The 1923 Virginia Union Panthers football team was an American football team that represented Virginia Union University in the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1923 college football season. In their third and final year under head coach Harold D. Martin, the Panthers compiled a 6–0–2 record and won the CIAA championship.[1] The Panthers were selected by the Pittsburgh Courier as the black college national champion. The team played its home games at Hovey Field in Richmond, Virginia.
| 1923 Virginia Union Panthers football | |
|---|---|
Black college national co-champion CIAA champion | |
| Conference | Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Record | 6–0–2 (5–0 CIAA) |
| Head coach |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Union $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard | 3 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hampton | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Normal | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lincoln (PA) | 1 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Paul (VA) | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Seminary | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shaw | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Key players included fullback Al Fentress and halfbacks Julius Martin and Leroy Williams.[2] Guard Miller was the only Virginia Union player to receive first-team honors on the 1923 All-CIAA football team selected by committee of the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association.[3]
Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 13 | A.S.C.* |
| T 0–0 | [4] | |||
| October 20 | at Virginia Seminary | Lynchburg, VA | W 24–0 | ||||
| Shaw | W 6–0 | ||||||
| November 10 | at Atlanta* | Atlanta, GA | T 0–0 | [5] | |||
| Virginia Normal[note 1] | W 6–0 | ||||||
| November 23 | Saint Paul (VA)[note 2] |
| W 6–0 | ||||
| November 28 | Hampton |
| W 7–6 | 1,500 | [6] | ||
| |||||||
Notes edit
- ^ Virginia State University was officially known at this time as the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute (V.N.I.I.).
- ^ Saint Paul's College (Virginia) was officially known at this time as the St. Paul Normal and Industrial School, located in Lynchburg, Virginia.
References edit
- ^ "Va. Union University Grid Squad Officially Awarded 1923 C.I.A.A. Championship". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 22, 1923. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Union Has One of Greatest Aggregations In History Of Old Virginia Institution". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 13, 1923. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Delegated Committee Picks All C.I.A.A. Eleven". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 22, 1923. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Union Gridders Battle Strong A.S.C. Eleven to Sensational 0-0 Score". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 20, 1923. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Atlanta and Union Battle to Scoreless Tie in Spectacular Game". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 17, 1923. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Union Wins Uphill Game From Hampton Thanksgiving Day". The New York Age. December 8, 1923. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.