1914 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1914 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1914 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The team won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the first championship of any kind for the Tennessee program. Winning all nine of their games, the 1914 squad was only the second undefeated team in Tennessee history. The 1914 Vols were retroactively awarded a national championship by 1st-N-Goal, though this remains largely unrecognized.[1]
| 1914 Tennessee Volunteers football | |
|---|---|
SIAA champion | |
| Conference | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| 1914 record | 9–0 (6–0 SIAA) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive scheme | Straight T |
| Base defense | Multiple |
| Captain | Farmer Kelly |
| Home stadium | Waite Field |
Uniform | |
 | |
| 1914 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee + | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn + | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 2 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi A&M | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sewanee | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 1 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi College | 0 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wofford | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Centre | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercer | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 0 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Before the season
In 1913, the Volunteers had a winning record for the first time since 1908 and won their first Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association game since 1910. The team lost captain Sam Hayley.
Miller Pontius assisted coach Clevenger.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Carson–Newman* | W 89–0 | |
| October 3 | King* |
| W 55–3 |
| October 10 | Clemson |
| W 27–0 |
| October 17 | at Louisville* | Louisville, KY | W 66–0 |
| October 24 | Alabama |
| W 17–7 |
| October 31 | Chattanooga |
| W 67–0 |
| November 7 | at Vanderbilt | W 16–14 | |
| November 14 | vs. Sewanee |
| W 14–7 |
| November 26 | Kentucky |
| W 23–6 |
| |||
Season summary
Carson-Newman
To open the season, Carson-Newman was swamped 89–0.[2]
King
King College was defeated almost as easily as Carson-Newman, 55–3.[2]
Clemson
The Volunteers beat Clemson 27–0. Tennessee scored twice on forward passes, and Clemson tried several passes but none were successful.[3] The starting lineup was Carroll (left end), G. Vowell (left tackle), Taylor (left guard), McLean (center), Kerr (right guard), Kelly (right tackle), Greenwood (right end), May (quarterback), Thomason (left halfback), Rainey (right halfback), Lindsay (fullback).[3]
Louisville
Tennessee's backfield starred in the 66–0 defeat of Louisville.[4] The starting lineup was Carroll (left end), G. Vowell (left tackle), Kerr (left guard), McLean (center), Taylor (right guard), Kelly (right tackle), Sorrells (right end), May (quarterback), Thomason (left halfback), Rainey (right halfback), Lindsay (fullback).[4]
Alabama
Alabama quarterback Charlie Joplin was ruled ineligible by the SIAA for refusing to sign an affidavit that he had not played professional baseball, and Tennessee halfback Red Rainey was out with injury. Tennessee won 17–7. The first score came on a 40-yard pass from Bill May to Scotty Cameron. A 22-yard pass to Goat Carroll got the next score. Alabama's score came in the second period, when Bully Van de Graaff picked up a Farmer Kelly fumble and ran 50 yards for a touchdown. Cameron kicked a field goal to make it 17.[5]
The starting lineup was Carroll (left end), Bayer (left tackle), Kerr (left guard), McLean (center), Taylor (right guard), Kelly (right tackle), G. Vowell (right end), May (quarterback), Thomason (left halfback), Cameron (right halfback), Lindsay (fullback).[6]
Chattanooga
The Vols beat Chattanooga 67–0.
Vanderbilt
Bill May threw two touchdown passes to Goat Carroll in the 16–14 victory over Vanderbilt, the first ever victory over the Tennessee rival.[7][8] Carroll scored all of the Vols points, adding a field goal in between touchdowns. Irby Curry scored all of Vanderbilt's points. An account of the first Tennessee touchdown reads, "Four minutes of play had barely drifted by when Tennessee's weird, mystic, elusive forward pass, May to Carroll, deadly in accuracy, went sailing home for the first touchdown of the game. The chesty Tennessee quarterback sent the oval whizzing for a distance of thirty-five yards and Carroll gathered in the ball near his goal line, when he hurried beneath the posts with all the speed at his command."[9]
Sewanee
A description of the 14–7 win over Sewanee in Chattanooga read, "Mush Kerr played a wonderful game in the line as did Capt. Kelly. The work of the Tennessee line was easily the feature of the contest, and Sewanee early discovered that it was practically useless to rely on line plunges to gain ground...Lindsay, as usual, ploughed through the opposing line for consistent gains, and when it was absolutely necessary that Tennessee gain a certain number of yards 'Russ' was sure to be called upon."[2] Lee Tolley starred for Sewanee, which had been coached to break-up the forward pass.[2]
Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats were outweighed 15 pounds to the man and beaten 23–6.[10] Graham Vowell scored three touchdowns.[11]
The starting lineup was Carroll (left end), Bayer (left tackle), Kerr (left guard), McLean (center), Taylor (right guard), Kelly (right tackle), G. Vowell (right end), May (quarterback), Thomason (left halfback), Rainey (right halfback), Lindsay (fullback).[10]
Personnel
Depth chart
The following chart provides a visual depiction of Tennessee's lineup during the 1914 season with games started at the position reflected in parenthesis. The chart mimics a T Formation.
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Line
| Number | Player | Position | Games started |
Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | S. D. Bayer | tackle | ||||||
| 8 | Goat Carroll | end | Nashville, Tennessee | Wallace University School | 165 | |||
| 18 | Clifton Cates | tackle | ||||||
| 15 | B. J. Greenwood | end | ||||||
| 13 | Farmer Kelly | tackle | Orlinda, Tennessee | Peoples and Tucker School | 6'1" | 188 | 25 | |
| 2 | Mush Kerr | guard | Savannah, Tennessee | Savannah Institute | 180 | |||
| 20 | Chink Lowe | guard | ||||||
| 4 | Evan McLean | center | ||||||
| 14 | Frank Sorrels | end | ||||||
| 3 | Bob Taylor | guard | ||||||
| 6 | Graham Vowell | tackle | Martin, Tennessee | 184 | ||||
| 16 | Morris Vowell | tackle | Martin, Tennessee | |||||
| 19 | Lloyd Wolfe | end | ||||||
Backfield
| Number | Player | Position | Games started |
Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Bill May | quarterback | ||||||
| 9 | Scotty Cameron | halfback | ||||||
| 7 | Red Rainey | halfback | ||||||
| 10 | Tommy Thomason | halfback | ||||||
| 1 | P. H. Callahan | halfback | ||||||
| 11 | Rus Lindsay | fullback | Knoxville, Tennessee | Baker-Himel | 160 |
Postseason
Championships
The Birmingham Newspaper Club awarded Tennessee the Southern championship cup.[2]
Awards and honors
Alonzo Carroll, Farmer Kelly, Mush Kerr, and Rus Lindsay made All-Southern.[13]
References
- "Tennessee Total National Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- "Athletics". The University of Tennessee Record. 18 (5): 65–68. 1915.
- Lester Barnes (October 11, 1914). "Clemson Defeated by Tennessee Team". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 6. Retrieved February 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Easy Victory For Tennessee". The Courier Journal. October 18, 1914. p. 37. Retrieved February 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/docs/14-m-footbl-recaps.pdf
- Woodruff 1928, p. 10
- Marvin West (September 16, 2014). "Tennessee Football 100 Years Ago". Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
- The Commercial Appeal. "Vols Score First Win Over Vandy". Greatest Moments in Tennessee: 12. ISBN 9781582610788.
- "Athletics". The University of Tennessee Record. 18 (5): 65. 1915.
- "Wildcats Lose To Volunteers". The Courier Journal. November 27, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved May 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "St. Nicholas: An Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks". 1916.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Composite Pick of All S.I.A.A. Teams". Atlanta Constitution. December 1, 1914. Retrieved March 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- Woodruff, Fuzzy (1928). A History of Southern Football 1890–1928. 2.