College of Emporia Fighting Presbies football

The College of Emporia Football Team was a college football team at the College of Emporia in Emporia, Kansas. The team competed from 1893 until the college closed in 1974 and was known for its high quality play for the size of the school as well as its early adoption of modern football methods.[3]

College of Emporia Fighting Presbies
UniversityCollege of Emporia
AssociationNAIA
ConferenceKansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
LocationEmporia, Kansas
Football stadiumSchaffner Field[1]
Basketball arenaMason Gymnasium[2]
Mascot"Presbie Pete"
NicknameFighting Presbies
ColorsRed and White
   
Websitewww.c-of-e.org

The final coach of the program was Dan Taylor.[4]

Innovative play

The team was one of the earliest schools to regularly call the forward pass[5] and the option pass[6] under head coach Bill Hargiss and quarterback Arthur Schabinger. The school was using the forward pass as a regular play three years before Knute Rockne and Notre Dame Football.[7]

Conference play and season successes

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference

The team competed in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference from 1933 until 1970.[8] The program was known for success among the small colleges which included three consecutive undefeated regular seasons (1953–1955) under head coach Wayne J. McConnell and two back-to-back undefeated seasons (1962–1963) under coach Bill Schnebel. Both coaches were recognized as Little All-American Coach of the Year.[1]

Championships
YearResultNotes
1913conference champions
1918undefeated (6 - 0) conference champions
1919undefeated (8 - 0)
1925undefeated (8 - 0)
1927conference champions
1928undefeated
1951undefeated (8 - 0)
1953undefeated (8 - 0)
1954undefeated regular seasonMineral Water Bowl (8 - 1)
1955undefeated (9 - 0)
1959(9 - 1) KCAC ChampionsWon Mineral Water Bowl
1962(9 - 1) KCAC ChampionsNAIA Bowl appearance
1963(9 - 1) KCAC ChampionsNAIA Bowl appearance
1966(8 - 1) KCAC Co-Champions

Table data source[9]

Bowl games

The school also played in the 1954 Mineral Water Bowl, losing 20–14 to Hastings College, and then returned in 1959 to defeat Austin College by a score of 21–20.[10]

Date Result Bowl Opponent Score Head Coach
1954LMineral Water BowlHastings College14 - 20Wayne J. McConnell
1959WMineral Water BowlAustin College21 - 20Bill Schnebel

Notable people
Coaches

Football coaches - Horace Botsford, Henry Brock, Harold Grant, Homer Hargiss, Lem Harkey, Gwinn Henry, Steve Kazor, Wayne McConnell, Walt Newland, Bill Schnebel, Lester Selves, Tom Stromgren

Players

Two players from the College of Emporia played professional sports. Jim Jacquith played professional baseball in 1926.[11] Lem Harkey was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955 and ended up playing for the San Francisco 49ers for one year.[12]

See also

References
  1. "College of Emporia History". Archived from the original on November 23, 2008.
  2. "College of Emporia Campus Tour". Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  3. College Football Data Warehouse College of Emporia records
  4. Lawrence Journal-World "C of E Grabs Taylor as New Grid Mentor" June 29, 1971
  5. Homer Hargiss History Definitive use of forward pass
  6. Oberheide.org Hargiss's Option Play
  7. Emporia Gazette, "The Emporia Gazette Give Credit to C. of E." by E. T. Lowther
  8. "Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, History". Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
  9. College of Emporia Alumni Association Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine "Championship Teams"
  10. "Excelsior Springs Mineral Water Bowl". www.mineralwaterbowl.net.
  11. "Col. of Emporia: All Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  12. "Lem Harkey Jr". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
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