1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football W&J 1921 Team.jpg 285 Independent 10–0–1 Greasy Neale 1st Short-punt College Field Co-national champion (Boand) Rose Bowl T 0–0 vs. California The 1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team was an American football team that represented Washington & Jefferson College as an independent during the 1921 college football season. In their first year under head coach Greasy Neale, the Presidents compiled a 10–0 record, shut out seven of eleven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 222 to 33. During the regular season, they defeated Pitt, Detroit, and Syracuse. Their 7–0 victory over rival Pitt was celebrated with a day of canceled classes and a bonfire with inspirational speeches in front of the Washington County Courthouse. They concluded their season with a tie against California in the 1922 Rose Bowl. The Red and Black finished the season with a share of the 1921 national championship, as determined by the Boand System.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2015/FBS.pdf National Poll Rankings National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2015 NCAA Division I Football Records NCAA 108 January 8, 2016 Tackle Russ Stein was selected by Walter Camp as a first-team All-American.https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/12/21/107038291.pdf Walter Camp's All-America Selections for 1921 The New York Times December 21, 1921 March 6, 2013 Halfback Hal Erickson was selected as a second-team player on the 1921 All-Eastern football team.More All-Star Grid Selections The Pittsburgh Press December 6, 1921 https://books.google.com/books?id=QMYaAAAAIBAJ&dq=All-Eastern+football+team&pg=PA32&article_id=4764,2362343 Charles Fremont West was the team's quarterback. Schedule September 24 w 1921 Bethany Bison Bethany (WV) College Field Washington, PA 14–0 > 6,000 Presidents Beat Bethany https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54096410/the-new-york-times/ The New York Times New York, New York September 25, 1921 106 June 24, 2020 Newspapers.com Wash-Jeff Scores Two-Touchdown Win Over Bethany Gang The Pittsburgh Post September 25, 1921 3 (section 3) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-post-wash-jeff-scores-two/166574992/ Newspapers.com October 1 w Bucknell College Field Washington, PA 26–0 > 6,000 Wash-Jeff Beats Bucknell, 28 to 0; Russ Stein Stars The Pittsburgh Post October 2, 1921 4 (section 3) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-post-wash-jeff-beats-buck/166575277/ Newspapers.com October 8 w 1921 West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats West Virginia Wesleyan College Field Washington, PA 54–0 Wash-Jeff Swamps Wesleyan Crew, 54-0 The PIttsburgh Post October 9, 1921 3 (section 3) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-post-wash-jeff-swamps-wes/166575585/ Newspapers.com October 15 w 1921 Carnegie Tech Tartans Carnegie Tech College Field Washington, PA 14–0 12,000 Tech Holds Presidents To 14-0 Score: Wash-Jeff Outplayed in Every Department But Gets the Breaks Raymond Coll Jr. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette October 16, 1921 2 (section 3) https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-tech-holds-presi/166574722/ Newspapers.com October 22 w y Lehigh Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA 14–7 5,000 Presidents Defeat Lehigh in Grueling Struggle Before 5000 Fans in Taylor Stadium The Allentown Morning Call October 23, 1921 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54093656/presidents-defeat-lehigh-in-grueling/ Newspapers.com October 29 w y Syracuse Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY 17–10 15,000 W. and J. Team Picks Victory Out of Air In Closing Minutes of Syracuse Game The New York Times October 20, 1921 1 (sports) https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-times-w-and-j-team-picks/166511610/ Newspapers.com November 5 w y 1921 Westminster Titans Westminster (PA) New Wilmington, PA 49–14 Westminster Makes Was-Jeff Hustle The Pittsburgh Gazette Times November 6, 1921 4 (section 3) https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-westminster-make/166574331/ Newspapers.com November 12 w y Pittsburgh Forbes Field Pittsburgh, PA 7–0 28,000–30,000 Keck Harry Forward Pass Scores Only Touchdown of Hard-Fought Contest The Gazette Times November 13, 1920 24 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/70777164/forward-pass-scores-only-touchdown-of/ Newspapers.com November 24 w y West Virginia Morgantown, WV 13–0 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-birmingham-news-wj-victor-over-we/151770857/ The Birmingham News W.&J. victor over West Va. November 25, 1921 July 21, 2024 Newspapers.com December 3 w y Detroit Navin Field Detroit, MI 14–2 22,000 W. & J. Wins Intersectional Game From University of Detroit By 14-2 Score Detroit Free Press December 4, 1921 23, 25 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15779051/w_j_wins_intersectional_game_from/ Newspapers.com January 1 t y California Rose Bowl Tournament Park Pasadena, CA 0–0 40,000 Washington-Jefferson Football Eleven Outsmarts California: Nisbet's Toe Staves Off Eastern Triumph The Los Angeles Times Paul Lowry January 3, 1922 29 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98822500/washington-jefferson-football-eleven/ Newspapers.com https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/washington-jefferson/1921-schedule.html 1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents Schedule and Results Rose Bowl As the best team from the east, W&J was invited to the 1922 Rose Bowl to play the best team from the west: the undefeated and heavily favored California Golden Bears. Some had even begun to call Cal the best team in college football history.Scarborough 1979 p. 79 The Red and Black sent 20 men on the cross-country trip and Robert M. Murphy mortgaged his home to pay his six family members’ way. W&J would be the last Rose Bowl team to play the same 11 men the entire game. During the train ride to Pasadena, in which Greasy Neale continued to prepare his men, Lee Spillers caught pneumonia and could not finish the journey. Ross "Bucky" Buchannan, a reserve player who had stowed away on the train and was fed smuggled sandwiches during the trip, was available to fill Spillers' roster spot. The power of this Eastern eleven lay in its ability to rip through and smear opposing plays. Its uncanny faculty in this department was pronounced especially so in a season where the attack was featured and the offensive often given no great attention. Any attack in the country, including that bewildering onslaught launched by Notre Dame, would have found great trouble in hammering out any extensive distance against Neale's machine. right 250px Grantland Rice, describing the 1921 football teamScarborough 1979 pp. 81–82 Cal had outscored their opponents that season by a margin of 312–33; nevertheless, the W&J defense held the Golden Bears' potent offense, led by Brick Muller, to no points, 2 first downs, no completed passes, and only 49 yards rushing. In one of the most disputed plays in Rose Bowl history, a rushing touchdown for W&J was overturned for an offside penalty called on Wayne Brenkert.North 1991 pp. 97–107Scarborough 1979 p. 7 On another play, W&J's Hal Erickson slipped and fell on his way to scoring a sure touchdown. The contest ended in a scoreless draw. The game was notable as the last time a "small school" would be represented in the Rose Bowl. W&J's team featured two Rose Bowl firsts: Herb Kopf was the first freshman to play and Charlie "Pruner" West was the first African American to play quarterback.Charles "Pruner" West (1922) U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives Washington & Jefferson College http://washjeff.cdmhost.com/u?/p4019coll10,32 2010-06-20 https://archive.today/20240525000547/https://www.webcitation.org/5rs3pAAVP?url=http://washjeff.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php%3FCISOROOT=/p4019coll10&CISOPTR=32 2024-05-25 dead W&J's team captain, Russ Stein, was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1991.Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Tournament of Roses 2009 http://www.tournamentofroses.com/history/halloffame.asp 2010-05-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20100816231941/http://www.tournamentofroses.com/history/halloffame.asp 2010-08-16 dead References Washington and Jefferson Category:Washington & Jefferson Presidents football seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons Category:College football national champions Washington and Jefferson Presidents football