1917 Davidson Wildcats football
ConferenceSouth Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record6–4 (1–2 SAIAA)
Head coach
CaptainGeorge M. King
Home stadiumSprunt Field
1917 South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Georgetown $ 2 –0 –08 –1 –0
Richmond 2 –1 –04 –2 –1
Washington and Lee 2 –1 –04 –3 –0
North Carolina A&M 2 –1 –16 –2 –1
VPI 2 –1 –16 –2 –1
Maryland State 2 –1 –14 –3 –1
Davidson 1 –2 –06 –4 –0
VMI 1 –3 –14 –4 –1
St. John's (MD) 0 –1 –00 –1 –0
Johns Hopkins 0 –1 –00 –3 –0
William & Mary 0 –3 –03 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1917 Davidson Wildcats football team represented Davidson University in the 1917 college football season. Led by third year coach Bill Fetzer, the Wildcats competed as a member of the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SAIAA). Despite a record of 6–4 (1–2 SAIAA), some would call Davidson the second best southern team that year.[1] Davidson defeated Auburn 21 to 7, in one of the great upsets in Southern football history,[2] and scored the most on the 1917 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado, for many years considered the greatest football team the South ever produced,[3] in a 32 to 10 loss. Following the Auburn game the Davidson team was first referred to as "the Wildcats.

The team included a 17-year-old Buck Flowers, and two other All-Southerns in Wooly Grey and captain Georgie King. The backfield consisted of Flowers, quarterback Henry Spann, halfback Jack Black, and fullback Buck Burns.[4]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 29at Navy*
L 6–27
October 6at North Carolina A&M
L 3–7
October 13at Georgia Tech*
L 10–32[5][6]
October 20at VPI
L 7–13[7][8]
October 27vs. VMI
W 23–7[9]
November 3at Furman*
W 28–7[10][11]
November 102:30 p.m.vs. Auburn*
  • Grant Field
  • Atlanta, GA
W 21–7[12]
November 17vs. Wake Forest*
W 72–7300–400[13]
November 23Wofford*
  • Sprunt Field
  • Davidson, NC
W 62–0[14]
November 29vs. Clemson*
  • Wearn Field
  • Charlotte, NC
W 21–9[15]

[16]

Season summary

Week 3: at Georgia Tech

Davidson scored the most on the south's first national champion – Georgia Tech, for many years considered the greatest football team the South ever produced,[3] in a 32 to 10 loss. This was the only game none of Tech's backs gained 100 yards rushing. Tech only led 6 to 3 until Everett Strupper broke open the game in the second half.[17] Davidson got desperate and tried the pass, getting to within the 15-yard line. Walker Carpenter broke through the line and got a 10-yard loss.[18]

Davidson captain Georgie King said "I consider Georgia Tech the best football team I have ever played against or ever expect to play against."[19]

Week 7: Auburn

Week 7: Davidson at Auburn
1 234Total
• Davidson 0 777 21
Auburn 0 070 7
  • Date: November 10
  • Location: Atlanta, GA
  • Referee: Lewis (Virginia)

Auburn was involved in of the great upsets in Southern football history as the Wildcats bested the Auburn Tigers 21–7.[20][21]

Week 10: Clemson

Week 10: Clemson at Davidson
1 234Total
Clemson 9 000 9
• Davidson 7 0140 21

Davidson beat Clemson 21–9 on a soggy field. Tackle Douglas Elliott broke his leg below the knee in the second quarter. King scored two touchdowns and Flowers another. Clemson's score followed a kick return by Stumpy Banks to the 4-yard line.[22]

The starting lineup was King (left end), Shaw (left tackle), Gray (left guard), D. Crouch (center), McMaster (right guard), Elliott (right tackle), Roberts (right end), Spann (quarterback), McAlester (left halfback), Thomas (right halfback), Burns (fullback).[22]

References

  1. ↑ Bernie McCarty (February 1988). "Georgia Tech's 1917 backfield, better than the Four Horsemen Part 1" (PDF). College Football Historical Society. 1 (3). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Buck Flowers: He Could Do It All — Well". Daily Item. Sumter, S.C. October 15, 1969. p. B2.
  3. 1 2 Wiley Lee Umphlett (1992). Creating The Big Game. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 141. ISBN 0313284040.
  4. ↑ "Niches in the Wildcat Hall of Fame". The Davidsonian. March 6, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved August 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ↑ "Davidson Gives Techs Surprise". News and Observer. October 14, 1917. p. 13. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ↑ "Davidson Gives Jackets Another Fierce Battle". Atlanta Constitution. October 14, 1917. p. 3. Retrieved August 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. part 2 Open access icon
  7. ↑ "Godsey Win For Techs". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Library of Congress. October 21, 1917. p. 25. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Davidson Loses Hard-Fought Game" (PDF). The Davidsonian. Davidson College. October 24, 1917. p. 1. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Davidson beats V.M.I. Cadets". The Charlotte Observer. October 28, 1917. Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Davidson In Fine Shape, Is Report". The Greenville Daily News. Greenville, South Carolina. November 2, 1917. p. 5. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  11. ↑ "Furman Played Davidson To A Standstill Although Local Eleven Lost Game". The Greenville Daily News. Greenville, North Carolina. November 4, 1917. p. 14. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  12. ↑ Jemison, Dick (November 10, 1917). "Plainsmen Twelve Pounds Heavier Than Davidson". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. p. 14. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  13. ↑ "Davidson Swamps Wake Forest On Cone Grid By 72 To 7; Baptists Are Unable To Block The Presbyterians". Greensboro Daily News. Greensboro, North Carolina. November 18, 1917. p. 12. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  14. ↑ "Davidson-Wofford Game Is Really Hard Fought". Greensboro Daily News. Greensboro, North Carolina. November 24, 1917. p. 8. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  15. ↑ "Davidson Defeated Clemson Tigers By Using Aerial Game". The Charlotte News. Charlotte, North Carolina. November 30, 1917. p. 15. Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  16. ↑ "1917 Davidson Wildcats Schedule and Results".
  17. ↑ Bernie McCarty (February 1988). "Georgia Tech's 1917 backfield, better than the Four Horsemen Part 1". College Football Historical Society. 1 (3). Part 1 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Part 2 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Technique 9 Oct 1917, Print.
  19. ↑ (16 November 2010) In "Technique Newsletter Volume 07, Issue 11." Retrieved November 16, from http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/26083
  20. 1 2 Dick Jemison (November 11, 1917). "Ralph Flowers, Demon Halfback, Defeats Auburn". Atlanta Constitution – via Newspapers.com. Part 1 Part 2 Open access icon
  21. ↑ "Wildcat Origin". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 "Davidson Defeats The Clemson Football Team". Winston-Salem Journal. November 30, 1917. p. 9. Retrieved May 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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