The 1916 College Football All-Southern Team consists of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

players selected to the

College Football All-Southern Team The College Football All-Southern Team was an all-star team of college football players from the Southern United States. The honor was given annually to the best players at their respective positions. It is analogous to the All-America Team and w ...

s selected by various organizations in 1916.

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 ...

posted the best SIAA record, and tied for the championship with

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Graham Vowell John Graham Vowell (February 27, 1895 – November 17, 1963) was an American football player for the Tennessee Volunteers, of the University of Tennessee. He was the school's first All-American. Vowell was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall ...

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 ...

, and

Irby Curry Irby Rice "Rabbit" Curry (August 4, 1894 – August 10, 1918) was an American football quarterback for Vanderbilt University from 1914 to 1916. He was selected as a first-team All-Southern player in 1915 and 1916 and a third-team All-American i ...

were selected for

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

's third-team All-American. Both Curry and

Tommy Spence Thomas Louis Spence (April 17, 1896 – November 27, 1918) was an American college football player. Spence also played on the baseball, basketball, and track teams. Georgia Tech Football Spence was a prominent fullback for John Heisman's Ge ...

would die in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

serving the United States in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Composite team

The composite All-Southern team formed by the selection of 4 newspapers included: *

Walker Carpenter Walker Glenn "Bill" "Big Six" Carpenter (June 3, 1893 – September 24, 1956) was an American football Tackle (American football), tackle for John Heisman's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football, Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Inst ...

, tackle for Georgia Tech, starter for the 1916 team which, as one writer wrote, "seemed to personify Heisman." The season included the 222 to 0 defeat of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

. *

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 ...

, tackle for Vanderbilt, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970, only three-time All-American in Vanderbilt football history. He was selected for the ''Associated Press'' Southeast Area All-Time football team 1869-1919 era. Third-team Camp All-American. Later a prominent football coach at many institutions. * Rabbit Curry, quarterback for Vanderbilt, was selected third-team All-American by Walter Camp. During the

, he was killed in aerial combat over France. He was a beloved player of Coach McGugin, described by one writer as "the player who has most appealed to the imagination, admiration, and affection of the entire university community through the years." *

Bob Lang Robert McDonnell "Bob" Lang (October 1, 1892 – September 19, 1966) was a college football player. Early years Before attending Tech Lang went to the old South Georgia College in McRae. Georgia Tech Lang was a prominent guard for John Heis ...

, guard for Georgia Tech, starter in the 222 to 0 win. He was the first guard selected for the Heisman era All-Era Tech football team. * Chink Lowe, guard and captain-elect for Tennessee. He served in the First World War as a marine and earned the Distinguished Service Cross. *

, center for Georgia Tech, was selected third-team All-American by Walter Camp. The first Tech center to be selected All-Southern. *

Doc Rodes William "Doc" Rodes (October 7, 1894 – January 28, 1946) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the University of Kentucky. Rodes served in the First World War as a Second Lieutenant. Rodes was a ...

, halfback for Kentucky, a team which defeated

Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

68–0 and finished the season with an upset – a scoreless tie with SIAA co-champion Tennessee. Kentucky's only loss came against Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt coach

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 ...

stated "If you would give me Doc Rodes, I would say he was a greater player than Curry." *

, fullback for Georgia Tech, scored second most behind Strupper in the 222 to 0 win. Spence, like Curry, was also a casualty of the First World War over French skies. He is the namesake of

Spence Air Base Spence Air Base was a United States Air Force base that operated from 1941 to 1961. It was later reopened as Spence Airport. History The City of Moultrie gained its first official municipal airport, Clark Field, in the 1930s. In 1940, local l ...

. *

Everett Strupper George Everett Strupper Jr. (July 26, 1896 – February 4, 1950), known variously as "Ev" or "Strup" or "Stroop" was an American football player. He played halfback for Georgia Tech from 1915 to 1917. Strupper overcame deafness resulting from ...

, halfback for Georgia Tech, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972. He was deaf and scored the most in the 222 to 0 win. *

, end and captain for Tennessee, the lone unanimous selection. He was also selected third-team All-American by Walter Camp. After football, he worked in the lumber business.

Composite overview

All-Southerns of 1916

Ends

†, Tennessee (C, NTC, DJ, H, MB, BH-1, HS, FB, EC, KS, WGF-1, BP) * Lloyd Wolfe, Tennessee (C, NTC, BH-2, EC, KS, WGF-2) * Red Jones, Auburn (C, BH-1) *

Si Bell Robert Strickland "Si" Bell (April 18, 1894 – March 12, 1972) was a college football player. Georgia Tech Bell was prominent end for the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was twice selected All-So ...

, Georgia Tech (C, FB) *

Neil Edmond Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

, Sewanee (BH-2, BP) * Harry E. Clark, Sewanee (WGF-2)

Tackles

, Vanderbilt (College Football Hall of Fame) (C, NTC, DJ s e H, MB, BH-1, HS, EC, WGF-1, BP) *

, Georgia Tech (C, NTC, DJ, H, MB, BH-1, EC, WGF-1) *

Ike Rogers Isaac J. "Ike" Rogers was a college football player. Early years Rogers attended the Florence State Normal School in Florence, Alabama. University of Alabama Rogers was a prominent tackle for the Alabama Crimson Tide of the University of ...

, Alabama (C, HS s e FB) *

Phillip Cooper Phillip "Chief" Cooper was a college football player. College football Cooper was a prominent tackle for the LSU Tigers football team, and captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme l ...

, LSU (C, DJ, BH-2) * Tom Thrash, Georgia (C, WGF-2) *Morris Vowell, Tennessee (EC) *

Tom Lipscomb Thomas Lipscomb was a college football player. Vanderbilt Lipscomb was a prominent tackle and guard for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores football teams, playing opposite Josh Cody. 1915 He and Cody blocked a punt in the game against Sewanee ...

, Vanderbilt (WGF-2)

Guards

, Georgia Tech (C, NTC DJ, H, BH-1, HS, WGF-1) * William O. "Chink" Lowe, Tennessee (C, BH-2, HS, FB, EC, KS, WGF-2) * Pryor Williams, Vanderbilt (C, NTC, H, MB, BH-1, BP) *

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 ...

, Auburn (C, H s e BH-2 s t HS s t FB, WGF-2, BP s t * Charlie Carman, Vanderbilt (C, BH-2, EC, BP) * Garmany, Georgia (MB, KS) *P. C. Hambaugh, Tennessee (WGF-1)

Center

, Georgia Tech (C, NTC, DJ, H, MB, BH-1, HS, EC, KS) * Carey Robinson, Auburn (C, DJ s g MB s e BH-2, FB, WGF-1 s e BP) * Kirby Lee Spurlock, Mississippi A&M (WGF-2)

Quarterbacks

* Rabbit Curry, Vanderbilt (C, NTC, H, MB

s hb S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. Histor ...

BH-1, HS, FB, EC, KS

WGF-1, BP) * Froggie Morrison, Georgia Tech (C, DJ, MB, BH-2)

Halfbacks

, Georgia Tech (College Football Hall of Fame) (C, NTC, DJ, H, MB, BH-1, HS, FB, KS, WGF-1) *

, Kentucky (C, NTC, H, BH-2, EC, KS b WGF-1) * Red Floyd, Vanderbilt (C, BH-2, HS, FB) * Bill Folger, North Carolina (C, DJ) * Cecil Creen, Alabama (C, EC) * Eben Wortham, Sewanee (BH-1, WGF-2 s qb *

Owen Reynolds Owen Gaston Reynolds (January 12, 1900 – March 11, 1984) was an American football player in the National Football League (NFL). Reynolds played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs of the University of Georgia, receiving All-Souther ...

, Georgia (BP) *

Homer Prendergast Finis Homer "Boosky" Prendergast, Jr. (April 20, 1893 – June 3, 1975) was a college football player and high school football coach. Playing career Auburn University Prendergast was a prominent running back for Mike Donahue's Auburn Tigers f ...

, Auburn (BP) *Talley Johnston, Georgia Tech (WGF-2) *H. F. Flannagan, LSU (WGF-2)

Fullbacks

, Georgia Tech (C, NTC, DJ, H, MB, BH-1, HS, FB, WGF-1, BP) *

, Auburn, (C) *Otto Schwill, Mississippi A&M (BH-2, KS, WGF-2)

Key

Bold = Composite selection * = Consensus All-American † = Unanimous selection C = received at least one selection from a composite of 4 newspapers: ''

The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'', ''The Birmingham Age-Herald'', ''The Knoxville Journal and Tribune'', and '' The Nashville Tennessean''. NTC = Composite selection of the ''

Nashville Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

''. DJ =

Dick Jemison Richard Stubbs Jemison (September 19, 1886 – January 9, 1965) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter in the South who was for eleven years the sporting editor of the ''Atlanta Constitution''. He wrote extensively on baseball and f ...

of the ''Atlanta Constitution''. He had an "All-Southern" and an "All-SIAA" selection. The only difference was switching Eben Wortham at halfback for Folger. H =

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 ...

, coach at

Georgia Institute of Technology 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 ...

. MB =

Morgan Blake William Morgan Blake (February, 1889 – July 26, 1953) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter in the South who in his 24 years on the job covered seven Rose Bowl games. He also taught the south's largest Sunday School class. Early ye ...

of the ''Atlanta Journal''. BH = Blinkey Horn of the ''

''. HS = Hugh Sparrow, sporting editor for the '' Birmingham Ledger''. FB = Fred Boedeker in ''Birmingham Age-Herald'' EC = Earl Crew in ''Knoxville Journal and Tribune'' KS = ''Knoxville Sentinel'' WGF = W. G. Foster in the ''Chattanooga Times'' BP = Bob Pigue in ''Nashville Banner''

References

{{College Football All-Southern Teams 1916 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season College Football All-Southern Teams