1917 Davidson Wildcats football team

1917 Davidson Wildcats football
Conference	South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1917 record	6–4 (1–2 SAIAA)
Head coach	Bill Fetzer
Captain	Georgie King

1917 SAIAA football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Georgetown $	2	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Washington and Lee	2	–	1	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
North Carolina A&M	2	–	1	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
VPI	2	–	1	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
Richmond	2	–	1	–	0			4	–	2	–	1
Maryland	2	–	1	–	1			3	–	3	–	1
Davidson	1	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
VMI	1	–	3	–	1			4	–	4	–	1
St. John's (MD)	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	0
Johns Hopkins	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	3	–	0
William & Mary	0	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1917 Davidson Wildcats football team represented Davidson University in the 1917 college football season. Led by third year coach Bill Fetzer, the Wildcats competed as a member of the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SAIAA). Despite a record of 6–4 (1–2 SAIAA), some would call Davidson the second best southern team that year.^[1] Davidson defeated Auburn 21 to 7, in one of the great upsets in Southern football history,^[2] and scored the most on the 1917 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado, for many years considered the greatest football team the South ever produced,^[3] in a 32 to 10 loss. Following the Auburn game the Davidson team was first referred to as "the Wildcats.

The team included a 17-year-old Buck Flowers, and two other All-Southerns in Wooly Grey and captain Georgie King.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 29	at Navy*	Worden Field • Annapolis, MD	L 6–27
October 6	at North Carolina A&M	Riddick Stadium • Raleigh, NC	L 3–7
October 13	at Georgia Tech*	Grant Field • Atlanta, GA	L 10–32
October 20	at VPI	Miles Field • Blacksburg, VA	L 7–13
October 27	vs. VMI	Danville, VA	W 23–7
November 3	at Furman*	Greenville, SC	W 28–7
November 10	vs. Auburn*	Atlanta, GA	W 21–7
November 17	Wake Forest*		W 72–7
November 24	Wofford*		W 62–0
November 29	vs. Clemson*	Charlotte, NC	W 21–9
*Non-conference game.

^[4]

Season summary

Week 3: at Georgia Tech

Davidson scored the most on the south's first national champion – Georgia Tech, for many years considered the greatest football team the South ever produced,^[3] in a 32 to 10 loss. This was the only game none of Tech's backs gained 100 yards rushing. Tech only led 6 to 3 until Everett Strupper broke open the game in the second half.^[5] Davidson got desperate and tried the pass, getting to within the 15-yard line. Walker Carpenter broke through the line and got a 10-yard loss.^[6]

Davidson captain Georgie King said “I consider Georgia Tech the best football team I have ever played against or ever expect to play against.”^[7]

Week 7: Auburn

Week 7: Davidson vs. Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total • Davidson 0 7 7 7 21 Auburn 0 0 7 0 7 Date: November 10, 1917 Location: Atlanta, GA Referee: Lewis (Virginia) Sources:[8]

Auburn was involved in of the great upsets in Southern football history as the Wildcats bested the Auburn Tigers 21–7.^[8][9]

References

1. Bernie McCarty (February 1988). "Georgia Tech's 1917 backfield, better than the Four Horsemen Part 1" (PDF). College Football Historical Society 1 (3).
2. "Buck Flowers: He Could Do It All — Well". Daily Item (Sumter, S.C.). October 15, 1969. p. B2.
3. Wiley Lee Umphlett (1992). Creating The Big Game. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 141. ISBN 0313284040.
4. "1917 Davidson Wildcats Schedule and Results".
5. Bernie McCarty (February 1988). "Georgia Tech's 1917 backfield, better than the Four Horsemen Part 1". College Football Historical Society 1 (3). Part 1 Part 2
6. Technique 9 Oct 1917, Print.
7. (16 November 2010) In "Technique Newsletter Volume 07, Issue 11." Retrieved November 16, from http://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/26083
8. Dick Jemison (November 11, 1917). "Ralph Flowers, Demon Halfback, Defeats Auburn". Atlanta Constitution – via Newspapers.com. Part 1 Part 2
9. "Wildcat Origin". Retrieved March 22, 2015.