1928 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football | |
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Rose Bowl, W 8–7 vs. California | |
Conference | Southern Conference |
Record | 10–0 (7–0 SoCon) |
Head coach |
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Offensive scheme | Jump shift |
Captain | Peter Pund |
Home stadium | Grant Field |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 3 Georgia Tech $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VPI | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LSU | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clemson | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vanderbilt | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ole Miss | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Carolina | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kentucky | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maryland | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VMI | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Georgia | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NC State | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mississippi A&M | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Virginia | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Washington and Lee | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sewanee | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Auburn | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1928 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team [note 1] represented the Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly known as Georgia Tech) during the 1928 Southern Conference football season. The team, which was a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon), was coached by William Alexander in his ninth year as head coach. Alexander compiled a record of 10–0 (7–0 SoCon) and outscored his opponents 213 to 40. Georgia Tech played its home games at Grant Field.
The team was selected national champion by Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, NCF, Poling, and Sagarin (ELO-Chess), while Parke Davis named them co-champion as shared with Detroit. [3] Additionally, USC also earned recognition under the Dickinson System. USC declined the 1929 Rose Bowl invitation, resulting in a matchup of California and Georgia Tech. The game was decided by a safety, which was scored after Cal's Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels ran 65 yards (59 m) in the wrong direction.
Several Georgia Tech players received postseason honors. Captain and center Peter Pund was a consensus All-American. Coach Knute Rockne said of Tech's 13–0 defeat of Notre Dame, "I sat at Grant Field and saw a magnificent Notre Dame team suddenly recoil before the furious pounding of one man–Peter Pund". Tackle Frank Speer was also selected as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press .
After the defeat of the Georgia Bulldogs' 1927 Dream and Wonder team, [4] [5] Georgia Tech returned all but one of its key players. [6] [7] [note 2] Alabama coach Wallace Wade said Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Vanderbilt had the best chances of winning a southern title. [9] [10] Georgia Tech head coach William Alexander held daily scrimmages. [11]
The Golden Tornado was led by center and senior captain Peter Pund, who was never penalized, [12] and was a key player on defense. [13] Halfback Warner Mizell headed a powerful backfield that also included Stumpy Thomason and Father Lumpkin. [5] [13]
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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October 6 | VMI | W 13–0 | 18,000 | [14] | ||
October 13 | at Tulane | W 12–0 | [15] | |||
October 20 | Notre Dame * |
| W 13–0 | 35,000 | [16] | |
October 27 | 3:00 p.m. | at North Carolina | W 20–7 | 20,000 | [17] | |
November 3 | Oglethorpe * |
| W 32–7 | 8,000 | [18] | |
November 10 | Vanderbilt |
| W 19–7 | 30,000 | [19] | |
November 17 | Alabama |
| W 33–13 | 26,000 | [20] [21] | |
November 29 | Auburn |
| W 51–0 | 20,000 | [22] | |
December 8 | 2:00 p.m. | Georgia |
| W 20–6 | 40,000 | [23] |
January 1, 1929 | vs. California * | W 8–7 | 66,604 | [24] | ||
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Georgia Tech opened the season on October 6 with a 13–0 defeat of the VMI Keydets, in a game marred by fumbles in every quarter. [26] Tech gained 307 yards and VMI 159. [27] The Georgia Tech line "tore the V. M. I. line to shreds" and all members of the backfield played well. [26] W. R. Tichenor was umpire. [26] Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Holland (left end), Thrash (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback). [26]
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In the second week of play, Georgia Tech scored twice on forward passes to beat the Tulane Green Wave 12–0. The first one came in the second quarter; Warner Mizell threw a 25-yard (23 m) pass to Tom Jones. The second came in the fourth quarter on a pass from Dunlap to Stumpy Thomason. [28] Georgia Tech started the second half of the game with a fierce drive down to the 1-yard (0.91 m) line when Randolph fumbled the ball away. [28]
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Georgia Tech next defeated coach Knute Rockne's Notre Dame Fighting Irish 13–0. [29] Father Lumpkin intercepted two Irish passes, setting up the winning score by running the second interception down to the 3-yard (2.7 m) line. [30] After the game, coach Rockne said, "I sat at Grant Field and saw a magnificent Notre Dame team suddenly recoil before the furious pounding of one man–Peter Pund ... Nobody could stop him. I counted 20 scoring plays that this man ruined". [31] [32] Rockne later also wrote of an attack on his coaching in the Atlanta Journal , "I am surprised that a paper of such fine, high standing [as yours] would allow a zipper to write in his particular vein ... the article by Fuzzy Woodruff was not called for". [33]
Tech's backfield coach Don Miller was a former player of Rockne's, one of the "Four Horsemen". As coach Alexander explained, "Coach Miller knows the Notre Dame offense of Knute Rockne as well as any man alive. It's virtually the same offense that Kid Woodruff has at Georgia." [34]
Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Holland (left end), Maree (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback). [29]
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The Golden Tornado then invaded North Carolina for the first time and beat the Tar Heels 20–7. [36] Georgia Tech started the game with its second stringers, which seemed to perform sufficiently. [35]
Four minutes into the game, Earl Dunlap hit Tom Jones with a 55-yard (50 m) touchdown pass. [35] The next score came when Fitzgerald cut back on a 37-yard (34 m) touchdown run. The third was a short run Dunlap set up by a pass to Holland. [37] In the second half, Tech made two first downs to ten for North Carolina. [37] Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Jones (left end), Watkins (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback). [38]
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Georgia Tech defeated the local Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels 32–7. Light rain kept the attendance at 8,000. [40] After a 7–7 tie in the first half, the Petrels were smothered "under an avalanche of off tackle plays" in the second; [39] [41] their touchdown drive having used up all of their energy. [40] Cy Bell was Oglethorpe's star. [39]
Stumpy Thomason had multiple long gains. [39] Tech gained 320 yards (290 m) to Oglethorpe's 62 yards (57 m). [40] W. R. Tichenor was umpire. Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Jones (left end), Thrash (left tackle), Edwards (left guard), Pund (center), Brooke (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Wilson (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback). [39]
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Georgia Tech ended the Jimmy Armistead-led Vanderbilt Commodores' hopes of a southern title with a 19–7 victory. [43] The ground-gaining of Thomason, Lumpkin, and Mizell carried Georgia Tech. [43]
Georgia Tech's first touchdown came on a 45-yard (41 m) pass from Tom Jones to Warner Mizell on a triple pass play. [42] Georgia Tech's next score came on an end run from Mizell. Vanderbilt's lone score came on an 85-yard (78 m) run by lineman Bull Brown after picking up a Stumpy Thomason fumble. [44] The last score was a short run by Lumpkin. [42] W. R. Tichenor was field judge. Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Jones (left end), Maree (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Schulman (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Lumpkin (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback). [42]
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Tech defeated coach Wallace Wade's Alabama Crimson Tide 33–13, scoring three times in the final period to break a 13–13 tie at the half. [45] Coach Alexander gave his team a fiery halftime speech, drawing up defensive plays. [34]
Warner Mizell scored first when he went back to punt, but fumbled the snap, and picked it up and ran it 75 yards (69 m). [45] In the fourth quarter, Alabama drove to Tech's 32-yard (29 m) line when Tony Holm, who had been playing his greatest game, suffered a fractured rib. [45] Georgia Tech took over and the deadlock was eventually broken when Stumpy Thomason ran 46 yards (42 m). Later, Mizell passed to Thomason for another touchdown. The final score came on an interception from Bob Durant returned 55 yards (50 m). [45]
Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Jones (left end), Maree (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback). [46]
Prior to the rivalry game with Auburn, Mizell was stricken with the flu. [47] Tech still won 51–0. Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Jones (left end), Maree (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Watkins (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Schulman (quarterback), Fiasst (left halfback), Lumpkin (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback). [47]
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In the final game of the regular season, Georgia Tech defeated the rival Georgia Bulldogs 20–6. [48] In the third period, Stumpy Thomason twisted for a 42-yard (38 m) run after an exchange of punts. Lumpkin ran through the line for 15 yards (14 m) and the ensuing touchdown to lead 14–6. [48]
The same week, the Tennessee Volunteers upset the high-scoring Florida Gators to give Georgia Tech the only claim to the southern championship. [48] Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Jones (left end), Watkins (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Thrash (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Lumpkin (fullback). [48]
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Under the Dickinson System, USC was recognized as #1 but the 1929 Rose Bowl was contested between the #2 and #3 teams, California and Georgia Tech. The game was decided by a safety scored after California center Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels ran 65 yards (59 m) in the wrong direction, having picked up a fumble by Stumpy Thomason. [49]
Thirty yards (27 m) from Tech's end zone, Riegels was turned around and ran many yards in the wrong direction. [4] Riegels told the Associated Press , "I was running toward the sidelines when I picked up the ball ... I started to turn to my left toward Tech's goal. Somebody shoved me and I bounded right off into a tackler. In pivoting to get away from him, I completely lost my bearings." [50] Teammate and quarterback Benny Lom chased Riegels, screaming at him to stop. Known for his speed, Lom finally caught up with Riegels at California's 3-yard (2.7 m) line and tried to turn him around, but he was immediately rushed by a wave of Georgia Tech players, and tackled by Frank Waddey and Vance Maree at the 1-yard (0.91 m) line. [51] The Bears chose to punt rather than risk a play so close to their own end zone, but Maree blocked Lom's punt for a safety, giving Tech a 2–0 lead. [52] [53]
External videos | |
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Riegels' wrong way run, YouTube video. |
During Roy's wrong-way run, coach Alexander told his excited players, who were jumping near the team's bench; "Sit down. Sit down. He's just running the wrong way. Every step he takes is to our advantage". [54] Broadcaster Graham McNamee, who was commentating the game on radio, said during Riegels' run; "What am I seeing? What's wrong with me? Am I crazy? Am I crazy? Am I crazy?" [55]
After the play, Riegels was so distraught he had to be persuaded to return to the game for the second half by his head coach Nibs Price. Riegels said, "Coach, I can't do it. I've ruined you, I've ruined myself, I've ruined the University of California. I couldn't face that crowd to save my life." Coach Price responded by saying "Roy, get up and go back out there—the game is only half over". [56] Riegels did play on; he turned in a strong second-half performance, including blocking a Georgia Tech punt. [57] Lom passed for a touchdown and kicked the extra point, but that was not enough. [58] Georgia Tech won the game and its second national championship 8–7. Its starting lineup was Waddey (left end), Speer (left tackle), Drennon (left guard), Pund (center), Westbrook (right guard), Maree (right tackle), Jones (right end), Durant (quarterback), Thomason (left halfback), Mizell (right halfback), and Lumpkin (fullback). [59]
Several Georgia Tech players received post-season honors. Tackle Frank Speer was selected as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press. [60] Center Peter Pund was recognized as a consensus All-American. [61] Halfback Warner Mizell was a second-team All-American and first-team All-Southern. Ends Tom Jones and Frank Waddey, tackle Vance Maree, and guard Raleigh Drennon were also placed on All-Southern teams. [62] Coach Alexander called Drennon "the best all around guard that ever put a cleat into Grant Field." [13]
Both USC and Georgia Tech claimed national championships for 1928. [63] Georgia Tech was retroactively selected as the national champion by the Berryman QPRS system, Billingsley Report, Boand System, College Football Researchers Association, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation, Poling System, and Jeff Sagarin's ELO-Chess methodology system, and as a co-national champion by Parke H. Davis. [64] In honor of the Rose Bowl victory, Stumpy Thomason was given a bear cub by a local businessman. He grew attached to it, would drive it around town, and feed it Coca-Cola. [65]
The following chart depicts Tech's lineup during the 1928 season with games started at the position shown in parentheses. [38] The chart mimics the offense after the jump shift has taken place.
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Number | Player | Position | Games started | Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight | Age |
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72 | Jim Brooke | Guard | 1 | Columbus, Georgia | 5'11" | 180 | 18 | |
10 | Raleigh Drennon | Guard | 8 | Atlanta, Georgia | 5'10" | 187 | 21 | |
42 | Hudson Edwards | Guard | 1 | Atlanta, Georgia | 6'0" | 181 | 18 | |
4 | Ed Herron | End | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 5'10" | 170 | 19 | ||
2 | Glenn Holland | End | 2 | Atlanta, Georgia | 5'11" | 170 | 20 | |
5 | Tom Jones | End | 8 | Clarkesville, Georgia | 5'11" | 175 | 19 | |
61 | Slick Keener | End | Gadsden, Alabama | 5'10" | 181 | 21 | ||
38 | Vance Maree | Tackle | 4 | Savannah, Georgia | 6'1" | 191 | 19 | |
15 | Peter Pund | Center | 9 | Augusta, Georgia | Richmond Academy | 6'0" | 182 | 21 |
78 | Seedy Rusk | Center | Atlanta, Georgia | 6'0" | 179 | 21 | ||
48 | Frank Speer | Tackle | 7 | Atlanta, Georgia | 6'0" | 204 | 20 | |
80 | Ken Thrash | Tackle | 3 | Orlando, Florida | 5'10" | 190 | 22 | |
22 | Phil Von Weller | End | Albany, Georgia | 6'0" | 178 | 20 | ||
26 | Coot Watkins | Tackle | 3 | Atlanta, Georgia | 6'0" | 199 | 20 | |
70 | Frank Waddey | End | 9 | Memphis, Tennessee | 5'10" | 184 | 23 | |
6 | Joe Westbrook | Guard | 8 | Moultrie, Georgia | 5'11" | 180 | 23 |
Source: [38]
Number | Player | Position | Games started | Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight | Age |
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84 | Earl Dunlap | Halfback | Sumter, South Carolina | 5'10" | 177 | 18 | ||
22 | Bob Durant | Quarterback | 7 | Bluefield, West Virginia | 5'9" | 161 | 20 | |
7 | Sleepy Faisst | Halfback | 1 | Little Rock, Arkansas | 5'10" | 160 | 20 | |
18 | Fite Fitzgerald | Halfback | Jackson, Tennessee | 5'10" | 164 | 20 | ||
59 | Father Lumpkin | Fullback | 4 | Dallas, Texas | Oak Cliff High | 6'1" | 176 | 19 |
67 | Warner Mizell | Halfback | 8 | Atlanta, Georgia | Miami Senior High | 5'10" | 170 | 20 |
63 | Bob Parham | Halfback | Atlanta, Georgia | 6'1" | 176 | 21 | ||
24 | Bob Randolph | Fullback | 8 | Atlanta, Georgia | 5'10" | 176 | 21 | |
28 | Izzy Shulman | Quarterback, halfback | 2 | Jackson, Tennessee | 5'8" | 155 | 20 | |
37 | Shorty Smith | Halfback | Cartersville, Georgia | 5'7" | 153 | 21 | ||
71 | Stumpy Thomason | Halfback | 7 | Atlanta, Georgia | 5'8" | 174 | 20 |
Source: [38]
Number | Player | Position | Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight | Age |
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62 | Fatty Cain | Center | Savannah, Georgia | 5'9" | 183 | 18 | |
65 | Jack Holt | Tackle | Little Rock, Arkansas | 6'1" | 188 | 20 | |
Joe Kent | Guard | Moultrie, Georgia | 5'10" | 181 | 21 | ||
1 | Hobby Law | Center | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 5'9" | 173 | 19 | |
81 | Geo Muse | Center | Covington, Kentucky | 5'10" | 178 | 19 |
Source: [38]
Number | Player | Position | Hometown | Prep school | Height | Weight | Age |
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53 | Jimmie Frink | Halfback | Miami, Florida | 5'10" | 162 | 19 | |
Bob Horn | Halfback | Norfolk, Virginia | 5'10" | 178 | 21 | ||
54 | Sol Luna | Halfback | Pittsburg, Tennessee | 5'8" | 163 | 20 | |
8 | Russ Russell | Halfback | New York, New York | 5'10" | 160 | 19 | |
Bob Strickland | Halfback | Sumter, South Carolina | 5'10" | 174 | 19 |
Source: [38]
William Anderson Alexander was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the Georgia Institute of Technology from 1920 to 1944, compiling a record of 134–95–15. Alexander has the second most victories of any Tech football coach. Alexander's 1928 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have been recognized as national champions by a number of selectors. Alexander was the first college football coach to place his teams in the four major post-season bowl games of the time: Sugar, Cotton, Orange and Rose. His teams won three of the four bowls. The 1929 Rose Bowl win, which earned his team the national championship, is the most celebrated because of the wrong-way run by California's Roy Riegels. Alexander was also the head basketball coach at Georgia Tech for four seasons from 1919 to 1924. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1951.
Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels played for the University of California, Berkeley football team from 1927 to 1929. His wrong-way run in the 1929 Rose Bowl is often cited as the worst blunder in the history of college football. That one play overshadowed Riegels' football talents, since he earned first team All-America honors and served as team captain for the Bears in 1929. Riegels' notability has been shared by motivational speakers who use his life as an example of overcoming setbacks.
The 1917 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. It was the Tigers' 26th season and they competed as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The team was led by head coach Mike Donahue, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Drake Field in Auburn, Alabama. They finished with a record of six wins, two losses and one tie.
The 1927 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia in the sport of American football during the 1927 Southern Conference football season. This was the last season George Cecil Woodruff served as the head coach of the football team and the team's 34th season of college football. The Bulldogs posted a 9–1 record, and were retroactively selected as the 1927 national champion under the Berryman QPRS, Boand, and Poling systems. The team was ranked No. 8 in the nation in the Dickinson System ratings released in December 1927.
The 1929 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1929 college football season. The season was Charlie Bachman's second as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Bachman's 1929 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 8–2, and a conference record of 6–1, placing fourth of twenty-three conference teams.
The 1929 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game and the 15th annual Rose Bowl Game. Played on January 1, 1929, the game saw the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeat the California Golden Bears by a score of 8–7. The game was notable for a play in which Cal's All-American center Roy Riegels scooped up a Georgia Tech fumble and ran in the wrong direction towards his own goal line, earning him the dubious nickname, "Wrong Way". The two-point safety on the ensuing punt proved to be the margin of victory. Riegels' teammate Benny Lom, who attempted to tackle Riegels on the run, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively.
Benjamin Lom was an American college football player who played for three seasons for the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears, and was best known for his attempt to stop his own teammate Roy Riegels after Riegels ran the ball 69 yards in the wrong direction during the 1929 Rose Bowl.
The 1927 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1927 Southern Conference football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 34th overall and 6th season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The team was led by head coach Wallace Wade, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Denny Field in Tuscaloosa, at Rickwood Field and Legion Field in Birmingham and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of five wins, four losses and one tie.
The 1927 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1927 Southern Conference football season. The 1927 season was Dan McGugin's 23rd year as head coach. Running back Jimmy Armistead led the nation in scoring in 1927 with 138 points. The team's quarterback was Bill Spears. One fellow wrote Vanderbilt produced "almost certainly the legit top Heisman candidate in Spears, if there had been a Heisman Trophy to award in 1927."
The 1917 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in American football during the 1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Golden Tornado, coached by John Heisman in his 14th year as head coach, compiled a 9–0 record and outscored opponents 491 to 17 on the way to its first national championship. Heisman considered the 1917 team his best, and for many years it was considered "the greatest football team the South had ever produced". The team was later named national champion by the Billingsley Report, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, and National Championship Foundation.
The 1927 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1927 Southern Conference football season. A member of the Southern Conference (SoCon), Georgia Tech was coached by William Alexander in his eighth year as head coach, compiling a record of 8–1–1 and outscoring opponents 125 to 39. Georgia Tech played its home games at Grant Field.
The 1927 College Football All-Southern Team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-Southern Teams selected by various organizations in for the 1927 Southern Conference football season.
The 1928 College Football All-Southern Team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-Southern Teams selected by various organizations for the 1928 Southern Conference football season. Georgia Tech won the Southern and national championship.
The 1920 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1920 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Tornado was coached by William Alexander in his first year as head coach. The team compiled a record of 8–1, outscored opponents 312 to 16, and tied for first place with Georgia and Tulane in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA).
The 1919 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1919 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Tornado was coached by John Heisman in his 15th year as head coach, compiling a record of 7–3 and outscoring opponents 257 to 33.
The 1921 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1921 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Golden Tornado played its home games at Grant Field.
The 1922 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1922 Southern Conference football season. The Tornado was coached by William Alexander in his third year as head coach, compiling a record of 7–2 and outscoring opponents 157 to 59.
The 1924 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1924 Southern Conference football season. The Tornado was coached by William Alexander in his fifth year as head coach, compiling a record of 5–3–1 record.
The 1925 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1925 Southern Conference football season. The Tornado was coached by William Alexander in his sixth year as head coach, compiling a record of 6–2–1. The team was captained by Doug Wycoff. It had one of the best defenses in school history.
The 1926 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1926 Southern Conference football season. The Tornado was coached by William Alexander in his seventh year as head coach, compiling a record of 4–5.