1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team
| 1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football | |
|---|---|
Co-national champion (Boand) | |
Rose Bowl, T 0–0 vs. California | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 10–0–1 |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | Short-punt |
| Home stadium | College Field |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| – | 10 | – | 0 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lafayette | – | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cornell | – | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | – | 8 | – | 0 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yale | – | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Hampshire | – | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franklin & Marshall | – | 6 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Villanova | – | 6 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carnegie Tech | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harvard | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston University | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dartmouth | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brown | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bucknell | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Geneva | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Holy Cross | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Army | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Princeton | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fordham | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colgate | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lehigh | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Springfield | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vermont | – | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NYU | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drexel | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island State | – | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Columbia | – | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tufts | – | 1 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duquesne | – | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team was an American football team that represented Washington & Jefferson College as an independent during the 1921 college football season. In their first year under head coach Greasy Neale, the Presidents compiled a 10–0 record, shut out seven of eleven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 222 to 33. During the regular season, they defeated Pitt, Detroit, and Syracuse.[1] Their 7–0 victory over rival Pitt was celebrated with a day of canceled classes and a bonfire with inspirational speeches in front of the Washington County Courthouse.[2] They condluded their season with a vicgtory over California in the 1922 Rose Bowl.
The Red and Black finished the season with a share of the 1921 national championship, as determined by the Boand System.[3] In a later ranking of 1921 college football teams by TipTop25, Washington & Jefferson was ranked No. 4.[4]
Tackle Russ Stein was selected by Walter Camp as a first-team All-American.[5] Halfback Hal Erickson was selected as a second-team player on the 1921 All-Eastern football team.[6] Charles Fremont West was the team's quarterback.
Rose Bowl
As the best team from the east, W&J was invited to the 1922 Rose Bowl to play the best team from the west: the undefeated and heavily favored California Golden Bears.[2] Some had even begun to call Cal the best team in college football history.[7] The Red and Black sent 20 men on the cross-country trip and Robert M. Murphy mortgaged his home to pay his six family members’ way.[2] W&J would be the last Rose Bowl team to play the same 11 men the entire game. During the train ride to Pasadena, in which Greasy Neale continued to prepare his men, Lee Spillers caught pneumonia and could not finish the journey.[2] Ross "Bucky" Buchannan, a reserve player who had stowed away on the train and was fed smuggled sandwiches during the trip, was available to fill Spillers' roster spot.[2][7]
The power of this Eastern eleven lay in its ability to rip through and smear opposing plays. Its uncanny faculty in this department was pronounced especially so in a season where the attack was featured and the offensive often given no great attention. Any attack in the country, including that bewildering onslaught launched by Notre Dame, would have found great trouble in hammering out any extensive distance against Neale's machine.
Cal had outscored their opponents that season by a margin of 312–33; nevertheless, the W&J defense held the Golden Bears' potent offense, led by Brick Muller, to no points, 2 first downs, no completed passes, and only 49 yards rushing.[2] In one of the most disputed plays in Rose Bowl history, a rushing touchdown for W&J was overturned for an offside penalty called on Wayne Brenkert.[2][9] On another play, W&J's Hal Erickson slipped and fell on his way to scoring a sure touchdown.[9] The contest ended in a scoreless draw. The game was notable as the last time a "small school" would be represented in the Rose Bowl. W&J's team featured two Rose Bowl firsts: Herb Kopf was the first freshman to play and Charlie "Pruner" West was the first African American to play quarterback.[10] W&J's team captain, Russ Stein, was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1991.[11]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | Bethany (WV) | W 14–0 | > 6,000 | [12][13] | |
| October 1 | Bucknell |
| W 26–0 | > 6,000 | [14] |
| October 8 | West Virginia Wesleyan |
| W 54–0 | [15] | |
| October 15 | Carnegie Tech |
| W 14–0 | 12,000 | [16] |
| October 22 | at Lehigh | W 14–7 | 5,000 | [17] | |
| October 29 | at Syracuse | W 17–10 | 15,000 | [18] | |
| November 5 | at Westminster (PA) | New Wilmington, PA | W 49–14 | [19] | |
| November 12 | at Pittsburgh | W 7–0 | 28,000–30,000 | [20] | |
| November 24 | at West Virginia | Morgantown, WV | W 13–0 | [21] | |
| December 3 | at Detroit | W 14–2 | 22,000 | [22] | |
| January 1 | vs. California | T 0–0 | 40,000 | [23] | |
| |||||
References
- ^ a b "1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents Schedule and Results".
- ^ a b c d e f g North 1991 pp. 97–107
- ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2015). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. p. 108. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ "1921 College Football Top 25". TipTop25.com. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
- ^ "Walter Camp's All-America Selections for 1921" (PDF). The New York Times. December 21, 1921. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- ^ "More All-Star Grid Selections". The Pittsburgh Press. December 6, 1921.
- ^ a b Scarborough 1979 p. 79
- ^ Scarborough 1979 pp. 81–82
- ^ a b Scarborough 1979 p. 7
- ^ "Charles "Pruner" West (1922)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ^ "Rose Bowl Hall of Fame". Tournament of Roses. 2009. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ "Presidents Beat Bethany". The New York Times. New York, New York. September 25, 1921. p. 106. Retrieved June 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Wash-Jeff Scores Two-Touchdown Win Over Bethany Gang". The Pittsburgh Post. September 25, 1921. p. 3 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wash-Jeff Beats Bucknell, 28 to 0; Russ Stein Stars". The Pittsburgh Post. October 2, 1921. p. 4 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wash-Jeff Swamps Wesleyan Crew, 54-0". The PIttsburgh Post. October 9, 1921. p. 3 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Raymond Coll Jr. (October 16, 1921). "Tech Holds Presidents To 14-0 Score: Wash-Jeff Outplayed in Every Department But Gets the Breaks". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 2 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Presidents Defeat Lehigh in Grueling Struggle Before 5000 Fans in Taylor Stadium". The Allentown Morning Call. October 23, 1921 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "W. and J. Team Picks Victory Out of Air In Closing Minutes of Syracuse Game". The New York Times. October 20, 1921. p. 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Westminster Makes Was-Jeff Hustle". The Pittsburgh Gazette Times. November 6, 1921. p. 4 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Keck, Harry (November 13, 1920). "Forward Pass Scores Only Touchdown of Hard-Fought Contest". The Gazette Times. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "W.&J. victor over West Va". The Birmingham News. November 25, 1921. Retrieved July 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "W. & J. Wins Intersectional Game From University of Detroit By 14-2 Score". Detroit Free Press. December 4, 1921. pp. 23, 25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Paul Lowry (January 3, 1922). "Washington-Jefferson Football Eleven Outsmarts California: Nisbet's Toe Staves Off Eastern Triumph". The Los Angeles Times. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.