1932 Colgate Red Raiders football team

Last updated

1932 Colgate Red Raiders football
Co-national champion (Parke H. Davis)
ConferenceIndependent
Record9–0
Head coach
Offensive scheme Double-wing
CaptainRobert Smith
Seasons
←  1931
1933  →
1932 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Colgate  – 9 –0 –0
Brown  – 7 –1 –0
Columbia  – 7 –1 –1
Pittsburgh  – 8 –1 –2
No. 8 Army  – 8 –2 –0
Drexel  – 5 –1 –1
Massachusetts State  – 7 –2 –0
Villanova  – 7 –2 –0
Duquesne  – 7 –2 –1
Fordham  – 6 –2 –0
Penn  – 6 –2 –0
Temple  – 5 –1 –2
Tufts  – 5 –1 –2
Cornell  – 5 –2 –1
Franklin & Marshall  – 4 –2 –1
Boston College  – 4 –2 –2
La Salle  – 4 –2 –2
Harvard  – 5 –3 –0
NYU  – 5 –3 –0
Washington & Jefferson  – 5 –3 –1
Manhattan  – 6 –3 –2
Carnegie Tech  – 4 –3 –2
Bucknell  – 4 –4 –1
Syracuse  – 4 –4 –1
Princeton  – 2 –2 –3
Yale  – 2 –2 –3
Boston University  – 2 –3 –2
Vermont  – 2 –4 –1
CCNY  – 2 –5 –0
Penn State  – 2 –5 –0
Rankings from Dickinson System

The 1932 Colgate Red Raiders football team represented Colgate University in during the 1932 college football season. Fourth-year head coach Andrew Kerr led Colgate to a perfect record, and the team did not allow an opponent to score throughout the entire season. Nevertheless, Colgate did not receive an expected invitation to the Rose Bowl, and as such, the team was called "undefeated, untied, unscored upon, and uninvited". [1] The 1932 Colgate eleven is one of only three college football teams since 1920 to have finished a perfect season without being scored upon. The new maroon uniforms adopted by this team inspired the nickname for the school's athletics program: the "Red Raiders". Parke H. Davis named Colgate a co-national champion team alongside Michigan and USC.

Contents

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 24 St. Lawrence
W 41–0
October 1 Case
  • Whitnall Field
  • Hamilton, NY
W 27–0
October 8 Niagara
  • Whitnall Field
  • Hamilton, NY
W 47–0
October 15at Lafayette
W 35–0
October 22at NYU
W 14–035,000 [2]
October 29 Penn State
  • Whitnall Field
  • Hamilton, NY
W 31–04,000
November 5 Mississippi College
  • Whitnall Field
  • Hamilton, NY
W 32–0 [3]
November 12at Syracuse
W 16–025,000
November 24at Brown
W 21–0

Season

Colgate was led by fourth-year head coach Andrew Kerr, who had a previous stint at Stanford at the request of Pop Warner. Kerr employed a complex offensive scheme built around Warner's double-wing formation with an additional emphasis on trick plays using reverses and laterals. [1] [4] In 1932, Colgate joined a very small number of football teams to have ever compiled an undefeated, untied, and unscored upon season. Since 1920, only Duke in 1938 and Tennessee in 1939 have matched the feat. [5] Colgate was also the first Eastern team to have accomplished the deed since 1910 when both Navy and Pittsburgh did so. [4] Colgate won its nine games by a combined margin of 264–0. [6] Throughout the season, Colgate recorded a total of 99 first downs to their opponents' 21; 1,581 yards of total offense to 255; and 45 pass completions to 13. [4] The closest match was a 14–0 victory over the NYU Violets at Yankee Stadium. [6] Time magazine described the NYU defense as porous against Colgate's short-range passing and ground attack, and said the Violets' line "seemed to have a hinge in the middle." [7] In that game, Colgate also debuted new uniforms that featured maroon trousers and a new nickname: the "Red Raiders of Chenango". [7]

In the final game, the likewise undefeated and untied Brown Bears came the closest of any opponent to scoring against Colgate. At the end of the second quarter, with the score at 6–0, the Bears were at the Colgate one-yard line with time for one final play in the half. Brown's quarterback, Robert Ramsay Chase, held onto the ball on a rushing attempt. He was brought down close to the goal line, and the referees measured it and determined the ball was still two inches shy of the end zone. Instead of playing conservatively to preserve their lead and unblemished record, Colgate took an aggressive approach in the second half. This included a blocked punt which Colgate converted for a safety. Later, Colgate halfback Whitey Ask intercepted a pass on his own 20-yard line, and Colgate scored again. In a desperate attempt to score, Brown attempted a fourth down pass, but it fell incomplete and the Bears turned over on downs. Colgate scored on their next possession with a pass from Conroy to Bodganski, for the final score of 21–0. [4]

Postseason

Upon the season's conclusion, Colgate felt there was the possibility of a Rose Bowl invitation. [8] However, despite the team's remarkable record, they were not invited to participate in the 1933 Rose Bowl. The team reportedly had their bags packed to go to the Rose Bowl, but the call never came. This led some observers to refer to the team as "undefeated, untied, unscored upon, and uninvited." [1] Pittsburgh was the eastern team to appear in the Rose Bowl, where they lost to USC, 35–0. [9]

Parke H. Davis, an NCAA-recognized selector, named Colgate a national championship team (co-champions with Michigan and Southern Cal). [10] After the season, Colgate guard Robert Smith was named a first-team All-American by the All-American Board, the International News Service, and Liberty magazine. Quarterback Charles R. Soleau was named an All-American Quarterback [11] and was also named to the 1932 "All-Scout" team by Boys' Life magazine. [12]

The 1932 team's use of maroon uniforms led to Colgate's nickname, the "Red Raiders", although in 2001 this was expurgated to simply "Raiders" due to a perceived racial connotation. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colgate University</span> Private university in Hamilton, New York, U.S.

Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theological and Literary Institution, often called Hamilton College (1823–1846), then Madison College (1846–1890), and its present name since 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Orsi</span> American football player and coach (1908–1978)

John Francis "Count" Orsi was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Colgate University and an end. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colgate Raiders</span> Colgate University athletic teams

The Colgate Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Colgate University. The teams include men and women's basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, track and field and tennis. Men's sports include golf and football. Women's sports include field hockey, softball, and volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1907 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1907 college football season saw the increased use of the forward pass, which had been legalized the year before. Football remained a dangerous game, despite the "debrutalization" reforms, and an unprecedented eleven players were killed, while 98 others were seriously injured. However, there were no serious injuries reported among the major colleges. The Yale Bulldogs, unbeaten with a record of 9–0–1, had the best record. The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, declared retroactively that Yale had been the best college football team of 1907. Yale and Penn both claim 1907 as a national championship season. Although Yale was named as champion by 6 different entities, Penn was not named champion by any. Penn's claim to the championship is only by the university itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Kerr</span> American football, basketball, and track and field coach

Andrew Kerr IV was an American football, basketball, and track and field coach. He served as the head football coach at Stanford University (1922–1923), Washington & Jefferson College (1926–1928), Colgate University (1929–1946), and Lebanon Valley College (1947–1949), compiling a career college football record of 137–71–14. His 1932 Colgate team went a perfect 9–0, was not scored upon, and was named a national champion by Parke H. Davis. Kerr was also the head basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh for one season (1921–1922) and at Stanford for four seasons (1922–1926), tallying a career college basketball mark of 54–26. In addition, he coached track and field at Pittsburgh from 1913 to 1921. Kerr was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. Colgate's home football stadium, Andy Kerr Stadium, was dedicated in his honor in 1966.

The 1931 college football season saw the USC Trojans win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System, as well as the No. 1 position from each of the other three contemporary major selectors. Rockne, who had coached Notre Dame to a championship in 1930, had been killed in a plane crash on March 31, 1931. For the first time, the champion under the Dickinson System also played in a postseason game. The 1932 Rose Bowl, promoted as a national championship game between the best teams of East and West, matched USC and Tulane, No. 1 and No. 2 in the Dickinson ratings. USC won, 21–12, and was awarded the Albert Russel Erskine Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1932 college football season saw the Michigan Wolverines win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the math-based Dickinson System. Because the "Big Nine" conference didn't permit its teams to play in the postseason, however, the Wolverines were not able to accept a bid to the Rose Bowl. As such, the Pasadena game matched the No. 2 and No. 3 teams, USC and Pittsburgh, with the USC Trojans winning the east–west matchup 35–0. The other four contemporary math system selectors all selected USC as national champion. This was also the last season NFL would use college football rules.

The 1933 college football season saw the Michigan Wolverines repeat as winners of the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy as national champion under the Dickinson System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1925 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1925 college football season ended with no clear national champion. At the close of the season, noted sports writer Billy Evans described the championship contest as "a dead heat" among Dartmouth, Tulane, Michigan, Washington, and Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1908 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1908 college football season ran from Saturday, September 19, to November 28. The Penn Quakers and the Harvard Crimson each finished the season unbeaten but with one tied. The LSU Tigers went unbeaten and untied against a weaker opposition. All three teams were named national champions retroactively by various organizations. Only Pennsylvania officially claims a national championship for the 1908 season.

The 1939 Tennessee Volunteers represented the University of Tennessee in the 1939 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Robert Neyland, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of ten wins and one loss, as SEC Champions and with a loss against USC in the 1940 Rose Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colgate Raiders football</span> Football team representing Colgate University

The Colgate Raiders football team represents Colgate University in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) college football competition as a member of the Patriot League.

Raymond Robert "Gaumey" Neal was an American football coach and player. He served as the head coach for the DePauw Tigers at DePauw University for 16 seasons. Prior to that, he played four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Akron Pros and the Hammond Pros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Leopards football</span> American football team of Lafayette College

The Lafayette Leopards football program represents Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in college football. One of the oldest college football programs in the United States, Lafayette currently plays in the Patriot League at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.

The 1940 Stanford Indians football team, nicknamed the "Wow Boys", represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1940 college football season. First-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy inherited a team that finished with a 1–7–1 record the previous season. He installed his own version of the T formation, a system that had largely fallen into disuse since the 1890s and was viewed as obsolete. The Indians shocked observers when they won all ten of their games including the Rose Bowl, which prompted several selectors to declare them the 1940 national champions. Stanford's dramatic reversal of fortunes prompted football programs across the nation to abandon the single-wing formation in favor of the new T formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1917 college football season</span> American college football season

The 1917 college football season ended with six undefeated teams in Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Williams, and Washington State.

Charles Richard Soleau was an American college football player and coach. He was also the father of National Football League (NFL) player Bob Soleau.

The 1933 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1933 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Andrew Kerr, the team compiled a 6–1–1 record, shut out five of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 189 to 12. Winston Anderson was the team captain. The team won the 200th game in program history against NYU at Yankee Stadium. The team played its home games on Whitnall Field in Hamilton, New York.

The 1939 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1939 college football season. In its 11th season under head coach Andrew Kerr, the team compiled a 2–5–1 record and was outscored by a total of 92 to 66. Ernest Neill was the team captain.

The 1977 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. In its second season under head coach Frederick Dunlap, the team compiled a 10–1 record. Mike Foley and Gary Hartwig were the team captains.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Andrew Kerr, Class of 1900 Archived November 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Dickinson College, retrieved June 20, 2009.
  2. ↑ "35,000 watch Colgate outclass N.Y.U. in scoring 14-to-0 win". Democrat and Chronicle. October 23, 1932. p. III-I. Retrieved February 4, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Colgate easily tops Mississippi College, 32 to 0". Daily Press. November 6, 1932. Retrieved July 21, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sport: Football, Dec. 5, 1932, Time , December 5, 1932.
  5. ↑ ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, p. 249, New York: ESPN Books, 2005, ISBN   1-4013-3703-1.
  6. 1 2 1932 Colgate Game-by-Game Records Archived 2009-07-04 at the Wayback Machine , College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved June 20, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Sport: Football, Oct. 31, 1932, Time, October 31, 1932.
  8. ↑ History hints at swift beating Archived July 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , New York Daily News , January 13, 2001.
  9. ↑ Rose Bowl 1933 Archived July 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Rose Bowl History, retrieved June 20, 2009.
  10. ↑ "National Poll Champions", 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book (PDF), p. 77, National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2007.
  11. ↑ "2005 Colgate Football-History" (PDF). Colgate University. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  12. ↑ An All-America All-Scout Team. Boys' Life. February 1934. p. 13. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  13. ↑ Colgate To Drop 'Red' From Its Nickname Red Raiders, Patriot League, August 15, 2001.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.