1919 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team

The 1919 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team[note 1] represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1919 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Tornado was coached by John Heisman in his 15th year as head coach, compiling a record of 7–3 (3–1 SIAA) and outscoring opponents 257 to 33.

1919 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record7–3 (3–1 SIAA)
Head coach
Offensive schemeJump shift
CaptainPup Phillips
Home stadiumGrant Field
Seasons
← 1918
1920 →
1919 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Auburn $ 5 1 0 8 1 0
Alabama 6 1 0 8 1 0
Centre 1 0 0 9 0 0
Kentucky 3 1 1 3 4 1
Georgia Tech 3 1 0 7 3 0
Tulane 3 1 1 6 2 1
Vanderbilt 3 1 2 5 1 2
Furman 2 1 1 6 2 1
Mississippi A&M 5 2 0 6 2 0
Georgia 4 2 2 4 2 3
LSU 3 2 0 6 2 0
Clemson 3 2 2 6 2 2
Florida 2 2 0 5 3 0
Wofford 1 1 0 3 2 1
Transylvania 1 1 0 2 4 0
Ole Miss 1 4 0 4 4 0
The Citadel 1 4 0 4 4 1
Sewanee 1 4 0 3 6 0
Georgetown (KY) 0 0 0 0 2 0
Tennessee 0 3 2 3 3 3
South Carolina 0 4 1 1 7 1
Mercer 0 1 0 0 2 0
Mississippi College 0 4 0 3 5 1
Howard (AL) 0 4 0 3 5 2
  • $ – Conference champion

Before the season

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Jack McDonough started at quarterback as a true freshman when Marshall Guill was moved to end. Pup Phillips was captain.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27FurmanW 74–0[3]
October 4Camp Gordon*
  • Grant Field
  • Atlanta, GA
W 48–0[4]
October 4Wake Forest*
  • Grant Field
  • Atlanta, GA
W 14–0[4]
October 11Clemson
W 28–05,000[5]
October 18Vanderbilt
W 20–0[6]
October 25at Pittsburgh*L 6–16[7]
November 1Davidson*
  • Grant Field
  • Atlanta, GA
W 33–0[8]
November 8Washington & Lee*
  • Grant Field
  • Atlanta, GA
L 0–3[9]
November 15Georgetown*
  • Grant Field
  • Atlanta, GA
W 27–0[10]
November 27Auburn
L 14–7[11]
  • *Non-conference game

[12]

Game summaries

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Camp Logan

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The season opened with a 48–0 defeat of Camp Logan.

Furman

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In the second week of play, Tech swamped Furman, 74–0.

Wake Forest

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Tech beat Wake Forest 14–0.

Clemson

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Week 4: Clemson @ Georgia Tech
1 234Total
Clemson 0 000 0
Ga. Tech 0 01414 28

Sources:[13]

After being held scoreless in the first half, Tech beat Clemson 28–0. The entire backfield, as well Fincher, Lebey, and Higgins in the line, were cited as stars of the game.[13] The play of Tech seemed stimulated in the second half by the substitution of Shorty Guill. The first touchdown was the best run of the game, for 26 yards around left end,[13] Flowers "sidestepped, ducked, twisted and turned until he had again crossed the field almost to the opposite side and then stiff-arming the last man in his way, crossed the goal for a touchdown."[13] Red Barron went around right end for 35 yards and the second touchdown. A 15-yard pass from Flowers to Bill Fincher netted the third touchdown.[13] Ferst went back in for Guill and got the last touchdown on a 12-yard buck behind left guard.[13]

The starting lineup was: Fincher (left end), Higgins (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Phillips (center), Dowling (right guard), Lyman (right tackle), Staton (right end), McDonough (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Gaiver (fullback).[13]

Vanderbilt

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Tech-Vanderbilt

Tech beat Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores in the mud 20–0, giving the Commodores their only loss on the season. Buck Flowers and fullback Bill Giaver starred.[14]

The starting lineup was: Fincher (left end), Higgins (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Amis (center), Dowling (right guard), Huffines (right tackle), Staton (right end), Guill (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Barron (right halfback), Gavier (fullback).[15]

Pittsburgh

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Tech was beaten 16–6 by Pop Warner's Pittsburgh Panthers, the first team to score on Tech all year.

Davidson

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Tech beat Davidson 33–0, Flowers running around his old teammates.[16]

Washington & Lee

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Quarterback Jim Mattox made the field goal to help Washington & Lee upset Tech.[17] the first loss to a Southern team since 1914 for Tech.

The starting lineup was: Fincher (left end), Doyal (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Phillips (center), Dowling (right guard), Higgins (right tackle), Staton (right end), Guill (quarterback), Flowers (left halfback), Ferst (right halfback), Gavier (fullback).[18]

Georgetown

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Dewey Scarboro returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown in the 27–0 win over Georgetown.[19]

Auburn

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Week 10: Auburn @ Georgia Tech
1 234Total
Auburn 0 266 14
Ga. Tech 7 000 7
  • Sources:

The Auburn Tigers beat Tech 14–7, its first loss to an SIAA school in five years. The first touchdown of the game was made by Jack McDonough. Judy Harlan later fell on his own punt for a safety. In the third quarter, Warren blocked a Dewey Scarboro punt and Sloan recovered the ball and ran it 35 yards for a touchdown. Auburn's Fatty Warren "waddled" for a 40-yard touchdown off a blocked punt in the victory.[20][21]

The starting lineup was Guill (left end), Fincher (left tackle), Lebey (left guard), Phillips (center), Dowling (right guard), Huffines (right tackle), Staton (right end), McDonough (quarterback), Barron (left halfback), Ferst (right halfback), Harlan (fullback).[22]

Postseason

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After a divorce in 1919, Heisman left Atlanta to prevent any social embarrassment to his former wife, who chose to remain in the city.[23] He picked Bill Alexander as successor and went back to the University of Pennsylvania for three seasons, from 1920 to 1922.

Notes

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  1. ^ Although Georgia Tech's teams are officially known as the "Yellow Jackets", northern writers called the team the "Golden Tornado" in 1917; the name was commonly used until 1928 and for many years afterwards as an alternate nickname.[1] It may have been coined by Morgan Blake.[2]

Endnotes

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  1. ^ Van Brimmer & Rice 2011, p. 147
  2. ^ "Golden Tornadoes". Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "Georgia Tech piles up 74 to 0 victory". The Journal and Tribune. September 28, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Barron stars in victory over Fifth". The Atlanta Journal. October 5, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Georgia Tech wins from Clemson". Nashville Tennessean. October 12, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Heisman's Tornado humbles M'Gugin's Commodores, 20–0". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 19, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Pitt's smashes rip Georgia Tech to 16–6 defeat". The Chicago Tribune. October 26, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Georgia Tech in an easy victory over Davidson". The Commercial Appeal. November 2, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Tech loses to W. and L." The Chattanooga Sunday Times. November 9, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Golden Tornado is back in form". The News and Observer. November 16, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Golden Tornado loses to Auburn". The News Scimitar. November 28, 1919. Retrieved June 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "1919 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule and Results".
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Les Rawlings (October 12, 1919). "Tigers Fought Hard And Jackets Battled For 28 to 0 Victory". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 3. Retrieved December 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
  14. ^ "Georgia Tech Swamps Vanderbilt, 20 to 0". The Washington Post. October 19, 1919. p. 23. Retrieved May 13, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  15. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 84
  16. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 93
  17. ^ "Calyx". Washington and Lee University. 1920.
  18. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 95
  19. ^ "Dewey Scarboro:'A limousine gone crazy'".
  20. ^ 1920 Glomerata p. 173
  21. ^ John Staton (November 17, 1921). "Golden Tornado Spends Day Studying Auburn Formations". Atlanta Constitution. p. 12. Retrieved April 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
  22. ^ "Outplaying Tornado, Auburn Eleven Won". The Atlanta Constitution. November 28, 1919. p. 19. Retrieved May 13, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  23. ^ "Tech Timeline: 1910s". Tech Traditions. Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2007.

References

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