1916 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
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The 1916 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 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 1916 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. Georgia Tech was 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 Tornado was coached by
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 ...
in his 13th year as head coach, compiling a record of 8–0–1 (5–0 SIAA) and outscoring opponents 421 to 20. 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 ...
. One writer claimed the 1916 team "seemed to personify Heisman." This was the first team to vault Georgia Tech to national prominence. The season featured the 222–0 defeat of Cumberland, the largest margin of victory in football history. Tech scored the second-most points in the nation, behind Georgetown.
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 ...
was third in the nation in scoring, including 16 touchdowns. Several players received post-season honors.
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 ...
was the first Tech center selected All-Southern, and was selected third-team
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 ...
by
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 ...
. Along with Phillips and Strupper, tackle
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 ...
, guard
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 ...
, and fullback
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 ...
were also All-Southern.


Before the season

In 1916 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 and
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 ...
. 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 ...
's backfield used the pre-snap 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. The team's captain was halfback Talley Johnston. Leading the team was Tech's first great quarterback Froggie Morrison, and providing the punch at fullback was
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 ...
. Star halfback Ev Strupper was partially deaf; because of his deafness, he called the signals instead of the team's quarterback. When "Strupe" tried out for the team, he noticed that the quarterback shouted the signals every time he was to carry the ball. Realizing that the loud signals would be a tip-off to the opposition, Strupper told Heisman: "Coach, those loud signals are absolutely unnecessary. You see when sickness in my kid days brought on this deafness my folks gave me the best instructors obtainable to teach me lip-reading." Heisman recalled how Strupper overcame his deafness: "He couldn't hear anything but a regular shout. But he could read your lips like a flash. No lad that ever stepped on a football field had keener eyes than Everett had. The enemy found this out the minute he began looking for openings through which to run the ball." Tech rejoined 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 ...
.
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 ...
, a transfer from Carlisle, had to sit out the 1916 season in accordance with conference transfer rules.


Schedule


Season summary


Mercer

Tech opened the season with a 61–0 defeat of
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 ...
using conventional football. Strupper had a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown.


Cumberland

The 222–0 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 ...
was the largest margin of victory in football history. Cumberland, a Presbyterian school in
Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...
, had discontinued its football program before the season but was not allowed to cancel its game against the Engineers. The fact that Cumberland's baseball team had crushed Georgia Tech earlier that year 22–0 (amidst allegations that Cumberland used professionals as ringers) probably accounted for Georgia Tech coach John Heisman's
running up the score Running up the score occurs when a competitor continues to play in such a way as to score additional points after the outcome of the game is no longer in significant question and the team is all but assured of winning. Sporting alternatives inc ...
on the Bulldogs. (Heisman was also the Engineers' baseball coach.) Another possible reason for Heisman's plan to run up the score was the practice among the sportswriters of the time to rank teams based on how many points they scored. Since this statistic did not account for the strength or weakness of a team's opponent, Heisman disagreed with the amount of weight the writers tended to assign to it, and he may have unleashed his players on Cumberland to make his point. Cumberland received the opening kickoff and failed to make a first down. After a punt, the Engineers scored on their first play. Cumberland then fumbled on their next play from scrimmage, and a Tech player returned the fumble for a touchdown. The Bulldogs fumbled again on their next play, and it took Tech two runs to score its third touchdown. Cumberland lost nine yards on its next possession, then gave up a fourth touchdown on another two-play Tech drive. With a 42–0 lead midway through the first quarter, Strupper broke clear and could have scored easily, but he intentionally grounded the ball at the one-yard line to allow Georgia Tech tackle J. Cantey Alexander to score the first touchdown of his career. A teammate later recalled the play as follows:
Strupper swapped positions with Alexander ... The team didn't want to make it too easy for Cantey, though. The other boys wouldn't block for him or help in any way. As soon as the ball was snapped, they ran away from the line and out of the play completely. Leaving poor Cantey to go it alone. Finally, on fourth down, a bruised and weary Alexander got the ball across while his teammates howled with laughter.
The Engineers led 63–0 after the first quarter and 126–0 at halftime. Tech added 54 more points in the third quarter and 42 in the final period. Cumberland's only effective defense was an extra point blocked with a sort of human pyramid. Sportswriter
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 ...
wrote, "Cumberland's greatest individual play of the game occurred when fullback Allen circled right end for a 6–yard loss." At halftime, Heisman reportedly told his players, "You're doing all right, team, we're ahead. But you just can't tell what those Cumberland players have up their sleeves. They may spring a surprise. Be alert, men! Hit 'em clean, but hit 'em hard!" However, even Heisman relented, and shortened the quarters in the second half to 12 minutes each instead of 15. The starting lineup was: Preas (left end), Bell (left tackle), West (left guard), Phillips (center), Alexander (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Puckett (right end), Guill (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Shaver (right halfback), and Spence (fullback).


Davidson

*Sources: Tech had a tough game with , winning 9–0. Davidson had one touchdown brought back by penalty. Tech scored with a touchdown, and a safety on a punt fumbled in the
end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...
. The starting lineup was: Dunwoody (left end), Bell (left tackle), Lang (left guard), Phillips (center), Fincher (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Senter (right end), Morrison (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Johnston (right halfback), and Spence (fullback).


North Carolina

*Sources: Tech beat
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 ...
10–6 in a hard-fought contest. Bill Folger starred for the Tar Heels. After six minutes of play,
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 ...
caught a punt and ran 55 yards for a touchdown. Five minutes later, Tommy Spence kicked a goal from the 33–yard line. In the fourth quarter, Carolina scored on a forward pass from Folger to Ramsey which set up a touchdown. Jim Senter broke a bone in his left ankle in the second period, and Spence was threatened with a concussion by game's end. The starting lineup was: Dunwoody (left end), Mauck (left tackle), Preas (left guard), Phillips (center), Lang (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Senter (right end), Morrison (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Johnston (right halfback), and Spence (fullback).


Washington & Lee

*Sources: "In a game filled with thrills",
Washington and Lee , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...
tied Georgia Tech 7–7 in the season's lone blemish for Tech. Tech had to play without Senter or Spence. All the scoring was done in the first ten minutes. W&L's Hall of Fame captain Harry Young returned a punt to Tech's 37-yard line. After two runs brought the ball to the 30, Adams worked the ball to the score in three plays. Strupper threw a touchdown to Bell for Tech's score. The Generals threatened to score throughout the second period. The starting lineup was: Dunwoody (left end), Mauck (left tackle), Alexander (left guard), Phillips (center), Lang (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Bell (right end), Morrison (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Johnston (right halfback), and Glover (fullback).


Tulane

*Sources: Tech easily beat
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 ...
45–0, using its superior weight to advantage. Everett Strupper scored first on a 70-yard touchdown. After the half Tech used its substitutes. The starting lineup was: Dunwoody (left end), Mauck (left tackle), Alexander (left guard), Fincher (center), Lang (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Bell (right end), Morrison (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Shaver (right halfback), and Guill (fullback).


Alabama

*Sources: Tech's line held
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
's Cecil Creen in check throughout as it won 13–0. The Tide gained just 60 yards and two first downs, while Tech gained 20 first downs and 270 yards. After a competitive three quarters, Alabama's Gage fumbled a pass from center, recovered by
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. ...
, leading to a Guill score. Later, Glover scored on a short fourth down run. The starting lineup was: Dunwoody (left end), Alexander (left tackle), Fincher (left guard), Phillips (center), Lang (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Bell (right end), Guill (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Shaver (right halfback), and Spence (fullback).


Georgia

*Sources: Tech easily beat
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 ...
21–0 in the season's only road game. After a scoreless first quarter, Johnston ran for 25 yards around right end, and plunges from Spence soon got a touchdown. In the third quarter, Spence scored again. Tech was then aided by a half-the-distance-to-the-goal penalty by Georgia. The drive ended with a 15-yard touchdown run from Strupper. The starting lineup was: Dunwoody (left end), Alexander (left tackle), Lang (left guard), Phillips (center), Fincher (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Bell (right end), Morrison (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Johnston (right halfback), and Spence (fullback).


Auburn

*Sources: Tech overwhelmed rival
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 ...
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
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 ...
. The starting lineup was: Dunwoody (left end), Alexander (left tackle), Fincher (left guard), Phillips (center), Lang (right guard), Carpenter (right tackle), Bell (right end), Morrison (quarterback), Strupper (left halfback), Johnston (right halfback), and Spence (fullback).


Postseason

Tech scored the second-most points in the nation, behind Georgetown. Everett Strupper was third in the nation in scoring, including 16 touchdowns. The team was retroactively selected as the national champion for 1916 by the
Billingsley Report The Billingsley Report is a college football rating system developed in the late 1960s to determine a national champion. Billingsley has actively rated college football teams on a current basis since 1970. Beginning in 1999, Billingsley's ratings ...
.


Awards and honors

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 eccentricity ...
Pup Phillips was 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-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 ...
and was the first Tech center selected All-Southern. Tackle
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 ...
,
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 ...
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 ...
, fullback Tommy Spence, and halfback Everett Strupper were selected All-Southern along with Phillips. Spence got Camp's honorable mention.


First World War

Both Morrison and Spence served 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 ...
. Spence was a casualty. 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 ...
.


Personnel


Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Tech's lineup during the 1916 season with games started at the position reflected in parenthesis. The chart mimics the offense after the jump shift has taken place.


Notes


References

{{College Football National Champion pre-AP Poll navbox
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 College football undefeated seasons
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 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 ...