 1953) was an American football player and coach. Early years George Marshall Phillips was born on September 24, 1895 in Carnesville, Georgia to George Sullivan Phillips and Elizabeth Wit ...

also had a score, falling on a punt he blocked. Auburn's star was

. The starting lineup was C. Jones (left end), Sample (left tackle), Frickey (left guard), Robinson (center), Campbell (right guard), Ducote (right tackle), Steed (right end), T. Jones (quarterback), Hairston (left halfback), Prendergast (right halfback), Scott (fullback).

References

{{Auburn Tigers football navbox

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 ...

Auburn Tigers football seasons

Auburn Tigers football The Auburn Tigers football program represents Auburn University in the sport of American college football. Auburn competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division o ...