Penn Quakers football
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2010) |
| Penn Quakers football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1876 | ||
| Head coach | 1st season, 7–3 (.700) | ||
| Stadium | Franklin Field (capacity: 52,593) | ||
| Year built | 1895 | ||
| Field surface | SprinTurf | ||
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
| NCAA division | NCAA Division I (FCS) | ||
| Past conferences | Independent (1876–1956) | ||
| All-time record | 832–489–42 (.626) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–1–0 (.000) | ||
| Claimed national titles | Div. I FCS: 7[1] | ||
| Conference titles | 17 | ||
| Heisman winners | (Alma Mater of John Heisman) | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 63 | ||
| Colors | Red and Blue | ||
| Fight song | Fight on, Pennsylvania! | ||
| Mascot | The Penn Quaker | ||
| Marching band | The University of Pennsylvania Band | ||
| Rivals | Cornell Big Red Harvard Crimson Lafayette Leopards Princeton Tigers Yale Bulldogs | ||
| Website | Penn Football | ||
The Penn Quakers football team is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Penn plays its home games at historic Franklin Field, the oldest stadium in football. All Penn games are broadcast on WNTP or WFIL radio.
Overall history
Penn bills itself as "college football's most historic program".[2] The Quakers have had 63 First Team All-Americans, and the college is the alma mater of John Heisman (the namesake of college football's most famous trophy). The team has won a share of 7 national championships (7th all-time) and competed in the "granddaddy of them all" (The Rose Bowl) in 1917. Penn's total of 824 wins puts them 10th all-time in college football (3rd in the FCS) and their winning percentage of 63.4% is 21st in college football (7th in the FCS). 18 members of the College Football Hall of Fame played at Penn (tied with Alabama for 14th) and 5 members of the College Football Hall of Fame coached at Penn. Penn has had 11 unbeaten seasons. Penn plays at the oldest stadium in college football, Franklin Field, at which they have had a 35-game home winning streak (1896–1899), which is the 15th best in the country, and at which they have had 23 unbeaten home seasons. Penn is one of the few college football teams to have had an exclusive contract with a network for broadcasting all their home games. For the 1950 season, ABC Sports broadcast all of Penn's home games. The only other teams to have exclusive contracts are Miami and Notre Dame. The Quakers competed as a major independent until 1956, when they officially joined the Ivy League, which holds the NCAA record for most national championships among its members.[citation needed]
NCAA television controversy
Ivy League
Since joining the Ivy League in 1956, Penn has been a powerhouse in the conference. They are second in total Ivy League titles (17), first in outright Ivy League titles (13), and first in undefeated Ivy League titles (8).
NCAA records
NCAA record for most college football games played - 1,363.
NCAA record for consecutive overtime losses - 3 games[3]
Ivy League records
Most outright Ivy League titles - 13 (1959, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Highest number of unbeaten Ivy League seasons - 8 (1984, 1986, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010)
Longest Ivy League winning streak - 20 straight games (2001–2004)
Franklin Field
Penn's home stadium Franklin Field is not only the oldest stadium in football but holds many other records as well. It is the site of the oldest stadium scoreboard (1895), the "original horseshoe" (1903), the first college football radio broadcast (1922 on WIP), the first double-decker football stadium (1925), the largest stadium in the country (1925 to 1926), the first college football television broadcast (1940 on KYW-TV) and the first FCS stadium to host ESPN's College Gameday (2002).[citation needed]
National championships
| Year | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1894 | George Woodruff | 12–0 |
| 1895 | George Woodruff | 14–0 |
| 1897 | George Woodruff | 15–0 |
| 1904 | Carl "Cap" Williams | 12–0 |
| 1907 | Carl "Cap" Williams | 11–1 |
| 1908 | Sol Metzger | 11–0–1 |
| 1924 | Lou Young | 9–1–1 |
Conference championships
| Year | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Steve Sebo | 7–1–1 | 6–1 |
| 1982 | Jerry Berndt | 7–3 | 5–2 (shared title) |
| 1983 | Jerry Berndt | 6–3–1 | 5–1–1 (shared title) |
| 1984 | Jerry Berndt | 8–1 | 7–0 |
| 1985 | Jerry Berndt | 7–2–1 | 6–1 |
| 1986 | Ed Zubrow | 10–0 | 7–0 |
| 1988 | Ed Zubrow | 9–1 | 6–1 (shared title) |
| 1993 | Al Bagnoli | 10–0 | 7–0 |
| 1994 | Al Bagnoli | 9–0 | 7–0 |
| 1998 | Al Bagnoli | 8–2 | 6–1 |
| 2000 | Al Bagnoli | 7–3 | 6–1 |
| 2002 | Al Bagnoli | 9–1 | 7–0 |
| 2003 | Al Bagnoli | 10–0 | 7–0 |
| 2009 | Al Bagnoli | 8–2 | 7–0 |
| 2010 | Al Bagnoli | 9–1 | 7–0 |
| 2012 | Al Bagnoli | 6–4 | 6–1 |
| 2015 | Ray Priore | 7–3 | 6–1 (shared title) |
Penn in the AP Poll
| Year | Final AP Poll Ranking |
|---|---|
| 1936 | 10 |
| 1940 | 14 |
| 1941 | 15 |
| 1943 | 20 |
| 1945 | 8 |
| 1946 | 13 |
| 1947 | 7 |
Bowl games
| Season | Date | Bowl | Location | Result | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916–17 | January 1 | Rose Bowl Game | Pasadena, California | L 0–14 | Oregon |
Notable Quaker players
John Heisman - namesake of the Heisman Trophy, College Football Hall of Fame
John H. Outland - namesake of the Outland Trophy, College Football Hall of Fame
Chuck Bednarik - namesake of the Chuck Bednarik Award, 1948 Maxwell Award winner, Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame
Bert Bell - former NFL commissioner, founder, owner & coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pro Football Hall of Fame
George H. Brooke - Twice All-America, College football Hall of Fame.
Truxton Hare - Consensus All-American every year he played, College Football Hall of Fame, winner of silver medal in the hammer throw at the 1900 Summer Olympics.
Alden Knipe - All-America, led team to 1894 national championship.
Leroy Mercer- All-America, College Football Hall of Fame, Olympic athlete
Skip Minisi - first-round NFL draft pick, College Football Hall of Fame
Bob Odell - 1943 Maxwell Award winner, College Football Hall of Fame
Reds Bagnell - 1951 Maxwell Award winner, All-American, runner up for the Heisman Trophy, College Football Hall of Fame
Jim Finn - 1999, New York Giants starting full back in Super Bowl XLII
Tom Gizzi - Arena Football League player
Individual award winners
Penn's total of three major award winners surpasses several BCS programs to this day. George Savitsky The only 4 time all- American in college football history
- Ivy League Coach of the Year
- Jerry Berndt - 1984
- Ray Priore - 2015
College Football Hall of Fame
Eighteen former players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[4]
Quakers in the NFL
A total of 51 players from Penn have been drafted in the NFL, including NFL Hall of Famers Chuck Bednarik (#1 overall pick in 1949) and Bert Bell (1963) and NFL first-round pick Skip Minisi.
Rivalries
Cornell
Penn's rivalry with Cornell is the 5th-most played college football rivalry of all time, as the two have met 122 times. Their first game was in 1893 and have played every year since, except in 1918. The winner is awarded the Trustee's Cup.
Princeton
Although Penn's rivalry with Princeton is primarily in basketball, the two also have a historic and intense football rivalry dating back to 1876. Princeton was Penn's first opponent in football and have played 107 times. Beginning in 2018 Penn and Princeton will play each other in their final game.
Yale
Penn's rivalry with Yale dates back to 1879. These two Ivy League universities have very historic football traditions.
Brown
Since Brown's ascent to a perennial contender in the Ivy League in the late 1990s, the Penn-Brown game (first played in 1895) has had massive implications towards deciding the champion each year. The Quakers and Bears play at a pivotal time each year; the teams face off with just three games remaining on the Ivy League schedule, and both are typically still in the title hunt, leading to a hard-fought battle.
Harvard
Penn's rivalry with Harvard dates back to 1881. In recent years, the Penn-Harvard football game in mid-November has usually had Ivy League Championship connotations. Since 1993 Penn and Harvard have won the Ivy League Championship 18 times between them. Penn (10) and Harvard (8).
Lafayette
Penn and Lafayette have played 90 games since their first meeting in 1882. Penn leads in the series 63-23-4. The Penn-Lafayette rivalry was one of the most fierce contests in college football during the 19th century, most notably the 1896 contest. In that game, Lafayette upset Penn 6-4, and eventually was named national champion, the first non-Ivy to win a national championship. Lafayette was one of Penn's primary non-Ivy games.
Notable games
Penn 23, Harvard 21
On November 13, 1982, Penn defeated Harvard 23-21 at Franklin Field. With this win, Penn clinched the Ivy League conference championship for 1982, their first in 23 years. Penn kicked a field goal in the last seconds to win. After a first field goal kick missed, a flag gave Penn a second attempt which they converted.
Penn 38, Harvard 7
On November 10, 1984, Penn defeated Harvard 38–7 at Franklin Field. 38,000 fans showed up to support Penn as they clinched a third straight Ivy League title. Head coach Jerry Berndt was named Ivy League Coach of the Year in large part because of this game.
Penn 30, Navy 26
On October 18, 1986, Penn defeated Navy 30-26 in front of Navy's Homecoming crowd. Penn finished the season undefeated at 10-0, 6-0 in the Ivy League for their 5th straight Ivy League title.[5]
Penn 17, Cornell 14
On November 20, 1993, Penn defeated Cornell 17–14 at Franklin Field. Penn was 9–0, 6–0 in the Ivy League coming into the game needing a victory to win the Ivy League and preserve an undefeated season. Cornell led 14–0 at halftime, but Penn did not let their rival score in the second half and won by a field goal.
Penn 18, Cornell 14
On November 19, 1994, Penn defeated Cornell 18–14 at Schoellkopf Field. Penn was 8–0, 6–0 in the Ivy League coming into the game for the second year in the row undefeated and needing to win to clinch an Ivy League title. Penn won a close road game over their chief rival to have back-to-back undefeated seasons.
Penn 44, Harvard 9
On November 16, 2002, Penn defeated Harvard 44–9 at Franklin Field. With this win, Penn clinched the Ivy League conference championship for 2002. This game was the site of ESPN's College Gameday program (the first time a FCS school had been the host). ESPN personality Lee Corso dressed up as Penn's founder founding father Benjamin Franklin (who is also the namesake of Franklin Field) and predicted (correctly) that Penn would win the game.
Penn 26, Princeton 23 (OT)
On November 7, 2015, Penn played archrival Princeton at Franklin Field in their Homecoming Game. In a hard fought contest that was tied 20-20 with four seconds left, Princeton had a FG blocked sending the game into overtime. In the OT Princeton converted a FG and Penn replied with a TD, winning the game, 26-23, keeping the Quakers in the Ivy League race.
Penn 35, Harvard 25
On November 14, 2015, Penn defeated 12th ranked Harvard 35-25 at Harvard Stadium. This win ended Harvard's 22-game winning streak; their first loss since October 26, 2013.[6] With this win, Penn improved to 6-3, 5-1 in the Ivy League, and with a 35-21 win in their next and final game against Cornell, were able to clinch a share of the Ivy League title along with Harvard and Dartmouth. The title capped a remarkable comeback season for Penn. After back-to-back losing seasons in 2013 and 2014, Penn started the 2015 season at 1-3, including a loss in their Ivy League opener, but rallied with 6 straight wins to end the season.
References
- ^ "2011 Fact Book Penn Football" (PDF). Retrieved October 18, 2011.
- ^ http://www.pennathletics.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=1700&SPID=537&SPSID=8576
- ^ Caldwell, Dave. "Penn Loses in Overtime for 3rd Game in a Row". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ See: Penn Quakers#Football.
- ^ http://www.totalfootballstats.com/Team_College.asp?id=204&Season=1986
- ^ http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400799624