1918 Cleveland Naval Reserve football team

American college football season August 2023 1918 Cleveland Naval Reserve football clevelandnr.png 285 Independent 5–1 Xen C. Scott 1st Walter L. Holmgren League Park none none The 1918 Cleveland Naval Reserve football team represented the Cleveland Auxiliary Naval Reserve School during the 1918 college football season. The team compiled a 5–1 record and closed its season by upsetting national champion Pittsburgh, 10–9. The team was coached by Xen C. Scott,https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=INN19190527-01.1.21 May 27, 1919 Indianapolis News College Athletics 21 assisted by Bob Dawson and former Yale star Ralph Kinney.Cleveland Is Seeking Honor The Washington Times October 21, 1918 14 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22209852/cleveland_is_seeking_honor/ Newspapers.comKinney Coaches The Washington Times October 12, 1918 10 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22209922/kinney_coaches/ Newspapers.com The team was led by a backfield consisting of former Ohio State quarterback Gaylord Stinchcomb, former Minnesota halfback Walter L. Holmgren, former Georgia Tech fullback Judy Harlan, and former Auburn fullback Moon Ducote. The highlight of Auburn's previous season was its tie with Ohio State. Georgia Tech then dominated Auburn to claim the South's first national title. A game between national champion Georgia Tech and undefeated Pitt could not be scheduled, and was moved to the following season. Georgia Tech having lost several players to the War, Pitt won 32–0. The Cleveland Naval Reserves managed to upset Pitt with a 10–9 victory. "I intercepted a pass and returned it to midfield in the fourth quarter. I felt I at least had evened up some of the losses we had at Tech" said Harlan.https://archive.org/details/creatingbiggamej00umph registration Creating the Big Game: John W. Heisman and the Invention of American Football Greenwood Publishing Group Wiley Lee Umphlett 148 1992 9780313284045 Pittsburgh coach Pop Warner refused to acknowledge the loss, but declared Ducote "the greatest football player I ever saw".https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fspuovnvqdnd5bu/AACDhN1-amnaoGtWVhgk9-J3a?dl=0&preview=Ducote%2C+Richard+OBIT+State+Times+Adv+BR+26-Mar-1937.tiff Richard Ducote Dies In Orleans March 26, 1937 State Times Baton Rouge, Louisiana Warner, along with some reporters covering the game, insisted Pitt was robbed by the officials who, claiming the official timekeeper's watch was broken, arbitrarily ended the first half before Pitt was able to score and then allowed the Reserves extra time in the fourth quarter to pull ahead. Keck Harry Navy Reserves Steal Game From Pitt Pittsburgh Sunday Post, Republished in the Greatest Moments in Pitt Football History (1994) November 30, 1918 33 Athlon Sports Communications Nashville, TN 1-878839-04-7 It was Pitt's first loss in four years, since Warner had started coaching there. Ducote had a 41-yard field goal, and Stinchcomb scored a touchdown on a pass from Ducote, and kicked the extra point.Pittsburg Loses to Cleveland Sailors, 10 to 9: Cleveland Naval Reserve Team Wins by Great Uphill Battle; Stinchcomb Kicks Goal in Last Quarter Which Gives Sailors Victory Syracuse Herald 1918-12-01 Future basketball star Lenny Sachs was also on the team. In an 83–0 win over Cornell's service team, Stinchcomb ran 100 yards for a touchdown.CLEVELAND TARS FIND CORNELL ELEVEN EASY The Washington Post 1918-11-15 In a 14–6 win over Camp Grant, Stinchcomb was the Navy's star, kicking two extra points and returning a punt 65 yards for a touchdown.Camp Grant Loses To Cleveland Team: Naval Reserves Defeat Soldiers From Illinois With Score Fourteen to Six Ogden Examiner 1918-11-24 In a profile of Stinchcomb published in November 1918, one writer observed:The reason for such optimistic predictions is the showing Stlnchcomb has made this season in the 'unofficial' football season all grid fans have enjoyed. As backfleld man for the Cleveland Naval Reserve team -- in which branch of the service Stinchcomb has been serving -- 'Pete' has romped around opposing ends -- plunged through their lines and carried his team to the fore ranks of military and naval football ratings."OHIO HAS WAR-ECLIPSED GRIDIRON STAR FOR 1919 The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette 1918-11-28 Schedule y October 19 Western Reserve Cleveland, OH W 20-6 November 2 Detroit Naval Reserves League Park Cleveland, OH W 83-0 Couldn't Make First Down: Stars of Cleveland Naval Reserve Toy with Detroiters The Baltimore Sun November 3, 1918 11 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22208645/couldnt_make_first_down_stars_of/ Newspapers.comOur Century, 1918 - At a Glance https://teachingcleveland.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/1918.pdf The Plain Dealer June 7, 1998 November 9 Chicago Naval Reserves League Park Cleveland, OH L 0-6 Pier Wins, 6-0, at Cleveland Chicago Tribune November 10, 1918 Part 2, page 4 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22208907/pier_wins_60_at_cleveland/ Newspapers.comBitter Gridiron Struggle: Chicago Naval Reserves Beat Cleveland Sailors in Hard Game, 6-0 The Sunday Star (Washington, D.C.) November 10, 1918 23 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22209039/bitter_gridiron_struggle_chicago_naval/ Newspapers.com November 16 Cornell service team Cleveland, OH W 83-0 Cleveland Naval Reserves Beat Cornell, 83 to 0 The Gazette Times Pittsburgh November 17, 1918 sec. 3, p. 2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22208550/cleveland_naval_reserves_beat_cornell/ Newspapers.com November 23 vs Camp Grant Chicago, IL W 14-6 Cleveland Navy Wrests Victory From Soldiers: Stinchcomb and Ducote Beat Camp Grant by Fine Runs, 14-6 Chicago Tribune Walter Eckersall November 24, 1918 2–5 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22208736/cleveland_navy_wrests_victory_from/ Newspapers.com November 30 Pittsburgh League Park Cleveland, OH W 10-9 Pitt Beaten at Cleveland by Raw Work The Pittsburgh Press December 1, 1918 Sporting 1 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22209182/pitt_beaten_at_cleveland_by_raw_work/ Newspapers.com References External links Score card for Pittsburgh game Cleveland Naval Reserve Cleveland Naval Reserve football Category:American football in Cleveland