1923 Southern Conference football season

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1923 Southern Conference football season
LeagueNCAA
SportCollege football
DurationSeptember 29, 1923
through December 1, 1923
Number of teams20
Regular Season
Season championsVanderbilt
Washington & Lee
Football seasons
← 1922
1924 →
1923 Southern Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
 Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Washington & Lee + 4 – 0 – 1 6 – 3 – 1
Vanderbilt * + 3 – 0 – 1 5 – 2 – 1
VPI 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Alabama 4 – 1 – 1 7 – 2 – 1
Maryland 2 – 1 – 0 7 – 2 – 1
Florida 1 – 0 – 2 6 – 1 – 2
North Carolina 2 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
Georgia 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 1
Mississippi A&M 2 – 1 – 2 5 – 2 – 2
Tennessee 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 1
Tulane 2 – 2 – 1 6 – 3 – 1
Clemson 1 – 1 – 1 5 – 2 – 1
Georgia Tech 0 – 0 – 4 3 – 2 – 4
NC State 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Auburn 0 – 1 – 3 3 – 3 – 3
Kentucky 0 – 2 – 2 4 – 3 – 2
Virginia 0 – 3 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
LSU 0 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 1
Ole Miss 0 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
South Carolina 0 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • * co-member of SIAA

The 1923 Southern Conference football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Conference as part of the 1923 college football season. The season began on September 29. Conference play began with Auburn hosting Clemson. The game was fought to a scoreless tie.

Vanderbilt and Washington & Lee finished the season as conference co-champions. A poll of sportswriters elected Vanderbilt as best team in the south, awarding it the Champ Pickens Trophy.[1][2][3][4]

Vanderbilt end Lynn Bomar was the last of the few southern players selected a first-team All-American by Walter Camp.

Florida's upset of Alabama under new head coach Wallace Wade in the rain opened the door for Vanderbilt's claim to the SoCon title.[5]

Season overview[]

Results and team statistics[]

Conf. Rank Team Head coach Overall record Conf. record PPG PAG
1 (tie) Washington and Lee James DeHart 6–3–1 4–0–1 11.7 12.7
1 (tie) Vanderbilt Dan McGugin 5–2–1 3–0–1 17.1 4.1
3 Florida James Van Fleet 6–1–2 1–0–2 19.9 6.7
4 VPI Ben Cubbage 6–3 4–1 12.9 6.1
5 Alabama Wallace Wade 7–2–1 5–1–1 22.2 5.0
6 Tennessee M. B. Banks 5–4–1 4–3 8.2 16.7
7 Maryland Curley Byrd 7–2–1 2–1 21.4 5.6
8 Mississippi A&M Earl Abell 5–2–2 2–1–2 9.2 7.3
9 North Carolina Bob Fetzer/Bill Fetzer 5–3–1 2–1–1 8.6 9.4
10 Georgia Kid Woodruff 5–3–1 3–2 8.2 13.3
11 Tulane Clark Shaughnessy 6–3–1 2–2–1 11.7 8.9
12 Clemson Bud Saunders 5–2–1 1–1–1 11.4 8.1
13 Georgia Tech William Alexander 3–2–4 0–0–4 8.3 9.1
14 NC State Harry Hartsell 3–7 1–4 5.6 13.4
15 Auburn Boozer Pitts 3–3–3 0–1–3 10.7 6.4
16 Kentucky J. J. Winn 4–3–2 0–2–2 15.0 5.9
17 Virginia Greasy Neale 3–5–1 0–3–1 9.7 9.0
18 LSU Mike Donahue 3–5–1 0–3 11.4 13.4
19 (tie) Ole Miss Roland Cowell 4–6 0–4 8.1 14.5
19 (tie) South Carolina Sol Metzger 4–6 0–4 10.4 7.7

Key

PPG = Average of points scored per game[6]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[6]

Regular season[]

Index to colors and formatting
Non-conference matchup; SoCon member won
Non-conference matchup; SoCon member lost
Non-conference matchup; tie
Conference matchup

SoCon teams in bold.

Week One[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
September 29 Union (TN) Alabama Denny Field • Tuscaloosa, Alabama W 12–0
September 29 Auburn Clemson Riggs Field • Calhoun, South Carolina T 0–0
September 29 Mercer Georgia Sanford Field • Athens, Georgia W 7–0
September 29 Oglethorpe Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta W 28–13
September 29 Marshall Kentucky Stoll Field • Lexington, Kentucky W 41–0
September 29 Northwestern State LSU State Field • Baton Rouge, Louisiana W 40–0
September 29 Randolph-Macon Maryland College Park, Maryland W 53–0
September 29 Wake Forest North Carolina Emerson Field • Chapel Hill, North Carolina W 22–0
September 29 Roanoke North Carolina State Riddick Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina W 6–0
September 29 Bethel Ole Miss Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi W 14–6
September 29 Erskine South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina W 35–0
September 29 Army Tennessee Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee L 41–0
September 29 Louisiana-Lafayette Tulane New Orleans, Louisiana W 20–2
September 29 Furman Virginia Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia L 13–0
September 29 Hampden-Sydney VPI Blacksburg, Virginia W 29–0
September 29 McDaniel Washington & Lee Wilson Field • Lexington, Virginia W 19–7

Week Two[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
October 6 Ole Miss Alabama Denny Field • Tuscaloosa, Alabama ALA 56–0
October 6 Birmingham–Southern Auburn Montgomery, Alabama W 20–0
October 6 Newberry Clemson Riggs Field • Calhoun, South Carolina W 32–0
October 6 Florida Army West Point, New York L 20–0
October 6 Oglethorpe Georgia Sanford Field • Athens, Georgia W 20–6
October 6 VMI Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta W 10–7
October 6 Kentucky Cincinnati Cincinnati W 14–0
October 6 Louisiana-Lafayette LSU State Field • Baton Rouge, Louisiana L 7–3
October 6 Maryland Penn Franklin Field • Philadelphia W 3–0
October 6 Millsaps Mississippi A&M Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi W 28–6
October 6 North Carolina State Penn State New Beaver Field • University Park, Pennsylvania L 16–0
October 6 Presbyterian South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina L 7–3
October 6 Maryvile Tennessee Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee T 14–14
October 6 Mississippi College Tulane Second Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana W 18–3
October 6 Howard Vanderbilt Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee W 27–0
October 6 Richmond Virginia Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia W 9–0
October 6 Davidson VPI Blacksburg, Virginia W 7–0

Week Three[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
October 12 North Carolina Duke Durham, North Carolina W 14–6
October 13 Alabama Syracuse Archbold Stadium • Syracuse, New York L 23–0
October 13 Howard Auburn Drake Field • Auburn, Alabama W 30–0
October 13 Clemson Centre Danville, Kentucky L 28–7
October 13 Florida Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta T 7–7
October 13 Georgia Yale Yale Bowl • New Haven, Connecticut L 40–0
October 13 Spring Hill LSU State Field • Baton Rouge, Louisiana W 33–0
October 13 Richmond Maryland Washington, D. C. W 23–0
October 13 Rhodes Ole Miss Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi W 33–0
October 13 Ouachita Mississippi A&M Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi W 6–0
October 13 South Carolina North Carolina State Riddick Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina NCST 7–0
October 13 Georgetown (KY) Tennessee Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee W 13–6
October 13 Tulane Texas Beaumont, Texas L 33–0
October 13 Vanderbilt Michigan Ferry Field • Ann Arbor, Michigan L 3–0 30,000
October 13 St. John's Virginia Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia W 32–7
October 13 Washington & Lee Kentucky Stoll Field • Lexington, Kentucky T 6–6

Week Four[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
October 18 North Carolina North Carolina State Riddick Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina UNC 14–0
October 19 Newberry South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina W 24–0
October 20 Sewanee Alabama Rickwood Field • Birmingham, Alabama W 7–0
October 20 Auburn Army Parade Ground • West Point, New York L 28–6
October 20 Rollins Florida Fleming Field • Gainesville, Florida W 28–0
October 20 Georgia Tennessee Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee UGA 17–0
October 20 Georgetown Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta W 20–10
October 20 Maryville Kentucky Stoll Field • Lexington, Kentucky W 28–0
October 20 VPI Maryland Washington, D. C. VPI 16–7
October 20 Ole Miss Mississippi A&M Jackson, Mississippi MSA&M 13–6
October 20 Louisiana Tech Tulane Second Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana W 13–7
October 20 Vanderbilt Texas Fair Park Stadium • Dallas L 16–0
October 20 VMI Virginia Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia L 35–0
October 20 St. John's Washington & Lee Wilson Field • Lexington, Virginia W 28–0

Week Five[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
October 25 Clemson South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina CLEM 7–6
October 27 Alabama Spring Hill Murphy High School Stadium • Mobile, Alabama W 59–0
October 27 Fort Benning Auburn Drake Field • Auburn, Alabama W 34–0
October 27 Wake Forest Florida Tampa, Florida W 16–7
October 27 Georgia Tech Notre Dame South Bend, Indiana L 35–7
October 27 Georgetown (KY) Kentucky Stoll Field • Lexington, Kentucky W 35–0
October 27 Arkansas LSU Fair Grounds Field • Shreveport, Louisiana L 26–13
October 27 Maryland North Carolina Emerson Field • Chapel Hill, North Carolina MD 14–0
October 27 Saint Louis Ole Miss Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi L 28–3
October 27 Mississippi A&M Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee TENN 7–3
October 27 Tulane Vanderbilt Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee VAN 17–0 10,000
October 27 Duke Virginia Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia W 33–0
October 27 North Carolina State VMI L 22–7
October 27 VPI Washington & Lee Lynchburg, Virginia W&L 12–0

Week Six[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
November 2 LSU Mississippi College Vicksburg, Mississippi T 0–0
November 3 Alabama Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta T 0–0
November 3 Auburn Georgia Memorial Stadium • Columbus, Georgia UGA 7–0
November 3 Mercer Florida Fleming Field • Gainesville, Florida W 19–7
November 3 Kentucky Centre Danville, Kentucky L 10–0
November 3 St. John's Maryland College Park, Maryland W 28–0
November 3 Birmingham–Southern Ole Miss Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi W 6–0
November 3 North Carolina South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina UNC 13–0
November 3 Tulane Tennessee Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee TENN 13–2
November 3 Mississippi A&M Vanderbilt Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee T 0–0
November 3 Clemson VPI Blacksburg, Virginia VPI 25–0
November 3 Virginia Washington & Lee Wilson Field • Lexington, Virginia W&L 7–0

Week Seven[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
November 9 Davidson Clemson Riggs Field • Calhoun, South Carolina W 12–0
November 10 Kentucky Alabama Denny Field • Tuscaloosa, Alabama ALA 16–8
November 10 Tulane Auburn Montgomery, Alabama T 6–6
November 10 Florida Stetson W 27–0
November 10 Virginia Georgia Sanford Field • Athens, Georgia UGA 13–0
November 10 Georgia Tech Penn State New Beaver Field • University Park, Pennsylvania L 7–0
November 10 Maryland Yale New Haven, Connecticut L 16–14
November 10 Ole Miss Mississippi College Meridian, Mississippi L 6–0
November 10 Union (TN) Mississippi A&M Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi W 6–0
November 10 North Carolina VMI Richmond, Virginia L 9–0
November 10 North Carolina State VPI Norfolk, Virginia VPI 16–0
November 10 South Carolina Furman Manly Field • Greenville, South Carolina L 23–3
November 10 Tennessee Vanderbilt Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee VAN 51–7
November 10 Washington & Lee West Virginia Charleston, West Virginia L 63–0

Week Eight[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
November 15 The Citadel South Carolina County Fairgrounds • Orangeburg, South Carolina W 12–0
November 16 LSU Alabama Montgomery, Alabama ALA 30–3
November 17 Centre Auburn Rickwood Field • Birmingham, Alabama L 17–0
November 17 Presbyterian Clemson Riggs Field • Calhoun, South Carolina W 20–0
November 17 Florida Florida-Southern Lakeland, Florida W 53–0
November 17 Georgia Tech Kentucky Stoll Field • Lexington, Kentucky T 3–3
November 17 Maryland North Carolina State Riddick Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina MD 26–12
November 17 Davidson North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina W 14–3
November 17 Ole Miss Tulane Second Tulane Stadium • New Orleans TUL 19–0
November 17 VMI Tennessee Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee L 33–0
November 17 Georgia Vanderbilt Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee VAN 35–7 15,000
November 17 VPI Virginia Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia VPI 6–3
November 17 Washington & Lee South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina W&L 13–7

Week Nine[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
November 24 Georgia Alabama Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, Alabama ALA 36–0
November 24 Catholic Maryland Byrd Stadium • College Park, Maryland W 40–6
November 24 Mississippi A&M Florida Barrs Field • Jacksonville, Florida T 13–13
November 24 Ole Miss Tennessee Shields–Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee TENN 10–0
November 24 North Carolina State Wake Forest Wake Forest, North Carolina L 14–0
November 24 LSU Tulane Second Tulane Stadium • New Orleans TUL 20–0
November 24 Sewanee Vanderbilt Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee W 7–0 15,000
November 24 Washington & Lee Centre Louisville, Kentucky L 19–0

Week Ten[]

Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference
November 29 Florida Alabama Rickwood Field • Birmingham, Alabama FLA 16–6 [5]
November 29 Auburn Georgia Tech Grant Field • Atlanta T 0–0
November 29 Clemson Furman Manly Field • Greenville, South Carolina W 7–6
November 29 Maryland Johns Hopkins Baltimore, Maryland T 6–6
November 29 North Carolina Virginia Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia T 0–0
November 29 Tennessee Kentucky Stoll Field • Lexington, Kentucky TENN 18–0
November 29 Wake Forest South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina W 14–7
November 29 Washington (MO) Tulane Second Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana W 19–8
November 29 VMI VPI Roanoke, Virginia L 6–0 14,000 [7]
November 29 North Carolina State Washington & Lee Norfolk, Virginia W&L 20–12
December 1 Centre Georgia Sanford Field • Athens, Georgia T 3–3
December 1 Ole Miss Fort Benning Columbus, Georgia W 19–7
December 1 LSU Mississippi A&M Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi MSA&M 14–7

Awards and honors[]

All-Americans[]

Main article: 1923 College Football All-America Team

All-Southern team[]

Main article: 1923 College Football All-Southern Team

The following were the selections for the composite All-Southern team put out by the Atlanta Journal, all of whom received gold medals.[8]

Position Name First-team selectors Team
QB Grant Gillis AJ Alabama
HB Gil Reese AJ Vanderbilt
HB Ark Newton AJ Florida
FB Doug Wycoff AJ Georgia Tech
E Lynn Bomar AJ Vanderbilt
T Joe Bennett AJ Georgia
G Goldy Goldstein AJ Florida
C Clyde Propst AJ Alabama
G Tuck Kelly AJ Vanderbilt
T Robbie Robinson AJ Florida
E Hek Wakefield AJ Vanderbilt

References[]

  1. ^ "Wolf Pack, U.C. Grid-Game Held Season Feature". Nevada State Journal. December 3, 1923.
  2. ^ closed access Walter Eckersall (December 30, 1923). "6 Grid Teams Undefeated In 1923 Season". Chicago Daily Tribune. ProQuest 180509468.
  3. ^ cf. closed access "Champions of 1923". Boston Daily Globe. December 30, 1923. ProQuest 497606727.
  4. ^ "Champions of the South regardless of conference affiliation". Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Surprises of South Upset Title Dope". The Monroe News-Star. November 30, 1923. p. 7. Retrieved August 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. ^ a b "1923 Southern Conference Year Summary".
  7. ^ "Flying Squadron Wins Great Game In Roanoke Thanksgiving Day From Tech By Score Of 6–0". The Cadet. Virginia Military Institute. December 3, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  8. ^ closed access"All Star Eleven To Be Awarded By Atlanta Paper". Times-Picayune. December 9, 1923. (password-protected)
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