1903 Sewanee Tigers football team

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{{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]]
Assistant coachFrank M. Osborne
1903 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Clemson + 2 0 1 4 1 1
Cumberland (TN) + 4 1 1 6 1 1
Sewanee 5 1 0 7 1 0
Vanderbilt 5 1 1 6 1 1
Mississippi A&M 2 0 2 3 0 2
Georgia 3 2 0 3 4 0
Ole Miss 1 1 1 2 1 1
Texas 0 0 1 5 1 2
Kentucky State 0 0 0 6 1 0
Alabama 3 4 0 3 4 0
Auburn 2 3 0 4 3 0
Tennessee 2 4 0 4 5 0
Georgia Tech 1 4 0 3 5 0
Tulane 0 1 1 2 2 1
Mercer 0 1 0 0 1 0
Nashville 0 2 0 1 3 0
LSU 0 5 0 4 5 0
SW Presbyterian        
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1903 Sewanee Tigers football team represented the Sewanee Tigers of Sewanee: The University of the South in the 1903 season.

1903 met difficulty in determining an SIAA champion. Clemson had the best record, but lost to an inferior North Carolina team; and in the game to secure the SIAA title were tied by Cumberland. Clemson's John Heisman pushed strongly for Cumberland to share the SIAA title.[1] Cumberland's strongest victory was its win over Vanderbilt. However, Sewanee beat Cumberland, yet suffered its only loss to Vanderbilt. Therefore, one can find all of Clemson, Cumberland, Sewanee, and Vanderbilt defended as SIAA champion.

Schedule

October 3Mooney*

W 23–0 October 17Tennessee Medical*

  • McGee Field
  • Sewanee, TN

W 6–0 October 203:00 p. m.Cumberland

  • McGee Field
  • Sewanee, TN

W 6–0 October 31at AuburnMontgomery, AL (Rivalry)W 47–0 November 2at AlabamaBirmingham, ALW 23–0 November 7at Nashville

W 6–0 November 14at TennesseeKnoxville, TNW 17–0 November 26at Vanderbilt

L 5–10

Template:CFB Schedule End [2]

Season summary

Mooney

The season opened with a defeat of Mooney School by a 23–0 score.

Cumberland

Cumberland at Sewanee
1 2Total
Cumberland 0 0 0
Sewanee 0 6 6
  • Date: October 20
  • Location: Sewanee, TN
  • Game start: 3:00 p. m.
  • Referee: Roszel

Sewanee gave the greatest team in Cumberland history its only loss.. Henry D. Phillips plowed through the line for the deciding score.[3]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), L. Kirby-Smith (left tackle), Blount (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), Brong (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Colmore (left halfback), E. Kirby Smith (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[3]

Auburn

Sewanee at Auburn
1 2Total
Sewanee 23 24 47
Auburn 0 0 0

Sewanee easily beat Auburn 47–0. The first half was all Sewanee. Phillips made the first touchdown. After an Auburn fumble, Shaffer made the next touchdown.[4] Phillips soon made the next touchdown. Kirby-Smith the next.[4] In the second half, Auburn played better, but got nowhere near Sewanee's goal.[4] Phillips had three touchdowns in the second half, "by some of the finest line bucking ever seen here."[4]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), L. Kirby-Smith (left tackle), Harper (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), Brong (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Colmore (left halfback), Shaffer (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[4]

Alabama

Sewanee beat Alabama 23–0 in the first match between the two schools since 1896.[5] The game was originally scheduled to be played in Tuscaloosa, but was subsequently moved to West End Park in Birmingham in an effort to increase gate receipts.[6] Phillips made the first score.[6]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), Brong (left tackle), Harper (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), L. Kirby-Smith (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Colmore (left halfback), E. Kirby Smith (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[6]

Nashville

Sewanee defeated the Nashville Garnet and Blue 6–0. In 1903, Wreidt, the team's coach, resigned and Nashville football was threatened with its end, but it survived for a few more years.[7]

Vanderbilt

Sewanee at Vanderbilt
1 2Total
Sewanee 0 5 5
Vanderbilt 5 5 10

Sewanee was defeated by rival Vanderbilt, 10–5, the first team to even score on the Tigers. Sewanee was crippled in the first half by the loss of Stewart, who fractured his ankle in a scrimmage before the game. He tried to play through it, but had to be helped off the field.[8] John J. Tigert, later a prominent educator, got Vanderbilt's first touchdown.[8] Sewanee tied the score with a touchdown in the second half. Later, Vanderbilt had the ball at the 4-yard line third down. "As great a stand of a football elevve was that of Sewaee before Vanderbilt's winning touchdown was made."[8] On third down from the 1-yard line the center Perry fell on a fumble. Sewanee protested that the runner was down, but Vanderbilt was awarded the touchdown.[8] "Vanderbilt, in fact all Nashville, is wild with joy tonight. Sewanee is looking forward to next Thanksgiving."[8]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), Brong (left tackle), Harper (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), E. Kirby-Smith (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Sawrie (left halfback), Colmore (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[8]

Players

Varsity lettermen

Line

Player Position Games
started
Prep school Height Weight Age
J. L. Brong tackle
Emile Harper guard
J. W. Jones end
Joseph Lee Kirby-Smith tackle
Ephraim Kirby-Smith tackle
Henry D. Phillips guard
Miles Watkins center
Wesley E. Wheless end

Backfield

Player Position Games
started
Prep school Height Weight Age
John Scarbrough quarterback
Rupert Colmore halfback
Nate Sawrie back
W. Meacham Stewart back

Subs

Player Position Games
started
Prep school Height Weight Age
G. A. Blount
Robert Bostrom
Roland Crownover
William Poyner
J. W. Price
I. J. Rosebrough
John Schaffer
Henry Sneed
David Wettlin

References

  1. ^ Langum, David J. From Maverick to Mainstream: Cumberland School of Law, 1847-1997. p. 95.
  2. ^ "Sewanee football media guide".
  3. ^ a b "The Varsity Triumphs Over Cumberland". Sewanee Purple. Vol. 20, no. 8. October 27, 1903.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Auburn Was Pie For The Purple". The Atlanta Constitution. November 13, 1905. p. 4. Retrieved May 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Alabama vs Sewanee". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/recaps/1903-season.pdf
  7. ^ http://www.lostcolleges.com/#!nashville-university/c1bo2
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Commodores Win From Old Rivals". Atlanta Constitution. November 27, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved May 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon