American college football season
1917 college football season Georgia Tech's backfield
Number of bowls 1 Champion(s) Georgia Tech
← 1916 ·
football seasons
· 1918 →
The 1917 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Georgia Tech as national champions, the South's first.[1] Pittsburgh , Ohio State , Texas A&M , Williams , and Washington State were also undefeated, and one-loss Navy was strong.
Tech coach John Heisman challenged Pitt coach Pop Warner to a postseason contest to determine a national champion, but as such a match did not occur until the next season, Tech was named national champion. The Golden Tornado was invited to play a 4–3 Oregon team in the Rose Bowl , but by then many players had joined the war effort.
In the second week of play, Georgia Tech beat Penn 41–0. Bernie McCarty called it "Strupper 's finest hour, coming through against powerful Penn in the contest that shocked the East ." By comparison, Pitt defeated Penn 14–6.[2]
Conference and program changes [ ]
Conference changes [ ]
One conference changed its name for the 1917 season:
Michigan rejoined the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (commonly known as the Big Nine Conference ) after a nine-year absence. As such, the league was first unofficially coined the Big Ten , the name it possesses today.
Membership changes [ ]
School
1916 Conference
1917 Conference
Michigan Wolverines
Independent
Big Ten (was Big Nine)
Montana Agricultural Bobcats
Independent
Rocky Mountain
Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels
Program Established
Independent
Southwestern (TX) Pirates
Southwest
Independent
Toledo Blue and Gold
Program Established
Independent
September [ ]
September 29
In a doubleheader, Georgia Tech beat Furman and then Wake Forest; 25–0 and 33–0 respectively. Navy beat Davidson 27–6. Pitt beat West Virginia 14–9.
October [ ]
October 6
Georgia Tech beat Penn at home 41 to 0. Centre beat KMI 104–0. West Virginia beat Navy 6–0. Williams beat Cornell 14–10.
October 7
Georgia Tech beat Cumberland at home 222–0. http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/124864/100-years-ago-georgia-techs-222-0-victory
October 13
Georgia Tech beat Davidson 32–10, its closest game all season. DePauw beat Centre 6–0. Syracuse beat Rutgers 14–10. Wisconsin tied Notre Dame 0–0.
October 20
Georgia Tech beat Washington & Lee 63–0. Auburn beat Clemson 7–0. Pittsburgh beat Syracuse 28–0. Nebraska beat Notre Dame 7–0. Washington State beat Oregon 26–3.
October 27
Undefeated Pittsburgh beat Penn on the road 14 to 6. Auburn beat Mississippi A&M 13–6.
November [ ]
November 3
Georgia Tech gave Vanderbilt its worst ever beating, 83–0.[3] Auburn crushed Florida 68–0. Centre beat Kentucky 3–0. Texas A&M beat Tulane 35–0. Wisconsin beat Minnesota 10–7. Illinois tied Chicago 0–0. Rutgers tied West Virginia 3–3.
November 10
A freshman Buck Flowers at Davidson upset Auburn 21–7. All of Georgia Tech's backs rushed for 100 yards in a 48–0 defeat of Tulane.[4] Texas A&M beat Baylor 7–0. Ohio State beat Wisconsin 16–3. Navy beat Georgetown 28–7.
November 17
Georgia Tech beat Carlisle 98–0. Penn beat Michigan 16–0. Ohio State beat Illinois 13–0.
November 24
Auburn fought undefeated Ohio State to a scoreless tie. Coach Heisman of Georgia Tech(who previously coached at Auburn) and his players were at the game, rooting for the Tigers. Minnesota beat Illinois 27–6.
November 29
Georgia Tech beat Auburn 68 to 7. Davidson beat Clemson 21–9. Mississippi A&M beat Haskell 7–6.
Rose Bowl [ ]
The Mare Island Marines defeated Camp Lewis , 19–7, in the 1918 Rose Bowl .
Conference standings [ ]
Major conference standings [ ]
1917 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Ohio State $
4
–
0
–
0
8
–
0
–
1
Minnesota
3
–
1
–
0
4
–
1
–
0
Northwestern
3
–
2
–
0
5
–
2
–
0
Wisconsin
3
–
2
–
0
4
–
2
–
1
Illinois
2
–
2
–
1
5
–
2
–
1
Chicago
2
–
2
–
1
3
–
2
–
1
Indiana
1
–
2
–
0
5
–
2
–
0
Michigan
0
–
1
–
0
8
–
2
–
0
Iowa
0
–
2
–
0
3
–
5
–
0
Purdue
0
–
4
–
0
3
–
4
–
0
1917 Missouri Valley football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Nebraska $
2
–
0
–
0
5
–
2
–
0
Kansas
3
–
1
–
0
6
–
2
–
0
Iowa State
3
–
1
–
0
5
–
2
–
0
Kansas State
2
–
2
–
0
6
–
2
–
0
Missouri
2
–
4
–
0
3
–
5
–
0
Washington University
1
–
2
–
0
4
–
3
–
0
Drake
0
–
3
–
0
0
–
5
–
2
1917 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Washington State $
3
–
0
–
0
6
–
0
–
0†
California
2
–
1
–
0
5
–
5
–
1
Oregon Agricultural
1
–
2
–
1
4
–
2
–
1
Oregon
1
–
2
–
0
4
–
3
–
0
Washington
0
–
2
–
1
1
–
2
–
1
$ – Conference champion †1 tie game recognized by WSU, but not Pac-12
1917 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Denver $
6
–
0
–
0
9
–
0
–
0
Utah Agricultural
4
–
0
–
0
7
–
0
–
1
Colorado
4
–
2
–
0
6
–
2
–
0
Colorado Mines
2
–
3
–
0
5
–
3
–
0
Colorado College
2
–
3
–
0
3
–
3
–
0
Utah
2
–
3
–
0
2
–
4
–
0
Wyoming
1
–
4
–
0
3
–
4
–
0
Montana State
0
–
1
–
2
0
–
2
–
2
Colorado Agricultural
0
–
7
–
1
1
–
7
–
1
1917 South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Georgetown $
2
–
0
–
0
8
–
1
–
0
Richmond
2
–
1
–
0
4
–
2
–
1
Washington and Lee
2
–
1
–
0
4
–
3
–
0
North Carolina A&M
2
–
1
–
1
6
–
2
–
1
VPI
2
–
1
–
1
6
–
2
–
1
Maryland State
2
–
1
–
1
4
–
3
–
1
Davidson
1
–
2
–
0
6
–
4
–
0
VMI
1
–
3
–
1
4
–
4
–
1
St. John's (MD)
0
–
1
–
0
0
–
1
–
0
Johns Hopkins
0
–
1
–
0
0
–
3
–
0
William & Mary
0
–
3
–
0
3
–
5
–
0
1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Georgia Tech $
4
–
0
–
0
9
–
0
–
0
Auburn
5
–
1
–
0
6
–
2
–
1
Clemson
5
–
1
–
0
6
–
2
–
0
Centre
1
–
0
–
0
7
–
1
–
0
Mississippi A&M
3
–
1
–
0
6
–
1
–
0
Alabama
3
–
1
–
1
5
–
2
–
1
Sewanee
4
–
2
–
1
5
–
2
–
1
Tulane
2
–
1
–
0
5
–
3
–
0
Vanderbilt
3
–
2
–
0
5
–
3
–
0
LSU
2
–
3
–
0
3
–
5
–
0
South Carolina
2
–
3
–
0
3
–
5
–
0
Wofford
1
–
2
–
0
5
–
4
–
0
Furman
1
–
3
–
0
3
–
5
–
0
Florida
1
–
3
–
0
2
–
4
–
0
Ole Miss
1
–
4
–
0
1
–
4
–
1
The Citadel
0
–
2
–
0
3
–
3
–
0
Howard (AL)
0
–
3
–
0
0
–
3
–
0
Mississippi College
0
–
4
–
0
0
–
4
–
0
$ – Conference champion There were several SIAA schools that did not field a team due to World War I.
1917 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Texas A&M $
3
–
0
–
0
8
–
0
–
0
Baylor
2
–
1
–
0
6
–
2
–
1
Rice
1
–
1
–
0
7
–
1
–
0
Oklahoma
1
–
1
–
1
6
–
3
–
1
Texas
2
–
4
–
0
4
–
4
–
0
Oklahoma A&M
1
–
2
–
0
4
–
4
–
0
Arkansas
0
–
1
–
1
5
–
1
–
1
Independents [ ]
1917 military service football records
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Mare Island Marines
–
8
–
0
–
0
Mineola Aviation Station
–
3
–
0
–
0
Camp Dix
–
2
–
0
–
0
Camp Jackson
–
2
–
0
–
1
Allentown Ambulance Corps
–
5
–
1
–
0
Camp Custer
–
5
–
1
–
0
Camp Gordon
–
5
–
1
–
0
Charlestown Navy Yard
–
3
–
1
–
0
Camp Funston
–
7
–
3
–
0
Camp Lewis
–
5
–
2
–
1
Newport Naval Reserves
–
5
–
2
–
1
Camp Grant
–
3
–
1
–
0
Camp Taylor
–
2
–
1
–
0
Great Lakes Navy
–
4
–
3
–
0
Camp Devens
–
1
–
3
–
2
Camp Meade
–
1
–
2
–
0
League Island Marines
–
1
–
3
–
0
Camp Upton
–
0
–
1
–
0
1917 Eastern college football independents records
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Pittsburgh
–
10
–
0
–
0
Williams
–
7
–
0
–
1
Yale
–
3
–
0
–
0
Princeton
–
2
–
0
–
0
Syracuse
–
8
–
1
–
1
Army
–
7
–
1
–
0
Rutgers
–
7
–
1
–
1
Penn
–
9
–
2
–
0
Brown
–
8
–
2
–
0
Fordham
–
7
–
2
–
0
Lehigh
–
7
–
2
–
0
Boston College
–
6
–
2
–
0
Swarthmore
–
6
–
2
–
0
Washington & Jefferson
–
7
–
3
–
0
Colgate
–
4
–
2
–
0
Harvard
–
3
–
1
–
3
New Hampshire
–
3
–
2
–
2
Dartmouth
–
5
–
3
–
0
Geneva
–
5
–
3
–
1
Penn State
–
5
–
4
–
0
NYU
–
2
–
2
–
3
Tufts
–
3
–
3
–
0
Carnegie Tech
–
2
–
3
–
1
Bucknell
–
3
–
5
–
1
Lafayette
–
3
–
5
–
0
Holy Cross
–
3
–
4
–
0
Rhode Island State
–
2
–
4
–
2
Carlisle
–
3
–
6
–
0
Columbia
–
2
–
4
–
0
Delaware
–
2
–
5
–
0
Cornell
–
3
–
6
–
0
Franklin & Marshall
–
2
–
6
–
0
Villanova
–
0
–
3
–
2
Temple
–
0
–
6
–
1
1917 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Marquette
–
8
–
0
–
1
Detroit
–
8
–
1
–
0
Morningside
–
5
–
1
–
0
Notre Dame
–
6
–
1
–
1
Heidelberg
–
5
–
1
–
1
St. Mary's (OH)
–
7
–
2
–
0
St. Xavier
–
4
–
1
–
2
North Dakota Agricultural
–
4
–
2
–
0
Akron
–
5
–
3
–
0
Haskell
–
6
–
5
–
0
Western State Normal (MI)
–
4
–
3
–
0
Michigan State Normal
–
3
–
4
–
0
Iowa State Teachers
–
2
–
3
–
0
South Dakota
–
2
–
3
–
0
Central Michigan
–
1
–
2
–
0
Lake Forest
–
2
–
5
–
0
Wabash
–
1
–
6
–
1
Toledo
–
0
–
3
–
0
Michigan Agricultural
–
0
–
9
–
0
1917 Western college football independents records
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Saint Mary's
–
8
–
1
–
1
Hawaii
–
4
–
0
–
1
USC
–
4
–
2
–
1
New Mexico A&M
–
4
–
2
–
0
Arizona
–
3
–
2
–
0
Idaho
–
2
–
3
–
0
New Mexico
–
1
–
2
–
0
University Farm
–
1
–
2
–
0
Nevada
–
1
–
3
–
0
Montana
–
1
–
4
–
0
Minor conferences [ ]
Conference
Champion(s)
Record
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Virginia Union
2–0
Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin
La Crosse Normal
3–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
Kansas State Normal Kansas State Normal–Fort Hays
5–0–1 5–0
Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Southwestern Louisiana Industrial
5–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Alma
4–0
Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference
Unknown
—
Ohio Athletic Conference
Miami (OH)
5–0–1
Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference
No champion
—
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Pomona–Pitzer
4–0
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Tuskegee
—
Minor conference standings [ ]
1917 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Virginia Union $
2
–
0
–
0
4
–
0
–
0
Hampton
2
–
1
–
0
4
–
1
–
0
Lincoln (PA)
1
–
1
–
0
1
–
1
–
0
Howard
0
–
3
–
0
0
–
4
–
0
1917 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Carthage
3
–
0
–
0
4
–
1
–
1
Southern Illinois
–
3
–
2
–
3
1917 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Hays Normal $
6
–
0
–
0
7
–
0
–
0
Kansas State Normal
5
–
0
–
1
5
–
3
–
1
College of Emporia
6
–
2
–
0
6
–
2
–
0
Southwestern (KS)
6
–
3
–
0
6
–
4
–
0
St. Mary's (KS)
4
–
2
–
0
6
–
3
–
0
Pittsburg Normal
3
–
2
–
1
4
–
3
–
2
Fairmount
3
–
3
–
2
3
–
3
–
2
Friends
3
–
3
–
1
3
–
5
–
1
Baker
3
–
4
–
1
3
–
5
–
1
Ottawa
2
–
4
–
1
2
–
5
–
1
Washburn
2
–
5
–
2
2
–
6
–
2
Cooper
2
–
5
–
1
2
–
5
–
1
Bethany (KS)
3
–
6
–
0
3
–
7
–
0
Midland
0
–
4
–
0
4
–
5
–
0
Kansas Wesleyan
0
–
6
–
0
1
–
8
–
0
1917 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Alma $
4
–
0
–
0
6
–
1
–
0
Kalamazoo
4
–
1
–
0
5
–
5
–
0
Albion
2
–
2
–
0
3
–
3
–
0
Olivet
2
–
3
–
0
3
–
3
–
0
Adrian
0
–
2
–
0
0
–
3
–
0
Hillsdale
0
–
4
–
0
0
–
5
–
0
1917 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Drury +
3
–
0
–
0
7
–
0
–
0
Missouri Wesleyan +
5
–
0
–
1
7
–
0
–
1
William Jewell +
5
–
0
–
1
5
–
1
–
1
Central (MO)
3
–
2
–
0
3
–
2
–
0
Springfield (MO)
3
–
2
–
0
3
–
2
–
0
Tarkio
3
–
3
–
0
4
–
4
–
0
Westminster (MO)
2
–
4
–
0
2
–
6
–
0
Kirksville
1
–
5
–
0
1
–
5
–
0
Cape Girardeau
0
–
2
–
0
2
–
3
–
0
Maryville (MO)
0
–
7
–
0
0
–
8
–
0
+ – Conference co-champions
1917 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Miami (OH) $
5
–
0
–
1
6
–
0
–
2
Wooster
5
–
0
–
3
6
–
0
–
3
Wittenberg
4
–
1
–
0
5
–
2
–
0
Oberlin
4
–
1
–
0
5
–
2
–
1
Akron
3
–
1
–
0
5
–
3
–
0
Denison
2
–
2
–
0
5
–
3
–
0
Ohio Wesleyan
3
–
3
–
1
4
–
3
–
1
Western Reserve
3
–
3
–
1
3
–
5
–
1
Ohio
3
–
3
–
0
3
–
5
–
0
Case
3
–
4
–
1
3
–
6
–
1
Kenyon
2
–
3
–
1
3
–
3
–
1
Mount Union
1
–
5
–
0
2
–
6
–
0
Ohio Northern
0
–
4
–
0
3
–
4
–
0
Baldwin–Wallace
0
–
7
–
0
1
–
8
–
0
Cincinnati
0
–
4
–
0
0
–
6
–
0
Ohio State *
3
–
0
–
0
8
–
0
–
1
$ – Conference champion * – did not complete for championship
Awards and honors [ ]
All-Americans [ ]
Main article: 1917 College Football All-America Team
The consensus All-America team included:
Position
Name
Height
Weight (lbs.)
Class
Hometown
Team
QB
Benny Boynton
5'9"
163
So.
Waco, Texas
Williams
HB
Elmer Oliphant
5'7"
180
Sr.
Bloomfield, Indiana
Army
HB
Everett Strupper
5'7"
148
Sr.
Columbus, Georgia
Georgia Tech
FB
Chic Harley
5'11"
171
Jr.
Chicago, Illinois
Ohio State
E
Charles Bolen
Sr.
Marion, Indiana
Ohio State
E
Heinie Miller
5'10"
185
Jr.
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Penn
T
George Hauser
Sr.
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Minnesota
G
Dale Sies
6'1"
203
Sr.
Ames, Iowa
Pittsburgh
G
Jock Sutherland
Sr.
Coupar Angus, Scotland
Pittsburgh
C
Frank Rydzewski
6'1"
220
Sr.
Chicago, Illinois
Notre Dame
G
Eugene Neeley
Sr.
Dallas, Texas
Dartmouth
T
Alf Cobb
5'11"
210
Sr.
Athol, Massachusetts
Syracuse
E
Paul Robeson
6'3"
219
Jr.
Princeton, New Jersey
Rutgers
Statistical leaders [ ]
Team scoring most points: Georgia Tech, 491
Player scoring most points: Bill Ingram , Navy, 162
Player scoring most touchdowns: Albert Hill , Georgia Tech, 23
Player scoring most goals after touchdown: Bill Fincher , Georgia Tech, 49
Rushing yards leader: Everett Strupper , Georgia Tech, 1150
Rushing avg. leader: Everett Strupper, 10.1
References [ ]
Pre-NCAA
1869
1870
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NCAA pre-divisional NCAA University Division
1956
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NCAA Division I NCAA Division I-A/FBS NCAA Division I-AA/FCS NCAA College Division NCAA Division II NCAA Division III