1947 Shaw Bears football team

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1947 Shaw Bears football
Black college national co-champion
CIAA champion
National Bowl champion
National Bowl, W 8–0 vs. South Carolina State
ConferenceColored Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record10–0 (6–0 CIAA)
Head coach
Seasons
← 1946
1948 →
1947 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Shaw $ 6 0 0 10 0 0
No. 7 Virginia State 7 1 0 9 1 0
No. 4 Hampton 5 1 1 7 2 1
No. 11 Howard 6 2 1 6 2 1
No. 9 Morgan State 5 2 1 5 2 1
No. 14 West Virginia State 4 1 1 6 3 1
No. 19 Lincoln (PA) 3 3 1 5 4 1
Delaware State 4 3 0 4 4 0
Virginia Union 3 5 0 4 5 0
Winston-Salem State 3 3 0 6 3 0
North Carolina A&T 1 5 1 1 5 1
North Carolina College 2 6 0 2 7 0
Bluefield State 1 5 0 3 6 0
Saint Paul's (VA) 0 5 1 0 5 1
Johnson C. Smith 0 2 1 1 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from the Pittsburgh Courier using the Dickinson Ratings System.[1]

The 1947 Shaw Bears football team was an American football team that represented Shaw University as a member of the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1947 college football season. In their second season under head coach Howard K. Wilson, the team compiled a 10–0 record (6–0 against CIAA opponents), won the CIAA championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 246 to 39.[2]

Key players included halfbacks Twillie Bellamy and Jim Jackson, fullback John Turner, end Bill Elliott, tackle Gladstone Booth, guard Leroy Way, and center Kermit Booker.[3]

In post-season discussions about the black college football national championship, Shaw was criticized for a weak strength of schedule, having failed to schedule games against the three CIAA opponents that were ranked in the top 10 under the Dickinson Rating System: Hampton (No. 4), Virginia State (No. 7), and Morgan State (No. 9). In the final Dickinson ratings, Tennessee A&I was determined as the black college national champion with Shaw in fifth place. Florida A&M, a team that Shaw defeated by a 19–0 score, was ranked fourth under the Dickinson System.[4] Shaw was, however, determined to be the CIAA champion under the Dickinson methodology.[5]

Schedule[edit]

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22at Fayetteville State*Fayetteville, NCW 21–0
October 4Florida A&M*Raleigh, NCW 19–0
October 11at Saint Paul's (VA)Lawrenceville, VAW 71–0
October 18St. Augustine'sRaleigh, NCW 49–0
October 25at Morris Brown*Atlanta, GAW 13–6
November 1HowardRaleigh, NCW 22–14
November 8Virginia UnionRaleigh, NCW 12–6
November 15at Johnson C. SmithCharlotte, NCW 19–6
November 27at North Carolina CollegeDurham, NCW 12–7
December 6vs. South Carolina State (National Bowl)Washington, DCW 8–05,000[3][6]
  • *Non-conference game

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "1947 - Shaw (NC)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Shaw's Bears Smite S.C.: S.C. Team Outclassed By Shaw in 8-0 Battle". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 13, 1947. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Shaw Officially Named CIAA Grid Champions". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 20, 1947. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Fred Leigh (December 13, 1947). "Shaw Rips S.C. State In D.C.: Bears' 2nd Quarter Tallies Decide Tilt, CIAA Champs Fizzle On Early Drives Then Fight Gallanty to Hold Lead". Baltimore Afro-American (p. 17).