The 1920 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the

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 ...

during the 1920 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Tornado was coached by William Alexander in his first year as head coach. The team compiled a record of 8–1 (4–0 SIAA), outscored opponents 312 to 16, and tied for first place with

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 ...

and

Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

in 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). Georgia Tech played its home games at

Grant Field Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is the football stadium located at the corner of North Avenue at Techwood Drive on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. It has been home to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets foo ...

. Its only loss was a controversial one to

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 ...

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of t ...

. Florent Gibson of the ''

Pittsburgh Post The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Pittsburgh metropolitan area, metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspa ...

'' rated Tech as the best team in the country. Tech also handed

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

its first loss to a southern team since 1916. Several players received postseason honors. Tackle

Bill Fincher William Enoch Fincher (November 12, 1896 – July 17, 1978) was an American college football player and coach. He played the end and tackle positions for the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team of the Georgia Institute of Technology. ...

made

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 first-team All-American, then just the fourth Southern player to do so.

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

halfback

Buck Flowers Allen Ralph "Buck" Flowers, Jr. (March 26, 1899 – April 8, 1983) was an American college football player who was a halfback for the Davidson Wildcats football team of Davidson College in 1917 and for the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado footbal ...

made some third-team All-America selections, and led the country with an average of 49.4 yards per punt.

Before the season

After last season, former coach

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 ...

resigned and left Atlanta. New head coach William Alexander retained Heisman's scheme, using the pre-

snap Snap or SNAP may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Snap'', the original release title for the 2013 film ''Enter the Dangerous Mind'' *''Snap'' (TV series), a CITV programme * ''The Stanly News and Press'', a newspaper in Albemarle, North Carol ...

movement of his "

jump shift The jump shift or Heisman shift, was an American football shift maneuver utilized by John Heisman. In this system, only the center was on the line of scrimmage, and the backfield would be in a line, as one would in an I-formation with an extra ...

" offense. One report reads: "Since Coach Alex has taken charge there is a change in the team. The youngest coach in major football, he is probably the most popular, and bids fair to prove himself the peer of them all. Not only is Coach the idol of members of the team, but of the student body as well." Former Tech running back and Chippewa

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Joe Guyon Joseph Napoleon "Big Chief" Guyon (Anishinaabe: ''O-Gee-Chidah'', translated as "Big Brave"; November 26, 1892 – November 27, 1971) was an American Indian from the Ojibwa tribe (Chippewa) who was an American football and baseball player and co ...

assisted Alexander. In 1920, football used a

one-platoon system The one-platoon system, also known as iron man football, is a platoon system in American football where players play on both offense and defense. It was the result of smaller roster sizes in the early days of the game and rules that limited player ...

in which players played both offense,

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

, and

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. The team's most prominent players were in the

backfield The offensive backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage. The offensive backfield can also refer to members of offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including any backs on the field, such as the q ...

, including senior captain and halfback Buck Flowers, a small back who also handled

drop kick A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it as it touches the ground. Drop kicks are used as a method of restarting play and scoring points in rugby union and rugby league ...

s and punting. As a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

on defense, no player ever got past him for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

. Halfback

Red Barron David Irenus "Red" Barron (June 21, 1900 – October 4, 1982) was an American football and baseball player. Barron was a three-sport Varsity letter, letterwinner at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In football, he was named second or third t ...

running behind fullback

Judy Harlan Julian Washington "Judy" Harlan Jr. (November 6, 1896 – May 20, 1978) was an American college football player for the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was the fullback in Georgia Tech's famou ...

was also renowned for its power. Most prominent in the

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

was tackle

, who also was the team's

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

. Fincher had a

glass eye An ocular prosthesis, artificial eye or glass eye is a type of craniofacial prosthesis that replaces an absent natural eye following an enucleation, evisceration, or orbital exenteration. The prosthesis fits over an orbital implant and under ...

which he would covertly pull out after feigning an injury, turn to his opponents and say: "So that's how you want to play!"

Schedule

Season summary

Week 1: Wake Forest

The first game of the year saw Georgia Tech pitted against the

Wake Forest Demon Deacons The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a mem ...

. Tech won 44 to 0. Judy Harlan scored the year's first touchdown. Wake Forest failed to net a single

first down A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the f ...

. Harlan and Red Barron scored two touchdowns each and

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 ...

Jack McDonough John Martin McDonough (26 July 1879 – 23 February 1955) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the South Melbourne Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) ...

and Pinkey Hunt one each. Captain Flowers gained consistently, and also drop-kicked a 26-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 ...

Week 2: Oglethorpe

Sources: In the second week of play, Georgia Tech defeated

Jogger Elcock Walter Benjamin "Jogger" Elcock (December 6, 1888 – June 10, 1964) was an American football player, coach, and referee. He played college football at Dartmouth College as a tackle from 1909 to 1911. Elcock served as the head football coach a ...

Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels Oglethorpe University is a private college in Brookhaven, Georgia. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. History Oglethorpe University was cha ...

55 to 0. Buck Flowers had a 68-yard touchdown run. He got his start on a " criss-cross" play near his own 32-yard line, and ran for the touchdown crossing the field laterally many times showing an assortment of moves. TechJudyRed

The starting lineup was: J. Staton (left

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

), Fincher (left tackle), Lebey (left

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

), Amis (

center 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 eccentrici ...

), O. Davis (right guard), A. Staton (right tackle), Ratterman (right end), McDonough (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Harlan ( fullback)

Week 3: Davidson

Sources: On October 9, Georgia Tech defeated the

Davidson Wildcats The Davidson Wildcats are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics teams representing Davidson College of Davidson, North Carolina, United States. A member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), Davidson College sponsors teams in ten men's ...

66 to 0. Red Barron scored four touchdowns, including an

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

return of 76 yards. He also ran in a touchdown from 25 yards out after catching a

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...

from fullback Judy Harlan. Tech attempted six passes the whole game, completing 3 for 114 yards. One of Flowers' punts went 85 yards, the longest in school history. The starting lineup was: J. Staton (left end), Fincher (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Amis (center), O. Davis (right guard), A. Staton (right tackle), Ratterman (right end), McDonough (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Harlan (fullback)

Week 4: at Vanderbilt

Sources: Georgia Tech dominated in a week 4 win over the

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 ...

. The 44 to 0 victory was one of the largest at

Old Dudley Field FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a American football, football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the American South, South to be used exclusively for college foo ...

Georgia Tech had entered into the main part of its schedule after three dominating wins. Upcoming engagements with Vanderbilt,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and

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 ...

were said to determine the season's outcome. Pittsburgh and Centre–but Pittsburgh especially, were the biggest opponents. Vanderbilt was seen as the warm up act to these two, for it was far superior to any of Tech's prior games. The first game of the year to have direct implications for the Southern championship, it was cited by some as the most interesting southern contest of the week. Flowersgatech

The Golden Tornado was the clear favorite. Georgia Tech outplayed Vanderbilt and had the ball for three-fourths of the game. Several of Vanderbilt's players left with injuries. Its ends were easily skirted by the Tech backs Buck Flowers, Red Barron, and Frank Ferst. Tech's first touchdown came when Barron ripped off a 55-yard run. Captain Flowers once made a drop kick from 44 yards out. Ferst came in for Flowers in the middle of the second quarter when Georgia Tech started to use substitutes. The third quarter saw Vanderbilt's one exciting offensive

drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...

. "With

Godchaux Godchaux is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Donna Jean Godchaux (born 1947), American singer * Davon Godchaux (born 1994), American football player *Frank Godchaux Sr. (1879–1965), American businessman *Frank Godchaux (1901� ...

, Kuhn, and Raeburn subbing in the backfield, the Commodores opened a series of forward passes and runs that netted about 50 yards before Flowers intercepted a long pass on his own 10-yard line and raced 50 yards before being pushed

out of bounds In sports, out of bounds (or out-of-bounds) refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. Due to the chaotic nature of play, it is normal in many sports for players and/or the ball to go out of bounds frequently during a game. T ...

by a Vandy

tackler A tackler was a supervisor in a textile factory responsible for the working of a number of power looms and the weavers who operated them. The title derived from the job, which was to "tackle" any mechanical problems encountered with the looms in ...

Fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s cost Vanderbilt; one by

Grailey Berryhill Grailyn Hewitt "Grailey" Berryhill (August 17, 1896 – January 10, 1976) was an American football player, physician, and politician. He was a star running back for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University. He scored six touc ...

lead to Tech's third touchdown. In the fourth quarter, a fight broke out involving

Gink Hendrick Harvey "Gink" Hendrick (November 9, 1897 – October 29, 1941) was an American Major League Baseball player who played for several different teams during an eleven-year career. Early years Born near Mason, Tennessee on November 9, 1897 to Richard ...

, some Tech players, and spectators. Tech lost some 133 yards from penalties during the contest. The starting lineup was: J. Staton (left end), A. Staton (left tackle), O. Davis (left guard), Amis (center), Lebey (right guard), Fincher (right tackle), Ratterman (right end), McDonough (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Harlan (fullback).

Week 5: at Pitt

Sources: The Golden Tornado suffered its only loss at the hands of

by a score of 10 to 3. The game was controversial and Pitt was considered lucky to have won, such that after the game Pitt's own players and coaches led the praise for Tech. Tech halfback Red Barron played with a

broken jaw Mandibular fracture, also known as fracture of the jaw, is a break through the mandibular bone. In about 60% of cases the break occurs in two places. It may result in a decreased ability to fully open the mouth. Often the teeth will not feel pr ...

suffered during the Vanderbilt game. Coach Warner called Barron the greatest halfback ever to perform on Forbes Field. Pitt fullback Orville "Tiny" Hewitt injured Tech quarterback Jack McDonough's ankle, and Frank Ferst had to take his place for the rest of the season. In the first quarter, Pitt back Tom Davies was injured. Buck Flowers made the only points of the half with a 20-yard drop-kick. Flowers' performance against Pitt caused

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...

to call him one of the best broken field runners in the country. His tackling on defense also drew praise. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hewitt plunged over for a touchdown. By then Davies had returned and added the

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

. He later also added a 30-yard field goal. Due to concern's over Tech players' eligibility, Pitt refused to schedule another game with Georgia Tech. The starting lineup was: J. Staton (left end), Fincher (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Amis (center), O. Davis (right guard), A. Staton (right tackle), Ratterman (right end), McDonough (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Harlan (fullback).

Week 6: Centre

Sources: Arguably the highlight of the year was the defeat of the

Centre Praying Colonels Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

by a score of 24 to 0. It was Centre's first loss to a southern team since 1916. A story goes that tackle Bill Fincher sought to knock Centre quarterback "Bo" McMillin out of the game, taking with him

brass-knuckles Brass knuckles (variously referred to as knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, knucklebusters, knuckledusters, knuckle daggers, English punch, iron fist, paperweight, or a classic) are "fist-load weapons" used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles ...

or "something equally diabolical." Before the game, Fincher said "You're a great player Bo...I feel awful sorry about it because you are not going to be in there very long—about three minutes." Bo McMillin (c

Red Barron starred in the game, including a 57-yard touchdown run: "twisting and dodging through the desperate Centre

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

." In the third quarter, Ferst ran 55 yards for a score. One writer claimed: "even the great "Bo" McMillin was powerless against the Tech players." The ''

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Con ...

'' reported: "McMillin's forward passes outdid anything of the kind seen here in many years, but Tech seemed to know where they were going." The starting lineup was: J. Staton (left end), Fincher (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Amis (center), O. Davis (right guard), A. Staton (right tackle), Ratterman (right end), Ferst (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Harlan (fullback).

Week 7: Clemson

Sources: Coach Alexander rested his starters for the game against the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...

and played substitutes throughout: "to teach the gamblers and point-makers a lesson." Sub quarterback Pinkey Hunt scored the lone touchdown in the final quarter. End Georgie Ratterman was under treatment by a stomach specialist as the result of trouble supposedly caused by over-exertion during his confinement in a German prison during World War I. It was not known if he could still play. The starting lineup was: Mayer (left end), McCree (left tackle), Webb (left guard), Johnson (center), Berry (right guard), Lyman (right tackle), Gringer (right end), Glaver (quarterback), Brewster (left halfback), Scarboro (right halfback), Rushing (fullback)

Week 8: Georgetown

Sources: In the eighth week of play, the Golden Tornado faced the Georgetown Blue and Gray coached by former

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

great

Albert Exendine Albert Andrew "Ex" Exendine (January 7, 1884 – January 4, 1973) was an American football player, coach, and lawyer. He played college football at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School where he was an All-American end. Exendine served as the he ...

, and won 35 to 6. Exendine countered claims of Tech running up the score, saying his safety men were not playing their best. "The sportsmanship displayed by the Golden Tornado was all that could be desired", said Exendine. The outstanding feature of the game was Flowers' 80-yard, off-tackle touchdown run, still one of the longest in school history. One of Flowers' punts went 82 yards.

Ed Hamilton Edward Norton Hamilton, Jr. (born February 14, 1947) is an American sculptor living in Louisville, Kentucky, who specializes in public art. His most famous work is ''The Spirit of Freedom'', a memorial to black American Civil War, Civil War vetera ...

was umpire. The starting lineup was: J. Staton (left end), Fincher (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Amis (center), O. Davis (right guard), Johnson (right tackle), A. Staton (right end), Ferst (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Harlan (fullback)

Week 9: Auburn

Sources: On November 25, Georgia Tech defeated the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

at Grant Field by a score of 34 to 0 for a share of the SIAA title. The Tigers had a powerful eleven, which beat Vanderbilt 56 to 6 to counter Tech's 44 to 0 win, and set a school record with 332 points in nine games. Some Auburn fans before the game predicted a victory over Tech and the conference title. Flowers scored three touchdowns in the game, including punt returns of 82 and 65 yards and a 33-yard run from scrimmage, and also passed for a fourth touchdown. Flowers also kicked a punt that went 65 yards in the air against Auburn. Sportswriter

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 ...

said about Flowers' play against Auburn: "The Auburn Tiger came up with claws sharpened. As he writhed in death agony when the battle was over, he made one request, 'Please omit Flowers'." The ''

Atlanta Journal ''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 ...

'' wrote that Flowers was: "flitting like a phantom, an undulating, rippling, chromatic phantom, over the whitewashed lines." The yearbook remarked Bill Fincher: "began his great work on the sand lots of Tech Hi here in Atlanta years ago and ended it up by smearing "Fatty" Warren of the Auburn Tigers all over the

flats Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

of Grant Field on Turkey Day last." The starting lineup was: J. Staton (left end), Fincher (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Amis (center), Davis (right guard), A. Staton (right tackle), Ratterman (right end), Ferst (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Harlan (fullback).

Postseason

Awards and honors

Nine of the eleven starters made some writer's All-Southern team. Bill Fincher was selected first-team All-American by

. He was just the fourth southern player to receive this honor. Fincher made 31 PAT attempts on the year, and closed his career with a record 122 of 136. Captain Flowers was selected as a third-team All-American by the

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

and the

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

. Records conflict as to his rushing totals during the 1920 season. According to one account, which acknowledged it was based on incomplete records, Flowers rushed 80 times for 819 yards (10.2 yards per carry), and had 290 punt return yards (16.5 yards per return), in six games. According to another account, published by the United Press in 1958, Flowers rushed for 1,425 yards in 1920. He also led the country with an average of 49.4 yards per punt; and had a school record for number of drop kicked field goals. Coach Alexander said Flowers was the best punter Tech ever had and the best back he ever coached, calling him "

pound for pound Pound for pound is a ranking used in combat sports, such as boxing, wrestling, or mixed martial arts, of who the better fighters are irrespective of their weight, i.e. adjusted to compensate for weight class. As these fighters do not compete direc ...

, my greatest player".

Championships

Rooters on either side of Georgia were happy as both

and Tech claimed SIAA titles. Florent Gibson of the ''

'' rated Tech as the best team in the country.

Personnel

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Tech's lineup during the 1920 season with games started at the position reflected in parenthesis. The chart mimics the offense after the

has taken place. 1920Techfootball

Starters

Line

Backfield

Substitutes

Line

Backfield

Scoring leaders

The following is an incomplete list of statistics and scores, largely dependent on newspaper summaries.

Coaching staff

*Head coach: William Alexander *Backfield coach:

*Line coach:

Fay Wood Fay F. Wood was a college football player and coach. A native of Syracuse, he played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as an end from 1907 to 1909, catching the first touchdown pass in the history of Notre Dame football. He was later the line co ...

*Reserve coach: Kid Clay *Freshman coach: George C. Griffin *Manager: F. L. Asbury, Jr.

Notes

Endnotes

References

* {{SIAA football champions

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 ...

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football seasons

Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Program represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the NCAA Division 1 Collegiate Competitors in the sport of American football. The Yellow Jackets college football team competes in the NCAA Div ...

Before the season

Schedule

Season summary

Week 1: Wake Forest

Week 2: Oglethorpe

Week 3: Davidson

Week 4: at Vanderbilt

Week 5: at Pitt

Week 6: Centre

Week 7: Clemson

Week 8: Georgetown

Week 9: Auburn

Postseason

Awards and honors

Championships

Personnel

Depth chart

Starters

Line

Backfield

Substitutes

Line

Backfield

Scoring leaders

Coaching staff

See also

Notes

Endnotes

References