The 1927 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the Georgia Bulldogs 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 ...

in the sport 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 wi ...

during the 1927 Southern Conference football season. This was the last season

George Cecil Woodruff George Cecil "Kid" Woodruff Sr. (November 29, 1888 – November 16, 1968) was an American businessman and football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia from 1923 to 1927. Early life and education ...

served as the head coach of the football team and the team's 34th season of college football. The Bulldogs posted a 9–1 record, and were retroactively selected as the 1927 national champion under the

Berryman QPRS Berryman QPRS, also known as the Berryman Quality Point Rating System is a mathematical rating system developed by Clyde P. Berryman to rate sports teams and competitors. The Berryman QPRS system considers strength of schedule, win–loss record, p ...

Boand Boann or Boand (modern Irish spelling: Bónn) is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne (the river-name now always in the nominalised dative/prepositional case, Bóinn), a river in Ireland's historical fifth province, Meath (from Middle Irish '' ...

, and Poling systems. The team was ranked No. 8 in the nation in the

Dickinson System The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson, the system crowned national champions from 1925 to 1940. Dicki ...

ratings released in December 1927. Called the "dream and wonder team", the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the US with one regular season game remaining, but were upset in the mud by in-state rival

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 ...

(the next season's national champion). Georgia did not win the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...

(SoCon) championship in 1927 as a result of its loss to Georgia Tech at season's end. Georgia Tech (7–0–1 SoCon),

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 ...

(5–0–1 SoCon), and

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

(4–0–0 SoCon) all finished undefeated in conference play. The season featured Georgia's first-ever win against

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

as well as six

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s. The win over Yale propelled Georgia to the national spotlight. The team was anchored by two

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

ends 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 ...

, captain Chick Shiver and consensus All-American Tom Nash.

Preseason

At the end of last season, one source described Georgia as "probably the hardest hit team in the Southern Conference, losing 14

letter Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alphabe ...

men with the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

game."

Woodruff resignation

Coach Woodruff said he would quit after this season. Former Notre Dame back

Jim Crowley James Harold "Sleepy Jim" Crowley (September 10, 1902 – January 15, 1986) was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback fr ...

and Notre Dame lineman

Harry Mehre Harry J. Mehre (September 18, 1901 – September 27, 1978) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia (1928–1937) and the University of Mississippi (1938–1945), ...

assisted Woodruff with his

Notre Dame Box The Notre Dame Box is a variation of the single-wing formation used in American football, with great success by Notre Dame in college football and the Green Bay Packers of the 1920s and 1930s in the NFL. Green Bay's coach, Curly Lambeau, learne ...

scheme.

Schedule

Season summary

Week 1: Virginia

To open the season,

Herdis McCrary Herdis William "Bull" McCrary (June 9, 1904 – May 11, 1981) was an American football player. College career He played at the fullback position for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. In 1927, he was a member of the "Dream an ...

averaged a touchdown a quarter and the Bulldogs romped over the Virginia Cavaliers 32–0. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Morris (left tackle), Jacobson (left guard), Boland (center), Smith (right guard), Stelling (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Broadnax (quarterback), Estes (left halfback), McTigue (right halfback), McCrary (fullback)

Week 2: at Yale

In the second week of play, Georgia defeated

by the score of 14–10, the school's first win over an Eastern power. Georgia was propelled into the national spotlight.

Bobby Hooks Robert Greene Hooks (March 13, 1907 – April 7, 1969) was an American football player and coach. He was a halfback for the Georgia Bulldogs, a member of its 1927 "Dream and Wonder" team. Against Yale Yale University is a private resear ...

threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Frank Dudley. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Stelling (left tackle), Smith (left guard), Boland (center), Jacobson (right guard), Morris (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Broadnax (quarterback), Estes (left halfback), McTigue (right halfback), McCrary (fullback)

Week 3: Furman

*Source: Georgia defeated the Furman Purple Hurricane 32–0, giving the Purple Hurricane its only loss this season. Furman twice was within Georgia's 5-yard line. However, Georgia's backs also ran well. Frank Dudley had a 55-yard run for a score shortly after the start of the second quarter, and Roy Estes placed the ball in scoring position in the third with a 52-yard run. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Morris (left tackle), Haley (left guard), Boland (center), Jacobson (right guard), Paitz (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Broadnax (quarterback), Estes (left halfback), McTigue (right halfback), McCrary (fullback).

Week 4: Auburn

*Source: In the fourth week of play, Georgia beat Auburn 33–0. Four touchdowns were scored in the second period, when coach Woodruff sent in his first-string backfield. A long pass from Hooks to McCrary got one touchdown. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Morris (left tackle), Haley (left guard), Boland (center), Jacobson (right guard), Lautzenheizer (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Broadnax (quarterback), Estes (left halfback), Hooks (right halfback), McCrary (fullback).

Week 5: at Tulane

The Bulldogs traveled to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and beat

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

31–0. McCrary was kept on the bench as the halfbacks provided most of the scoring.

Week 6: at Florida

Georgia beat the Florida Gators 28–0 after leading just 7–0 at the half. Florida quarterback Goof Bowyer broke his leg. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Morris (left tackle), Jacobson (left guard), Boland (center), Smith (right guard), Lautzenheizer (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Broadnax (quarterback), Estes (left halfback), McTigue (right halfback), Rothstein (fullback).

Week 7: Clemson

McCrary scored three of the five touchdowns in the 32–0 victory over Clemson. McTigue ran in the first score.

Roy Estes Roy Estes was an American college football player, a triple-threat running back for the Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred ...

threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to H. F. Johnston. McCrary replaced Rothstein and added two touchdowns. The second team went in the second half, in which McCrary added another touchdown. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Morris (left tackle), Jacobson (left guard), Boland (center), Haley (right guard), Lautenheizer (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Broadnax (quarterback), Estes (left halfback), McTigue (right halfback), Rothstein (fullback).

Week 8: Mercer

Georgia started the Mercer game with its second string and won 26–7. One report before the game reads: "

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

's football team has about as much chance of beating Georgia as The Cluster has of having compulsory chapel abolished." Mercer's Phoney Smith was the first southern player to cross the goal line against Georgia, on an 80-yard punt return.

Week 9: at Alabama

The game on November 24 against the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

was the first game played in the newly completed

Legion Field Legion Field is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States in Birmingham, Alabama, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but occasionally used for other large outdoor events. Opened in 1927, it is named in ho ...

. The 20–7 Bulldog victory snapped a five-game losing streak against Alabama. Estes passed to Nash for the first score, and Estes ran the second score in himself. Another pass to Nash got a touchdown in the third quarter. In the final period, Alabama's Brasfield went back to pass, but saw no one open, and took off running. In the game's most sensational play, he dodged three tacklers behind the line, and evaded three more on his way to the endzone. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Morris (left tackle), C. Smith (left guard), Boland (center), Jacobson (right guard), Lautenheizer (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Johnson (quarterback), McTigue (left halfback), Estes (right halfback), Hill (fullback).

Week 10: at Georgia Tech

*Sources: Georgia was ranked number 1 by the

Dickinson system The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson, the system crowned national champions from 1925 to 1940. Dicki ...

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 ...

was expected to be filled to capacity, the largest crowd ever in the south. One account read "And never in the history of athletics in the Southland has there been an occasion so momentous as this. The football championship of the South and as some may justifiably figure, the nation, will be decided on Saturday in the capital city and native sons will decide it." In the rain, the Bulldogs were defeated by rival

for the SoCon championship 12–0. For the first time this year, neither Nash nor Shiver played particularly well. Tech's first touchdown came on a pass from Warner Mizell to quarterback Bob Durant. The second one came shortly after Stumpy Thomason returned 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 ...

57 yards to Georgia's 22-yard line. Thomason scored on a 13-yard

end run In gridiron football, an end run is a running play in which the player carrying the ball tries to avoid being tackled by running outside the end (or flank) of the offensive line. It is distinct from a dive, which is a run "up the middle", or an ...

. The starting lineup was: Nash (left end), Morris (left tackle), Jacobson (left guard), Boland (center), Smith (right guard), Lautenheizer (right tackle), Shiver (right end), Johnson (quarterback), Estes (left halfback), Dudley (right halfback), McCrary (fullback).

Postseason

Legacy

By season's end, both Georgia and Yale were national champions according to various selectors. Despite the loss to Tech, the Bulldogs were retroactively selected as the 1927 national champion under the

, Poling, and

systems.

Walter Eckersall Walter Herbert "Eckie" Eckersall (June 17, 1883 – March 24, 1930) was an American college football player, official, and sportswriter for the ''Chicago Tribune''. He played for the Maroons of the University of Chicago, and was elected to the ...

noted the progress of southern football as he reflected on Georgia's victory over Yale; "Old Eli, with its running attack, could do nothing against Georgia, which is represented by two of the finest ends in the country. Nash and

Shiver Shivering (also called shuddering) is a bodily function in response to cold and extreme fear in warm-blooded animals. When the core body temperature drops, the shivering reflex is triggered to maintain homeostasis. Skeletal muscles begin to s ...

would be valuable assets on any football team."

Players

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Georgia's lineup during the 1927 season with games started at the position reflected in parenthesis. The chart mimics a

on offense.

Line

Backfield

Unlisted

Staff

*Head coach:

Kid Woodruff George Cecil "Kid" Woodruff Sr. (November 29, 1888 – November 16, 1968) was an American businessman and football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia from 1923 to 1927. Early life and education ...

*Manager: Keith Lewis, James M. Roberts

Notes

References

Additional sources

* {{College Football National Champion pre-AP Poll navbox

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 national champions

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 ...