1899 Sewanee Tigers football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1899 Sewanee Tigers football Sewanee 1899 Football Team.jpg 285 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association SIAA 12–0 11–0 Billy Suter 1st Henry Seibels Hardee Field SIAA champion The 1899 Sewanee Tigers football team represented Sewanee: The University of the South in the 1899 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. Sewanee was one of the first college football powers of the South and the 1899 team was one of its best. The 1899 Tigers won 12 games and lost none, outscored opponents 322–10, and won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) title. The team of 21 players was led by head coach Herman "Billy" Suter and future College Football Hall of Famer and captain Henry "Ditty" Seibels. The team also featured Ormond Simkins,Ormond was the son of William Stewart Simkins, who may have fired the first shot of the Civil War.Texas Cemeteries: The Resting Places of Famous, Infamous, and Just Plain Interesting Texans https://archive.org/details/texascemeteriesr00harv limited Bill Harvey 101 2003 University of Texas Press 0-292-73466-2 and the team's manager was future US Senator and newspaper publisher Luke Lea. The 11 extra points against 1899 Cumberland Bulldogs Cumberland by Bart Sims is still a school record. John Heisman's Auburn team was the only team to score on Sewanee. With just 18 players, the team known as the "Iron Men" embarked on a ten-day, 2,500 mile train trip, where they played five games in six days. Sewanee had five shutout wins over Texas (in Austin), Texas A&M (in Houston), Tulane (in New Orleans), LSU (in Baton Rouge), and Ole Miss (in Memphis). Sportswriter Grantland Rice called the group "the most durable football team I ever saw." The road trip is recalled memorably with the Biblical allusion "...and on the seventh day they rested." Before the season Despite being from a small Episcopal university in the mountains of Tennessee, the Sewanee team came to dominate football in the region during the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries.The reasons for football's success at Sewanee included its status as one of the first teams in the region and the school session running through the summer, including a long winter break, which gave the team more practice compared to its opponents.Givens 2003 42–43 Like several other football powers of yore, Sewanee today emphasizes scholarship over athletics.There is little evidence today at Sewanee of the team's former success. The school does not have a large stadium and is part of NCAA Division III, which offers players no athletic scholarships. Although Sewanee was a charter member of the NCAA's Southeastern Conference when it was formed in 1932, the Tigers never won a game and withdrew from the conference in 1940.https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story/_/id/7001627/sec-expansion-conference-consider-sewanee-long-lost-founding-member Sewanee, long-lost member of the SEC Patrick Dorsey Page 2 ESPN.com September 23, 2011 September 29, 2011 The Sewanee Tigers today play in Division III, which does not allow for athletic scholarships. Sewanee had seven starters return from the undefeated 1898 team.https://books.google.com/books?id=dtziAAAAMAAJ&q=%22first-stringers%22 America: History and Life 32 3–4 1104 1995 Sewanee's Football Iron Men of 1899https://dspace.sewanee.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/561ac5b6-67e3-47b4-a5e2-26ab78fa1bd9/content Tigers of 1899 rank among game's greatest Rudy Jones Before play started, the Sewanee men trained hard for several weeks under coach Suter. With experience and leadership, the team was hopeful for an undisputed southern championship. The team also had a pair of African-American trainers or "rub down men", one whose name was Cal Burrows. They would rub the players after games and on the trains to lessen their pain and help the players to sleep. They also gathered the water from nearby Tremlett Springs. The mountain water was one reason given for Sewanee's superior athletics at the time.https://www.sewaneemessenger.com/headlines/?post_id=923&title=%E2%80%8Buniversity-alumni-to-make-documentary-about-historic-1899-football-team The Sewanee Mountain Messenger Newspaper | Serving the Mountain Since 1985 | Headlines www.sewaneemessenger.com Schedule After a disagreement with traditional rival Vanderbilt University over gate receipts resulting in the 1899 game being canceled, manager Luke Lea sought a way to make up for the lost revenue. To accomplish this he put together an ambitious schedule of five big name opponents in six days. Playing so many games in a short period minimized costs while maximizing revenue.Givens 2003 26Rachel Zoll November 27, 1999 1899 Sewanee 'Iron Men' remembered https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19991127&id=ZjofAAAAIBAJ&pg=6753,4122731&hl=en Herald-Journal October 21 1:00 p.m. y Georgia Piedmont Park Atlanta, GA w 12–0 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montgomery-advertiser-purple-triumph/145713884/ The Montgomery Advertiser Purple triumphs over Athens October 22, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com October 23 3:30 p.m. y Georgia Tech Piedmont Park Atlanta, GA w 32–0 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-journal-techs-went-down-befo/146264072/ The Atlanta Journal Techs went down before Sewanee October 24, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com October 28 Tennessee Hardee Field Sewanee, TN w 46–0 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81073687/university-of-the-south-defeated-univers/ The Knoxville Sentinel University of the South defeated University of Tennessee by 51 to 0 October 30, 1899 July 8, 2021 Newspapers.com November 3 1899 Southwestern Presbyterian Southwestern Presbyterian Hardee Field Sewanee, TN rivalry w 54–0 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montgomery-advertiser-another-fifty/146264209/ The Montgomery Advertiser Another fifty-four points for Sewanee November 4, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com November 9 3:00 p.m. y Texas Varsity Athletic Field Austin, TX w 12–0 2,500 College Football Sewanee vs. Texas game time November 9, 1899 Austin American-Statesman 1899 3 https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-college-footba/188185088/ 1899 college football Sewanee vs. Texas Austin Statesman Austin American-Statesman 1899 3 https://www.newspapers.com/article/austin-american-statesman-1899-college-f/188185440/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-arkansas-gazette-sewanee-defeats-u/145715365/ The Arkansas Gazette Sewanee defeats University of Texas in spirited game November 10, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com November 10 3:30 p.m. y y Texas A&M Herald Park Houston, TX w 10–0 600 1899 Sewanee vs. Texas A&M college football game Base Ball Park The Houston Post 1899 10 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post-1899-sewanee-vs-texas/188185675/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post-sewanee-10-a-and-m-0/146264385/ Houston Daily Post Sewanee 10, A. and M. 0; The Cadets put up a hard game and bothered the visitors November 11, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com November 11 4:00 p.m. y Tulane Tulane Athletic Field New Orleans, LA w 23–0 ~1,000 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3570229/the_timespicayune/ The Daily Picayune Olive still Blue but very hopeful November 12, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com November 13 y LSU State Field Baton Rouge, LA w 34–0 2,000+ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-sewanee-34-louisi/145712875/ The Commercial Appeal Sewanee 34, Louisiana 0; Tennesseans en route to Memphis after defeating everything in the southwest November 14, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com1899 LSU vs. Sewanee college football The Times-Picayune 1899 9 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-picayune-1899-lsu-vs-sewanee/188186595/ November 14 3:30 p.m. y Ole Miss Billings Park Memphis, TN w 12–0 1899 Sewanee Ole Miss College Football game time The Commercial Appeal 1899 10 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-1899-sewanee-ole-m/188186956/ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7959846/natchez_democrat/ Sewanee downs Mississippi Natchez Democrat November 15, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com November 20 1899 Cumberland Bulldogs Cumberland (TN) Hardee Field Sewanee, TN w 71–0 https://www.newspapers.com/article/birmingham-post-herald-sewanee-wins-agai/146264723/ The Birmingham Age-Herald Sewanee wins again November 21, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com November 25 Canceled y Nashville Normal College Field Nashville, TN https://www.newspapers.com/article/nashville-banner-nashville-won-her-game/146325218/ Nashville Banner Nashville won; Her game with Sewanee for next Saturday has been cancelled November 20, 1899 April 29, 2024 Newspapers.com November 30 2:30 p.m. y Auburn Riverside Park Montgomery, AL w 11–10 4,000 1899 Sewanee vs. Auburn college football The Montgomery Advertiser 1899 8 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montgomery-advertiser-1899-sewanee-v/188187827/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal-sewanee-wins-the-t/140804266/ The Commercial Appeal Sewanee wins the tie December 1, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com December 2 2:30 p.m. y North Carolina Piedmont Park Atlanta, GA w 5–0 2,000 1899 college football Sewanee vs. North Carolina Atlanta Georgia The Atlanta Constitution 1899 1 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-1899-college-fo/188187550/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-democrat-sewanee-is-champion/146263826/ The Times-Democrat Sewanee is champion December 3, 1899 April 28, 2024 Newspapers.com http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_game_by_game.php?coachid=5212&year=1899 1899 cfbdatawarehouse.com December 29, 2016 March 20, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160320051953/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_game_by_game.php?coachid=5212&year=1899 dead Game summaries Georgia Sewanee at Georgia Sewanee 6 6 Georgia 0 0 October 21 Piedmont ParkAtlanta, GA 1:00 p. m. Sources: Fullback Ormond Simkins was the star of the 12–0 opening win over the Georgia Bulldogs, netting the first touchdown with a fine line buck of 12 yards through center "amidst thunderous applause". Halfback Rex Kilpatrick scored a second touchdown on a 4-yard run.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569795/the_atlanta_constitution/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160306101420/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569795/the_atlanta_constitution/ March 6, 2016 October 22, 1899 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com 4 Sewanee Wins From Georgia Atlanta Constitution thumb|145px|left|Ormond Simkins The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback).https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569843/the_atlanta_constitution/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095013/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569843/the_atlanta_constitution/ March 4, 2016 Atlanta Constitution 8 Georgia Plays Sewanee November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com October 21, 1899 Georgia Tech Sewanee at Georgia Tech Sewanee 27 5 Ga. Tech 0 0 October 23 Piedmont ParkAtlanta, GA 3:30 p. m. Rowbotham Sources: Sewanee followed the defeat of Georgia with a 32–0 victory over Georgia Tech on the following Monday.The Sewanee Purple October 24, 1899 The Tech Game 14 9 11005/667 Sewanee won easily, the first score coming soon after the kickoff on a blocked kick recovered by halfback Quintard Gray. Gray scored the next touchdown on a 25-yard end run. Just fifteen minutes had passed when halfback and captain Ditty Seibels scored the third touchdown. The next three touchdowns were also scored by Seibels, including pretty runs of 35 and 40 yards. He had one long scoring run called back due to a penalty. The team played its substitutes in the second half. The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Gray (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback).https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7959663/the_atlanta_constitution/ The Atlanta Constitution 5 October 24, 1899 Sewanee Team Is Victorious December 22, 2016 Newspapers.com Tennessee Tennessee vs. Sewanee Tennessee 0 0 Sewanee 29 17 October 28 McGee FieldSewanee, TN Sources: In a driving rain at McGee Field, "where each 5-yard line was a miniature stream",The Sewanee Purple Tennessee Downed 8 October 31, 1899 14 11005/668 Sewanee beat the Tennessee Volunteers 46–0. Ditty Seibels led the scoring with three touchdowns.https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064443/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569930/the_courierjournal/ March 4, 2016 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569930/the_courierjournal/ The Courier Journal October 29, 1899 17 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com Sewanee Beats Tennessee "Touchdown followed touchdown, until Sewanee finally stopped scoring from sheer exhaustion" to quote The Sewanee Purple. The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), K. Smith (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback). Southwestern Presbyterian SW Presbyterian vs. Sewanee SW Presbyterian 0 0 Sewanee 32 22 November 3 McGee FieldSewanee, TN Elsom Sources: Sewanee next defeated Southwestern Presbyterian (now Rhodes College) 54–0. The Sewanee Purple wrote: "Never before in the history of football at Sewanee have we piled up such a score against an opponent."The Sewanee Purple November 7, 1899 Again We Win 14 9 11005/669 That would change several weeks later when they played Cumberland. The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Gray (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback). The Road trip: 5 shutouts in 6 days The 1899 Iron Men team's most notable accomplishment was a six-day period from November 9 to 14 which is arguably the greatest road trip in college football history. With 18 players, Lea, Suter, and the trainers left Sewanee on November 6. During this road trip, Sewanee outscored its opponents for a combined 91–0, including Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, and Ole Miss. Sewanee defeated each one, traveling by train for some 2,500 miles. This feat, barring fundamental changes in modern-day football, can never be equaled.see e. g. https://web.archive.org/web/20160417102020/http://www.cdispatch.com/lifestyles/article.asp?aid=15490 April 17, 2016 http://www.cdispatch.com/lifestyles/article.asp?aid=15490 Ask Rufus: The greatest football team ever February 5, 2012 Rufus Ward Contemporary sources called the road trip the most remarkable ever made by an American college team.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3570028/the_daily_times/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160305015600/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3570028/the_daily_times/ March 5, 2016 The Daily Times Sewanee's Football Tour 3 November 16, 1899 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com thumb|upright=1.15|left|Program from the Texas game. Texas Sewanee at Texas Sewanee 6 6 Texas 0 0 November 9 Athletic FieldAustin, Texas 2,500 Sources: After leaving the Cowan train station,The Sewanee football narrative: Christianity, southern honor, and intercollegiate football at the University of the South, 1890-1899 J W. Bozzi https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=thesis https://web.archive.org/web/20200322123848/https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=thesis 2020-03-22 manager Lea discovered they had left all the cleats at the train station. Without alerting the team of the problem, Lea cleverly arranged for them to be shipped on later trains to arrive in time for the Texas game. He had to wire an alumnus in Nashville to meet the first train, and transfer the cleats to another train in the middle of the night. The train carrying the players pulled into Austin on the night of the 8th to face the undefeated Texas Longhorns the following afternoon. Sewanee won 12–0. They scored five minutes into the first quarter, and a minute before the end of the game, "and the intervening time was devoted to the liveliest battle ever witnessed here". Ditty Seibels played throughout the game, scoring both touchdowns, despite having his head "split open just above the left eye, and he bled profusely." He had his wound patched by plaster and he stayed in the game. By the end of the game his head was coated with blood. The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback).https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3570282/the_timespicayune/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221508/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3570282/the_timespicayune/ March 4, 2016 The Daily Picayune New Orleans Football 8 November 10, 1899 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com Texas A&M Sewanee at Texas A&M Sewanee 5 5 Texas A&M 0 0 November 10 Herald ParkHouston, Texas 600 Killerin (Georgia) Sources: Not 20 hours had passed since the Texas game before the Tigers faced the Texas A&M Aggies. The Tigers won 10–0. Guard "Wild Bill" Claiborne was blind in one eye, and used his discolored eye for purposes of intimidation by lifting his eye patch, goggling his eye around and saying, "This happened in the last game," leaving his opponent to worry about that.Scott 2008 22 Ormond Simkins first ran in a touchdown from the 1-yard-line near the end of the first half. He also saved a touchdown with a crushing tackle of the A&M running back. Texas A&M's campus paper, the Battalion, reported :..."(the Sewanee Tigers) are unmistakably the champions of the South this year..."Larry Dagenhart Kings of the Mountain http://larrydagenhart.writersresidence.com/system/attachments/files/28681/original/On_the_7th_Day_They_Rested_p1.pdf?1362597610 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002157/http://larrydagenhart.writersresidence.com/system/attachments/files/28681/original/On_the_7th_Day_They_Rested_p1.pdf?1362597610 March 4, 2016 Part 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20161230160720/http://larrydagenhart.writersresidence.com/system/attachments/files/28682/original/On_the_7th_Day_They_Rested_p2.pdf?1362597750 December 30, 2016 Part 3 https://web.archive.org/web/20151126072600/http://larrydagenhart.writersresidence.com/system/attachments/files/28683/original/On_the_7th_Day_They_Rested_p3.pdf?1362597897 November 26, 2015 The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Gray (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback).https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569942/the_timespicayune/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160418021151/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569942/the_timespicayune/ April 18, 2016 The Daily Picayune New Orleans 8 Sewanee 10, Texas A. And M. 0. November 11, 1899 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com Tulane Sewanee at Tulane Sewanee 17 6 Tulane 0 0 November 11 New Orleans, LA 4:00 p. m. ~1,000 E. L. Simonds Sources: After another 350-mile overnight train leg, the Tigers beat Tulane in New Orleans 23–0. Rex Kilpatrick scored first. Quintard Gray scored twice more. The lone score of the second half was another, 5-yard run by Kilpatrick. The game was called early due to darkness.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3570229/the_timespicayune/ March 4, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304131646/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3570229/the_timespicayune/ The Daily Picayune New Orleans Olive Still Blue But Very Hopeful November 12, 1899 8 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback). The team went to see a play on Saturday night in New Orleans. One of the characters was dressed in purple, which was Sewanee's color, and the team rose up and gave the Sewanee cheer that aroused the whole audience.Unrivaled: Sewanee 1899 By Norman Jetmundsen, Jr LSU Sewanee at LSU Sewanee 17 17 LSU 0 0 November 13 State FieldBaton Rouge, LA 2,000+ Sources: On Sunday, before the trip to Baton Rouge, the Sewanee team toured a sugar plantation owned by John Dalton Shaffer One source reported center William H. Poole "drank heavily" on the one day off.Givens 2003 32 Sewanee then defeated LSU 34–0. thumb|left|Captain Seibels|130px Ditty Seibels scored first. Sewanee's next run from scrimmage was another Seibels touchdown; this time a 65-yard run. Rex Kilpatrick had one score, and Sewanee managed three further touchdowns. One account reads: "In spite of their long, tiresome trip, the Sewanee men were lively as school boys out for a day off."https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569504/the_tennessean/ https://web.archive.org/web/20151126072452/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569504/the_tennessean/ November 26, 2015 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com The Nashville American Sewanee Keeps It Up November 14, 1899 6 The Sewanee players enjoyed the grass field in Baton Rouge after playing on their rocky home field. The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Gray (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback).https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7959724/the_timesdemocrat/ The Times-Democrat November 14, 1899 8 December 22, 2016 Newspapers.com Tennesseans Invincible Ole Miss Sewanee vs. Ole Miss Sewanee 6 6 Miss 0 0 November 14 Billings ParkMemphis, TN Sources: The Tigers arrived in Memphis to play Ole Miss on their third pre-game overnight train ride in five days. At the beginning of the game, Ole Miss objected to some Sewanee players wearing their meagre leather helmets, but the referee overruled their objection. Ole Miss kept the game close. Ditty Seibels scored the first touchdown with fifteen seconds left in the first half, and Kilpatrick scored the second with thirteen to go before the final whistle. The game was attended by "several hundred spectators".https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7959846/natchez_democrat/ Sewanee Downs Mississippi 2 Natchez Democrat November 15, 1899 December 22, 2016 Newspapers.com The local Commercial Appeal praised the Tigers: "Yesterday's score against (Mississippi) marked the two hundred and fortieth point for which the Tennesseans have scored to nothing for their opponents, during the present season. The trip of the Sewanee eleven, along with record, will probably remain unequaled for generations." The road trip is recalled memorably with the Biblical allusion "...and on the seventh day they rested."Patrick Dorsey September 23, 2011 Sewanee, long-lost member of the SEC https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story/_/id/7001627/sec-expansion-conference-consider-sewanee-long-lost-founding-member live https://web.archive.org/web/20160111103027/http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/story/_/id/7001627/sec-expansion-conference-consider-sewanee-long-lost-founding-member January 11, 2016cf. Genesis 2:2 But the fact is, they didn't rest. They had three more games to play, including two of the toughest teams in the South, Auburn and North Carolina.Letter to the Editor Sewanee Alumni News August 15, 1949 9 https://archive.org/stream/sewaneealumninew15univ#page/n63/mode/2up 15 Joe Davis Cumberland Cumberland vs. Sewanee Cumberland 0 0 Sewanee 47 24 November 20 McGee FieldSewanee, TN Sources: Seemingly unfazed by the travel, the following week the Tigers crushed the 1899 Cumberland Bulldogs Cumberland Bulldogs, 71–0. One account reads: "For five minutes after the beginning of the game Cumberland made some good gains, but the Sewanee defense suddenly grew strong, the ball was secured on downs, and Seibels crossed the line for touchdown seven minutes after play began." Bart Sims had a school record 11 extra points, and Ormond Simkins rested instead of playing.March 6, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160306160926/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569487/the_tennessean/ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569487/the_tennessean/ November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com The Nashville American Sewanee Wins Again November 21, 1899 6 The starting lineup was: Sims (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Pearce (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Brooks (fullback)November 28, 1899 Cumberland Not In It The Sewanee Purple 11005/673 Auburn: The only points scored Sewanee at Auburn Sewanee 11 0 Auburn 10 0 November 30 Riverside ParkMontgomery, AL 4,000 Martin 2:50 p. m. Sources: On Thanksgiving Day in Montgomery,Woodruff 1928 96–97 Sewanee faced John Heisman's Auburn team winning the contest by a narrow margin of 11–10. There were 4,000 people at the game, and there were fist fights, and even guns drawn. Auburn was the only team to score on Sewanee all year, running a fast offense,https://web.archive.org/web/20151121014811/http://www.thewareaglereader.com/2013/08/john-heisman-on-auburns-hurry-up-offense/#.VFE0TefOSDo November 21, 2015 http://www.thewareaglereader.com/2013/08/john-heisman-on-auburns-hurry-up-offense/#.VFE0TefOSDo John Heisman: Auburn 'the first to show what could be done' with the hurry-up offense Jeremy Henderson The War Eagle Reader August 16, 2013 and played exceptionally well on defense. Auburn would lock arms to form a wedge for the ball carrier, so Suter told his ends to go at their legs, cleats first. Auburn also had leather handles sewn on their pants to give their blockers and runners an extra advantage, and Sewanee requested that the referees require them to be cut off, which the referees did. After being held on downs at the 10-yard line,Woodruff 1928 100 Auburn again drove down the field and scored first when Bivins ran in a touchdown. Ed Huguley followed this up with another 50-yard touchdown run, but the referee disallowed it.He had called back a prior touchdown before Bivins scored. Sewanee responded when Rex Kilpatrick ran outside the tackle for a 10-yard touchdown. Auburn back Arthur Feagin, with Huguley's interference, scored to make it 10 to 5 in favor of Auburn. thumb|160px|Coach Suter A controversial fumble recovery by Sewanee may have saved the game. Auburn quarterback Reynolds Tichenor said it was a gift; the referee awarded Sewanee the ball, but he insisted Auburn recovered it.https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084741/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2099792/the_atlanta_constitution/ March 4, 2016 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2099792/the_atlanta_constitution/ W. R. Tichenor W. R. Tichenor Atlanta Constitution Sewanee Wins From Auburn 3 December 1, 1899 March 30, 2015 Newspapers.com A double pass play to Warbler Wilson got the ensuing Sewanee touchdown. Bart Sims made the extra point to edge Auburn. Neither team managed to score in the second half. The delay from the crowd gathering on the field ran the game into darkness. The referee called the game for darkness with only 14 minutes gone in the second half. Sportswriter Fuzzy Woodruff, a witness to the game, wrote:Givens 2003 94–95Woodruff 1928 98–99Under Heisman's tutelage, Auburn played with a marvelous speed and dash that couldn't be gainsaid and which fairly swept Sewanee off its feet. Only the remarkable punting of Simkins kept the game from being a debacle. I recall vividly one incident of the game, which demonstrates clearly just how surprising was Sewanee's victory. The Purple was taking time out...A Sewanee player was down, his head being bathed...Suter, the Sewanee coach, and Heisman, the Auburn mentory, were walking up and down the field together. They approached this boy...Suter, evidently as mad as fire, asked the down and out player 'Are you fellows going to be run over like this all afternoon?' 'Coach,' said the boy, lifting his tired head from the ground, 'we just can't stand this stuff. We've never seen anything like it.' Suter and Heisman turned away. 'Can you beat that?' Suter asked the Auburn coach. Heisman didn't say anything, I guess he thought a great deal. He told me afterwards that he had never felt so sorry for a man on a football field as he had for Suter at that moment. The starting lineup was: Pierce (left end), Jones (left tackle), Claiborne (left guard), Poole (center), Keyes (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Sims (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Simkins (fullback). North Carolina Sewanee vs. North Carolina Sewanee 5 0 North Carolina 0 0 December 2 Atlanta, GA 2,000 Taylor (Yale) Sources: The season closed with a 5 to 0 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels and the championship of the south. Sewanee's defense was strong, including a goal line stand,Woodruff 1928 102 and Seibels' punting gained 10 yards on each exchange of punts. A single free kick from placement by Kilpatrick proved the difference. Simkins had signaled for a fair catch, but North Carolina's Frank M. Osborne collided with him. Sewanee was awarded fifteen yards and the free kick.https://web.archive.org/web/20160306152919/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569478/the_atlanta_constitution/ March 6, 2016 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3569478/the_atlanta_constitution/ December 3, 1899 8 November 6, 2015 Newspapers.com The Atlanta Constitution Sewanee Outkicks Carolina And Wins the Fiercest Football Contest of the Season The star for the Tar Heels that day was Herman Koehler. The starting lineup was: Simkins (left end), Jones (left tackle), Keyes (left guard), Poole (center), Claiborne (right guard), Bolling (right tackle), Black (right end), Wilson (quarterback), Kilpatrick (left halfback), Seibels (right halfback), and Hull (fullback). Postseason thumb|180px|Commemorative plaque on the base of the flagpole at McGee Field. Awards and honors W. A. Lambeth of Virginia in the journal Outing and Coach Suter both posted All-Southern teams.https://books.google.com/books?id=ZptUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA533 All-Southern Football Team Outing 35 533 Outing Publishing Company 1900 March 5, 2015 Google books https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2183132// https://web.archive.org/web/20160306231652/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2183132/the_daily_tar_heel/ March 6, 2016 The Tar Heel January 31, 1900 2 [1] April 10, 2015 Newspapers.com The Vanderbilt Hustler remarked on Suter's selection of 9 of his own players, "Only nine! He surely must have been thinking of a baseball team".https://web.archive.org/web/20160302105258/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2183106/the_daily_tar_heel/ March 2, 2016 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2183106/the_daily_tar_heel/ Which? February 21, 1900 The Tar Heel Included on Suter's All-Southern were: Richard Bolling, Wild Bill Claiborne, Deacon Jones, Rex Kilpatrick, William H. Poole, Ditty Seibels, Ormond Simkins, and Warbler Wilson.Orange and Blue https://archive.org/stream/19000328#page/n3/mode/2up An All-Southern College Eleven March 28, 1900 archive.org March 5, 2015 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1945423// The Daily Picayune New Orleans South's Football Players Analyzed 8 February 11, 1900 March 8, 2015 Newspapers.com Wilson was also selected All-Southern by Lambeth. Bart Sims made Lambeth's team and was a substitute for Suter. Legacy By the end of the season, eleven of Sewanee's victories were against SIAA conference rivals, setting the record for the most conference games won in a single season by any team before or since.The 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide did tie it 121 years later with an 11–0 conference record with an all-SEC regular-season schedule adjusted to deal with the COVID pandemic.Givens 2003 124 On College Gameday, November 13, 1999, ESPN featured the University of the South with a four-minute segment on the 1899 football team, and CSX Railroad provided a short train ride in Cowan, which was a re-enactment of an early leg of the Sewanee to Texas train ride.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQO5U-Y0ILs ESPN Iron Men of Sewanee story from 1999 February 3, 2017 YouTube Several writers and sports personalities consider this Sewanee team one of the greatest football teams ever to play. Sportswriter Grantland Rice called the group "the most durable football team I ever saw."November 27, 1941 Grantland Rice https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19411127&id=SaQhAAAAIBAJ&pg=3862,5618014 Reading Eagle Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno once said: "While there are some who would swear to the contrary, I did not see the 1899 Sewanee football team play in person. Winning five road games in six days, all by shutout scores, has to be one of the most staggering achievements in the history of the sport. If the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) had been in effect in 1899, there seems little doubt Sewanee would have played in the title game. And they wouldn’t have been done in by any computer ratings."Walsh 2007 129 Tony Barnhart in Southern Fried Football: The History, Passion and Glory of the Great Southern Game listed Sewanee as his number 1 Southern football team of all-time.Barnhart 2008 248 A 16-team playoff to determine the best team in college football history with winners decided by fan votes was run by the College Football Hall of Fame, called the March of the Gridiron Champions. Sewanee, starting at the lowest seed, won the tournament.Sewanee beat such teams as the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers and 1961 Alabama Crimson Tide.https://scacsports.com/sports/fball/2011-12/releases/sewanee_chosen_best_college_fball_team 1899 Sewanee Tigers Win Mythical March of the Gridiron Championship May 2, 2012 scacsports.com In 2022, a documentary film about the team was released. Called Unrivaled the film chronicles the team and its season.https://sewanee1899.org Sewanee1899 – Unrivaled: The Documentary Sewanee1899 In 2023, David Neil Drews published a book titled Iron Tigers: A novel inspired by the team that conquered Dixie and launched Southern football.Drews David Neil Iron Tigers: a novel inspired by the team that conquered Dixie and launched Southern football Harb and Russell Media 2023 9798988171805 Boyington Sally 1st Knoxville, TN, USA English Personnel Varsity lettermen thumb|140px|Wild Bill Claiborne thumb|140px|William H. Poole Line Sewanee Tigers Player Position Gamesstarted Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age Richard E. Bollingtackle 10Edna, Texas 5'10" William "Wild Bill" Claiborneguard 11Amherst Co., Virginia Roanoke College6'0"190 John William "Deacon" Jones tackle11Marshall, Texas Henry S. Keyes guard10Cambridge, Massachusetts Hugh Miller Thompson "Bunny" Pearce end 9Jackson, Mississippi 5'3" 125 William H. Poolecenter10 Glyndon, Maryland 6'0"18519 Bartlet Et Ultimus "The Caboose" Sims end 10Bryan, Texas 6'0"18521 Backfield Sewanee Tigers Player Position Gamesstarted Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age Charles Quintard Grayhalfback4 Ocala, Florida Ringland F. "Rex" Kilpatrickhalfback 9Bridgeport, Alabama 6'1"18518 Henry "Ditty" Seibelshalfback 9Montgomery, Alabama 5'10"17023 Ormond Simkins fullback10Corsicana, Texas 5'10"16320 William "Warbler" Wilson quarterback 11Rock Hill, South Carolina 5'10"15422 Substitutes thumb|260px|Another image of the Iron Men. Sewanee Tigers Player Position Gamesstarted Hometown Prep school Height Weight AgeRalph Peters Blackend 1Atlanta, Georgia 6'0"158 Preston S. Brooks back 1Sewanee, Tennessee Harris G. Cope quarterback Savannah, GeorgiaTaft School 11716 Albert T. Davidson Augusta, Georgia Andrew C. Evins Spartanburg, South Carolina Daniel B. Hullfullback 1Savannah, Georgia 5'10"160 Joseph Lee Kirby-Smith tackle 1Sewanee, Tennessee 15617 Landon R. Mason Marshall, Virginia Floy H. Parker Canton, Mississippi Herbert E. Smithhttps://archive.org/stream/sewaneealumninew15univ#page/n13/mode/2up/search/Cope Sewanee Alumni News 1949 1899 13 Coaching staff Head coach: Billy Suter Manager: Luke Lea Trainer: Cal Burrows Scoring leaders The following is an incomplete list of statistics and scores, largely dependent on newspaper summaries. Sewanee Tigers Player Touchdowns Extra points Field goals PointsHenry Seibels180090Rex Kilpatrick110160Warbler Wilson80040Quintard Gray60030Daniel Hull40020Ormond Simkins210020Bart Sims018018Bunny Pearce19014Deacon Jones20010Richard Bolling1005Unaccounted for v. LSU30015 Total56371322 See also 1899 College Football All-Southern Team List of undefeated NCAA Division I football teams Notes References Books https://books.google.com/books?id=vaduAAAAQBAJ Southern Fried Football: The History, Passion and Glory of the Great Southern Game Tony Barnhart 2008 Triumph Books 9781623684884 Drews, David (2023). Iron Tigers: A novel Inspired by the team that conquered Dixie and launched Southern football. Harb and Russell Media. ISBN 979-8-9881718-0-5 Givens Wendell Ninety-Nine Iron: The Season Sewanee Won Five Games in Six Days Fire Ant Books 2003 0-8173-5062-4 https://books.google.com/books?id=cm1TZA6jCSgC&pg=PA22 2008 SEC Football: 75 Years of Pride and Passion Richard Scott MVP Books 9781616731335 https://books.google.com/books?id=7cEVAAAAQBAJ Walsh Christopher J. Who's #1? 2007 Simon and Schuster 9781461734765 A History of Southern Football 1890–1928 Woodruff Fuzzy 1 1928 Sewanee Category:Sewanee Tigers football seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons Sewanee Tigers football