1921 college football season

The 1921 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing California Golden Bears, Cornell Big Red, Iowa Hawkeyes, Lafayette Leopards, Washington & Jefferson Presidents, and Vanderbilt Commodores as champions.[1] Only California, Cornell, Iowa, and Lafayette claim national championships for the 1921 season.

1921 college football season
Bo McMillin scoring against Harvard
Number of bowls3
Bowl gamesDecember 26, 1921 – January 2, 1922
Champion(s)California
Cornell
Iowa
Lafayette
football seasons

Andy Smith's Pacific Coast Conference champion "Wonder Team" at California continued on its streak since 1920. Eastern power Cornell was coached by Gil Dobie and led by one of the sport's great backfields with George Pfann, Eddie Kaw, Floyd Ramsey, and Charles E. Cassidy. Jock Sutherland's Lafayette Maroons were led on the line by Frank Schwab.

Big Ten champion Iowa upset Notre Dame 10–7. Grantland Rice noted that the 1921 Notre Dame team "was the first team we know of to build its attack around a forward passing game, rather than use a forward passing game as a mere aid to the running game."[2]

1921 was the last season for the old Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Vanderbilt tied co-champion Georgia on an onside kick. On October 6, Centre upset Harvard 6–0 in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in college football history. Overjoyed students painted the "impossible formula" C6H0 (Centre 6, Harvard 0) on everything in sight. Georgia Tech also claimed a conference title.

The 1922 Rose Bowl was fought to a scoreless tie, between California and Washington & Jefferson, in the last Rose Bowl to be played at Tournament Park. Washington & Jefferson is the smallest school to ever play in a Rose Bowl.

Conference and program changes

Conference establishments
  • Two conferences began play in 1921:

Membership changes
School1920 Conference1921 Conference
Fresno State BulldogsProgram EstablishedIndependent
Nebraska CornhuskersIndependentMVIAA
Oglethorpe Stormy PetrelsIndependentSIAA
Phillips HaymakersSouthwestIndependent
San Diego State ProfessorsProgram EstablishedIndependent

First radio broadcast

A historical highlight of the regular season was the 1921 West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh football game, the first college football game to be broadcast live on radio.[3] Today, college football on radio is common for nearly every game in every division.

C6H0
Main article: 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game

On October 29, Centre College beat Harvard 6 to 0 in what is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in college football history. Overjoyed students painted the "impossible formula" C6H0 (Centre 6, Harvard 0) on everything in sight.

Bowl games
Image from the Rose Bowl.

In the 1922 Rose Bowl, heavily favored California played Washington & Jefferson to a scoreless tie. The game holds several distinctions including being the only scoreless contest and the first tie in a Rose Bowl. Charles Fremont West of Washington & Jefferson was the first African-American quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl, and Herb Kopf, also of Washington and Jefferson, was the first freshman to play in a Rose Bowl. The 1922 Rose Bowl was the last played at Tournament Park and featured the smallest school—Washington & Jefferson College had only 450 students at the time—to ever play in a Rose Bowl.[4][5]

Other bowls

Conference standings

Major conference standings
1921 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Iowa $ 5 –0 –0  7 –0 –0
Chicago 4 –1 –0  6 –1 –0
Ohio State 4 –1 –0  5 –2 –0
Wisconsin 3 –1 –1  5 –1 –1
Michigan 2 –1 –1  5 –1 –1
Indiana 1 –2 –0  3 –4 –0
Minnesota 2 –4 –0  3 –4 –0
Illinois 1 –4 –0  3 –4 –0
Purdue 1 –4 –0  1 –6 –0
Northwestern 0 –5 –0  1 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 Missouri Valley football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Nebraska $ 3 –0 –0  7 –1 –0
Kansas State 4 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Missouri 4 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Drake 2 –2 –0  5 –2 –0
Kansas 3 –3 –0  4 –4 –0
Iowa State 3 –4 –0  4 –4 –0
Oklahoma 2 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
Washington University 2 –3 –0  4 –3 –1
Grinnell 0 –4 –0  2 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
California $ 4 –0 –0  9 –0 –1
Washington State 2 –1 –1  4 –2 –1
Stanford 1 –1 –1  4 –2 –2
Oregon Agricultural 1 –2 –1  4 –3 –2
Oregon 0 –1 –2  5 –1 –3
Washington 0 –3 –1  3 –4 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Utah Agricultural $ 4 –0 –0  7 –1 –0
Colorado 4 –0 –1  4 –1 –1
Utah 2 –1 –1  3 –2 –1
Denver 2 –2 –1  4 –2 –1
Colorado Agricultural 2 –2 –1  2 –3 –1
Colorado College 2 –4 –0  4 –4 –0
Wyoming 1 –3 –2  1 –4 –2
Colorado Mines 1 –5 –0  1 –5 –0
Montana State 0 –1 –0  2 –4 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Washington and Lee $ 2 –0 –0  6 –3 –0
Georgetown 1 –0 –0  8 –1 –0
Johns Hopkins 1 –0 –0  1 –0 –0
Virginia 5 –1 –0  5 –4 –0
North Carolina 3 –1 –1  5 –2 –2
VPI 4 –2 –0  7 –3 –0
Richmond 2 –2 –1  4 –3 –1
Maryland 2 –2 –1  3 –5 –1
Catholic University 2 –2 –0  3 –5 –0
NC State 1 –1 –3  3 –3 –3
William & Mary 1 –3 –1  4 –3 –1
Trinity (NC) 0 –1 –0  6 –1 –2
Davidson 0 –1 –3  3 –4 –3
Johns Hopkins 0 –2 –0  1 –2 –0
VMI 0 –3 –1  3 –5 –1
George Washington 0 –3 –1  3 –3 –2
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Centre + 5 –0 –0  10 –1 –0
Georgia + 6 –0 –1  7 –2 –1
Georgia Tech + 5 –0 –0  8 –1 –0
Vanderbilt + 5 –0 –1  7 –0 –1
Tennessee 4 –1 –1  6 –2 –1
Florida 4 –1 –2  6 –3 –2
Mississippi College 3 –1 –1  7 –2 –1
Sewanee 4 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Transylvania 2 –1 –0  4 –4 –0
LSU 2 –1 –1  6 –1 –1
South Carolina 2 –1 –1  5 –1 –2
Furman 4 –2 –1  7 –2 –1
Auburn 3 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Mississippi A&M 2 –3 –1  4 –4 –1
Tulane 3 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
Alabama 2 –4 –2  5 –4 –2
Oglethorpe 2 –4 –0  5 –4 –0
Chattanooga 2 –4 –0  4 –6 –0
The Citadel 1 –2 –1  3 –3 –2
Kentucky 1 –3 –1  4 –3 –1
Ole Miss 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Howard 1 –4 –0  3 –6 –0
Mercer 1 –5 –0  3 –6 –0
Louisville 0 –1 –0  2 –2 –1
Wofford 0 –2 –0  2 –7 –0
Georgetown (KY) 0 –3 –0  2 –6 –0
Millsaps 0 –3 –1  0 –3 –1
Clemson 0 –5 –2  1 –6 –2
  • + – Conference co-champions
1921 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Texas A&M $ 3 –0 –2  6 –1 –2
Texas 1 –0 –1  6 –1 –1
Arkansas 2 –1 –0  5 –3 –1
Baylor 2 –2 –0  8 –3 –0
Oklahoma A&M 1 –1 –0  5 –4 –1
Rice 1 –2 –1  4 –4 –1
SMU 0 –4 –0  1 –6 –1
  • $ – Conference champion

Independents
1921 Eastern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Wash. & Jeff.   –    10 –0 –1
Lafayette   –    9 –0 –0
Cornell   –    8 –0 –0
Penn State   –    8 –0 –2
Yale   –    8 –1 –0
New Hampshire   –    8 –1 –1
Franklin & Marshall   –    6 –1 –2
Villanova   –    6 –1 –2
Carnegie Tech   –    7 –2 –0
Syracuse   –    7 –2 –0
Harvard   –    7 –2 –1
Dartmouth   –    6 –2 –1
Brown   –    5 –3 –1
Geneva   –    5 –3 –1
Pittsburgh   –    5 –3 –1
Army   –    6 –4 –0
Princeton   –    4 –3 –0
Boston College   –    4 –3 –1
Fordham   –    4 –3 –2
Penn   –    4 –3 –2
Colgate   –    4 –4 –2
Lehigh   –    4 –4 –0
NYU   –    2 –3 –3
Drexel   –    2 –3 –1
Rutgers   –    4 –6 –0
Rhode Island State   –    3 –5 –0
Columbia   –    2 –6 –0
Tufts   –    1 –5 –2
Duquesne   –    0 –4 –1
1921 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Detroit Junior College   –    6 –0 –2
Notre Dame   –    10 –1 –0
Detroit   –    8 –1 –0
South Dakota State   –    7 –1 –0
Wabash   –    7 –2 –0
Central Michigan   –    7 –2 –1
Butler   –    6 –2 –0
Western State (MI)   –    6 –2 –0
Marquette   –    6 –2 –1
Fairmount   –    5 –2 –1
Haskell   –    5 –5 –0
North Dakota Agricultural   –    3 –3 –1
Saint Louis   –    4 –4 –1
Valparaiso   –    2 –2 –1
Michigan Agricultural   –    3 –5 –0
Earlham   –    2 –4 –1
St. Ignatius (OH)   –    2 –6 –0
Dayton   –    1 –7 –1
Kent State   –    0 –2 –1
1921 Southern college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Tennessee Docs   –    8 –0 –0
Southwest Texas   –    7 –0 –0
Talladega   –    4 –0 –1
Navy   –    6 –1 –0
Erskine   –    6 –2 –0
Delaware   –    5 –4 –0
West Virginia   –    5 –4 –1
Middle Tennessee   –    3 –2 –1
East Tennessee   –    4 –3 –0
Louisville   –    2 –2 –1
Spring Hill   –    4 –4 –0
Loyola (LA)   –    2 –4 –0
Wake Forest   –    2 –8 –0
Texas Mines   –    1 –4 –0
Presbyterian   –    1 –7 –0
1921 Western college football independents records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
USC   –    10 –1 –0
Arizona   –    7 –2 –0
Santa Clara   –    6 –0 –0
Chico State   –    4 –2 –1
La Verne   –    4 –2 –1
Idaho   –    4 –3 –1
Nevada   –    4 –3 –1
Saint Mary's   –    4 –3 –0
Hawaii   –    3 –3 –2
Montana   –    3 –3 –1
University Farm   –    3 –4 –0
New Mexico   –    2 –2 –0
New Mexico A&M   –    2 –2 –0
Gonzaga   –    2 –4 –1
San Jose State   –    1 –5 –0

Minor conferences
Conference Champion(s) Record
Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Virginia Union 3–0
Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin Stout Normal 3–0
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Kansas State Teachers
Kansas State Teachers–Fort Hays		 6–0–1
6–0
Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association Louisiana Polytechnic 3–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association No champion –
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hamline 5–0
Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference Unknown —
Ohio Athletic Conference Miami (OH) 7–0
Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference Unknown —
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pomona 5–0
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Morehouse —
Southwestern Athletic Conference Wiley —
Tri-Normal League State Normal–Cheney —

Minor conference standings
1921 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Southern Illinois   –  –   4 –3 –2
1921 Northwest Ohio League football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Bowling Green $ 3 –0 –0  3 –1 –1
Toledo   –    3 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Miami (OH) $ 7 –0 –0  8 –0 –0
St. Xavier 1 –0 –0  6 –2 –0
Oberlin 7 –0 –1  7 –0 –1
Case 6 –1 –2  6 –2 –2
Wooster 6 –2 –0  6 –2 –0
Denison 5 –2 –0  5 –3 –0
Akron 4 –3 –0  5 –3 –0
Ohio Northern 4 –3 –0  5 –4 –0
Ohio State 1 –1 –0  5 –2 –0
Wittenberg 3 –3 –2  4 –3 –2
Kenyon 1 –1 –4  1 –1 –5
Ohio 1 –1 –0  4 –4 –1
Otterbein 1 –3 –2  1 –5 –2
Western Reserve 2 –5 –1  2 –7 –1
Hiram 1 –4 –2  2 –4 –2
Ohio Wesleyan 1 –6 –1  1 –6 –1
Mount Union 0 –5 –1  1 –6 –1
Cincinnati 0 –4 –0  2 –6 –0
Heidelberg 0 –7 –0  0 –7 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 Southern California Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Whittier $ 5 –0 –0  5 –2 –0
Redlands 4 –1 –0  5 –2 –1
Occidental 2 –2 –1  ? –? –?
Pomona 2 –2 –1  ? –? –?
Caltech 1 –4 –0  ? –? –?
Southern Branch 0 –5 –0  0 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1921 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Wiley $   –      –  
  • $ – Conference champion

Awards and honors

All-Americans
Main article: 1921 College Football All-America Team

The consensus All-America team included:

Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team
QB Aubrey Devine 5'9" 170 Sr. Des Moines, Iowa Iowa
QB Bo McMillin 5'9" 165 Sr. Fort Worth, Texas Centre
HB Glenn Killinger 5'9" 163 Sr. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Penn State
HB Mal Aldrich 5'11" 165 Sr. Fall River, Massachusetts Yale
FB Eddie Kaw 5'10" 168 Jr. Houston, Texas Cornell
E Harold Muller 6'0" 180 Jr. Dunsmuir, California California
T Dan McMillan 6'1" 225 Sr. Los Angeles, California California
G Fiske Brown Sr. Plymouth, Massachusetts Harvard
G Stan Keck 5'11" 206 Sr. Greensburg, Pennsylvania Princeton
C Herb Stein 6'1" 186 Sr. Warren, Ohio Pittsburgh
G Frank Schwab 5'11" 195 Sr. Saltsburg, Pennsylvania Lafayette
G Iolas Huffman 5'11" 228 Sr. Chandlersville, Ohio Ohio State
E Eddie Anderson Sr. Mason City, Iowa Notre Dame

Statistical leaders
  • Total offense leader: Aubrey Devine, Iowa, 2211
  • Receptions leader: Eddie Anderson, Notre Dame, 26
  • Receiving yards leader: Eddie Anderson, 394

See also

References
  1. Official 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision Records Book (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 76–77.
  2. Grantland Rice (December 3, 1921). "Where The West Got The Jump: In Addition To Developing Strong Defense and Good Running Game, Has Built Up Forward Pass" (PDF). American Golfer. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. Sciullo Jr, Sam, ed. (1991). 1991 Pitt Football: University of Pittsburgh Football Media Guide. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Sports Information Office. p. 116.
  4. Campbell, Jim (August 2006). "The 1922 Rose Bowl: David v. Goliath" (PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter. LA84 Foundation. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  5. "Washington and Jefferson College". Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
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