1911 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

1911 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
MVC co-champion Nebraska state champion
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	5–1–2 (2–0–1 MVC)
Head coach	Ewald O. Stiehm (1st season)
Home stadium	Nebraska Field
Seasons ←  1910 1912  →

1911 Missouri Valley Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Iowa State +	2	–	0	–	1			6	–	1	–	1
Nebraska +	2	–	0	–	1			5	–	1	–	2
Kansas	1	–	1	–	1			4	–	2	–	2
Washington University	0	–	0	–	2			4	–	2	–	2
Missouri	0	–	2	–	2			2	–	4	–	2
Drake	0	–	2	–	1			5	–	2	–	1
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1911 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska as a member of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1911 college football season. The team was coached by first-year head coach Ewald O. Stiehm and played its home games at Nebraska Field in Lincoln, Nebraska. ^[1]

Following the retirement of W.C. Cole in 1910, Nebraska hired Stiehm as his replacement. ^[2] Nicknamed "Jumbo" because of his large feet, Stiehm was a regimented, fiery man who was prone to frequent tirades on the sidelines. ^[3] Despite this, his first Cornhuskers team, with nine returning starters from 1910, split the MVC championship with Iowa State.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 7	3:30 p.m.	Kearney Normal *	Nebraska Field Lincoln, NE	W 117–0
October 14	3:30 p.m.	Kansas State *	Nebraska Field Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	W 59–0
October 21	2:30 p.m.	at Minnesota *	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	L 3–21	10,000	[4]
October 28	3:00 p.m.	Missouri	Nebraska Field Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	W 34–0
November 4	2:30 p.m.	at Iowa State	State Field Ames, IA	T 6–6
November 11	3:00 p.m.	Doane *	Nebraska Field Lincoln, NE	W 27–0
November 18	2:30 p.m.	at Kansas	Central Park Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	W 29–0	7,000	[5]
November 25	2:30 p.m.	Michigan *	Nebraska Field Lincoln, NE	T 6–6
*Non-conference game Homecoming

Coaching staff

Coach [6]	Position	First year	Alma mater
Ewald O. Stiehm	Head coach	1911	Wisconsin
Jack Best	Trainer	1890	Nebraska

Roster

Anderson, ArthurG Chauner, WalterE Elliott, E.B.C Frank, ErnestHB Frank, OwenHB Gibson, J.P.FB Harman, DeweyRT Hornberger, EvansG Lofgren, GusE Pearson, MonteT Potter, HerbertQB Purdy, LeonardHB Russell, RichardHB Shonka, SylvesterLT Swanson, CaesarLG Warner, LeonQB

^[7]

Game summaries

Kearney State

Kearney State at Nebraska

1 2 Total Kearney State 0 •Nebraska 117 Date: October 7, 1911 Location: Nebraska Field, Lincoln, NE Game start: 3:30 p.m. Sources: [8] [9]

Stiehm's first game ended in a 117–0 blowout of Kearney State, two points shy of tying the program record of 119 points set in NU's previous game. This was the only meeting between Kearney State and Nebraska.

Kansas State

Kansas State at Nebraska

1 2 Total Kansas State 0 •Nebraska 59 Date: October 14, 1911 Location: Nebraska Field, Lincoln, NE Game start: 3:30 p.m. Sources: [8] [9]

See also: Kansas State–Nebraska football rivalry

Nebraska and Kansas State met for the first time in 1911, though they were not yet in the same conference.

At Minnesota

Nebraska at Minnesota

1 2 Total Nebraska 3 • Minnesota 21 Date: October 21, 1911 Location: Northrop Field, Minneapolis, MN Game start: 2:30 p.m. Sources: [8] [9]

See also: Minnesota–Nebraska football rivalry

Nebraska outgained Minnesota in both rushing and passing yards, but again fell to the Golden Gophers.

Missouri

Missouri at Nebraska

1 2 Total Missouri 0 •Nebraska 34 Date: October 28, 1911 Location: Nebraska Field, Lincoln, NE Game start: 3:00 p.m. Sources: [8] [10]

See also: Missouri–Nebraska football rivalry

At Iowa State

Nebraska at Iowa State

1 2 Total Nebraska 6 Iowa State 6 Date: November 4, 1911 Location: State Field, Ames, IA Game start: 2:30 p.m. Sources: [8] [10]

Doane

Doane at Nebraska

1 2 Total Doane 0 •Nebraska 27 Date: November 11, 1911 Location: Nebraska Field, Lincoln, NE Game start: 3:00 p.m. Sources: [8] [10]

With wins against both in-state opponents, Nebraska recorded their eighth unofficial state championship.

At Kansas

Nebraska at Kansas

1 2 Total •Nebraska 29 Kansas 0 Date: November 18, 1911 Location: Central Park, Lawrence, KS Game start: 2:30 p.m. Sources: [8] [10]

See also: Kansas–Nebraska football rivalry

Nebraska clinched a share of the Missouri Valley championship with a 6–0 win over Kansas.

Michigan

Michigan at Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan 0 0 6 0 6 Nebraska 0 0 6 0 6 Date: November 25, 1911 Location: Nebraska Field, Lincoln, NE Game start: 2:30 p.m. Referee: Theodore M. Stuart (Michigan) Sources: [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Michigan stars Stanfield Wells and Miller Pontius were unable to play, prompting the Detroit Free Press to quip that Michigan could claim the "world championship of injuries".

In the third quarter of a scoreless game, Michigan end Frederick L. Conklin blocked a Nebraska punt and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. The Chicago Daily Tribune wrote: "Conklin broke through, blocked it, turned like lightning and sped without interference across the goal line for Michigan's first touchdown." NU responded on its next drive with two long end runs that took the ball to Michigan's eight-yard line, and halfback Leonard Purdy finished off the drive with a touchdown.

The New York Times called the game "the hardest contest ever witnessed on Nebraska Field."

References

1. "1909 Nebraska Cornhuskers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
2. "Jumbo Stiehm selected as Nebraska coach". Lincoln Journal Star. February 21, 1911.
3. Mike Babcock. "How It Was: The first great coach" . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
4. "Minnesota Players Find Themselves and Defeat Nebraskans by 21 to 3". The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. October 22, 1911. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Scoring All Done by Cornhuskers: Kansas Lost Game to Nebraska 29 to 0 and Also the Missouri Valley Championship -- Line Didn't Hold". The Topeka Daily Capital. November 19, 1911. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Nebraska head coaches". HuskerMax. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
7. "Nebraska Football 1911 Roster". University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletics Department. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
8. "the 1910s". HuskerMax. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
9. "1912 Cornhusker - University of Nebraska Yearbook". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
10. "1912 Cornhusker - University of Nebraska Yearbook". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
11. "Nebraska Wins Missouri Title: Coach Stiehm's Boys Romp Through Opponents at Will, Scoring Five Touchdowns". Detroit Free Press. November 19, 1911. p. 13. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
12. "Thomson Is Back, "Stan" Wells and Pontius Are Out: Regains Her Star Fullback, but Learns That Two Other Valuable Men Will Not Play Against the Sturdy Nebraska Cornhuskers--Coach Yost Is Not Certain of How His Team Will Line Up on Saturday". Detroit Free Press. November 23, 1911. p. 9. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
13. "Pontius May Not Play Against the Nebraska Eleven: Feared That "Brute" Will Not Be in Shape for Closing Game of Michigan's Season--Scrimmage Work Is Scheduled for Today to Try Out Some New Plays Designed Especially to Whip the Cornhuskers--Reserves Are Given a Treat". Detroit Free Press. November 22, 1911. p. 9. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
14. "Michigan Claims Championship of World at Having Men Hurt: More Injuries This Season Than Ever Before in History of Maize and Blue Football". Detroit Free Press. November 20, 1911. p. 8. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
15. "Michigan in Tie Game: Wolverines Outplayed by Nebraska -- Both Score After Fumble" (PDF). The New York Times. November 26, 1911.
16. "Nebraska Plays Michigan to Tie: Each Team Scores Touchdown in Third Quarter of LinColn Contest; Game Fiercely Fought; Nebraska Holds Yost; Rival Elevens Battle to Tie, 6-6 in Lincoln Contest; Scores in Third Quarter; Capt. Conklin Makes First Touchdown and Shonka the Second". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 26, 1911. p. C1. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.