1904 Auburn Tigers football team

1904 Auburn Tigers football
1904 Auburn football team; head coach Mike Donahue is in the second row with "1904" on his jersey
SIAA co-champion
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record	9–0 (5–0 SIAA)
Head coach	Mike Donahue (1st season)
Captain	R. S. Reynolds
Seasons ←  1903 1905  →

1904 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Vanderbilt +	5	–	0	–	0			9	–	0	–	0
Auburn +	5	–	0	–	0			5	–	0	–	0
Sewanee	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Georgia Tech	3	–	1	–	1			8	–	1	–	1
Alabama	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Clemson	3	–	2	–	1			3	–	3	–	1
Tulane	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	2	–	0
Kentucky State	0	–	0	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Ole Miss	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
LSU	1	–	2	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Tennessee	1	–	4	–	1			3	–	5	–	1
Cumberland (TN)	0	–	1	–	0			2	–	1	–	0
Nashville	0	–	4	–	1			2	–	5	–	1
Georgia	0	–	4	–	0			1	–	5	–	0
Mississippi A&M	0	–	4	–	0			2	–	4	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1904 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1904 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season.

The team went undefeated, winning all five of its regular season games. ^[1] It also won two "practice" games against Montgomery and the University of Florida. ^[2] The Tigers defense was nearly perfect, outscoring opponents 73–11 ^[1] in regular season play and completing three shut outs (five counting the practice games). ^[2] This was the first undefeated Auburn team since 1900 and was the fourth time the Tigers went undefeated.

The squad was coached by Mike Donahue in his first year as a head football coach. Donahue coached two separate times at Auburn (1904–1906 and 1908–1922) before moving to LSU. He also served as athletic director, basketball coach, baseball coach, and track coach during his tenure. Donahue still ranks second on Auburn football coaches' all-time career win list and third in winning percentage. ^[3]

Before the season

Auburn hired former Yale substitute quarterback Mike Donahue. Humphrey Foy recovered from a broken collarbone. ^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
October 4	University of Florida (Lake City)‡*	Drill Field Auburn, AL	W 44–0	[5]
October 15	at Clemson	Bowman Field Clemson, SC (rivalry)	W 5–0	[6]
October 22	vs. Nashville	West End Park Birmingham, AL	W 10–0	[7]
October 29	Georgia Tech	Drill Field Auburn, AL (rivalry)	W 12–0	[8]
November 12	vs. Alabama	West End Park Birmingham, AL (rivalry)	W 29–5	[9]
November 24	vs. Georgia	Central City Park Macon, GA (rivalry)	W 17–6	[10]
*Non-conference game Source: [1] [2] [11]

‡The October 4, 1904, game against the University of Florida at Lake City was considered a practice game by Auburn and is not included in the official record of 5–0 for the season. ^{[1] [2]} The university at Lake City was one of four colleges which would later be merged to form the University of Florida in Gainesville, which established its own football program in 1906. ^[12]

Game summaries

At Clemson

Auburn at Clemson

Team	1	2	Total
•Auburn	5	0	5
Clemson	0	0	0

• Date: October 15
• Location: Clemson, SC
• Referee: Sandy Beaver

Sources: ^[13]

"The game was slow. Neither team was at its best." Humphrey Foy went around end on a double pass for an 18-yard touchdown, the game's only score. ^[13] "Referee Beaver says it was one of the fiercest of games and that Clemson's defense was superb but the team lacked snap and ginger." ^[13]

The starting lineup was Wilkinson (left end), Streit (left tackle), Ringey (left guard), Butler (center), Moon (right guard), Jones (right tackle), Paterson (right end), Perkins (quarterback), Foy (left halfback), Reynolds (right halfback), Lacey (fullback). ^[13]

Nashville

Auburn easily defeated Nashville 10–0. Foy ran the second half kick off back for a touchdown. "Foy and Reynolds gained ground every time they were given the ball...The Auburn team is 50 per cent stronger now than it was at this time last year, and Coach Donohue is doing wonderful work with his material." ^[14]

The starting lineup was Paterson (left end), Streit (left tackle), Bigney (left guard), Butler (center), Moon (right guard), Jones (right tackle), Wilkinson (right end), Perkins (quarterback), Foy (left halfback), Reynolds (right halfback), Lacey (fullback). ^[14]

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech at Auburn

Team	1	2	Total
Ga Tech	0	0	0
•Auburn	12	0	12

• Date: October 29
• Location: Auburn, AL

Sources: ^[15]

Donahue's Auburn team beat first year head coach John Heisman's Georgia Tech 12–0, making two touchdowns in the first half. ^[15]

The starting lineup was Wilkinson (left end), Street (left tackle), Braswell (left guard), Butler (center), Moon (right guard), Jones (right tackle), Patterson (right end), Perkins (quarterback), Reynolds (left halfback), Foy (right halfback), Lacey (fullback). ^[15]

Alabama

Auburn beat Alabama 29–6. Auburn used a delayed buck effectively. On this play, blockers swept around end, faking the ball. The ball carrier then drove through the line for substantial gains. ^[16]

Georgia

Auburn at Georgia

Team	1	2	Total
•Auburn	12	5	17
Georgia	5	0	5

• Date: November 24
• Location: Macon, GA
• Referee: Butler (North Carolina)

Sources: ^[17]

Auburn closed the undefeated season with a 17–5 win over the Georgia Bulldogs. For the first score, Lacey ran in a 5-yard touchdown. Georgia answered with its own score. Lacey drove in another touchdown later, before the half ended. Lacey again got a 5-yard touchdown in the second half to make it 17–5. ^[17]

The starting lineup was Paterson (left end), Streit (left tackle), Braswell (left guard), Butler (center), Moon (right guard), Hughes (right tackle), Wilkinson (right end), Perkins (quarterback), Foy (left halfback), Reynolds (right halfback), Lacey (fullback). ^[17]

Postseason

Humphrey Foy was All-Southern.

References

1. 2011 Auburn Tigers Football Media Guide Archived 2012-11-11 at the Wayback Machine , Auburn University Athletic Department, Auburn, Alabama, pp. 178–189, 191 (2011). Retrieved August 16, 2011
2. "1905 Glomerata" Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine "(Annual), p182, Retrieved August 18, 2011"
3. David DeLassus (2011). "Auburn Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
4. "Seventeen Were Killed On Football Field Of '03". Atlanta Constitution. November 29, 1903. p. 6. Retrieved March 10, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Auburn wins another". The Atlanta Journal. October 5, 1904. Retrieved February 12, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Clemson Tigers lost to Auburn". The Greenville News. October 16, 1904. Retrieved February 12, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Nashville was easy for Auburn". The Birmingham Age-Herald. October 23, 1904. Retrieved February 12, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Georgia blacksmiths beaten by Auburn Tigers". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 30, 1904. Retrieved February 12, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Plucky Auburn Tigers capture the championship of Alabama". The Birmingham Age-Herald. November 13, 1904. Retrieved February 12, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Georgia goes down in defeat before the Auburn Tigers". The Macon News. November 25, 1904. Retrieved February 12, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "1904 Auburn Tigers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
12. "University of Florida 1853–1905 » UF's Beginnings" Retrieved August 19, 2011 Archived September 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
13. "Auburn Downs Clemson Team". Atlanta Constitution. October 16, 1904. p. 4. Retrieved May 7, 2016– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Auburn Finds Nashville Easy". Atlanta Constitution. October 23, 1904. p. 5. Retrieved May 7, 2016– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Georgia Techs Lose To Auburn". Atlanta Constitution. October 30, 1904. p. 5. Retrieved May 7, 2016– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
17. "Auburn 17 Georgia 5 In Bitter Contest". Atlanta Constitution. November 25, 1904. p. 1. Retrieved May 7, 2016– via Newspapers.com.