1920 Centre Praying Colonels football team

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1920 Centre Praying Colonels football
Fort Worth Classic, W 63–7 vs. TCU
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record8–2 (4–1 SIAA)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle-wing
Home stadiumCheek Field
Uniform
Seasons
← 1919
1921 →
1920 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Georgia + 7 – 0 – 0 8 – 0 – 1
Tulane + 5 – 0 – 0 6 – 2 – 1
Georgia Tech + 4 – 0 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Alabama 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
Centre 4 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Furman 3 – 1 – 0 9 – 1 – 0
South Carolina 3 – 1 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Tennessee 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Auburn 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Mississippi A&M 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 3 – 0
Sewanee 3 – 3 – 1 4 – 3 – 1
Vanderbilt 3 – 3 – 0 4 – 3 – 1
Transylvania 2 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 0
Howard (AL) 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 5 – 1
Mississippi College 2 – 4 – 0 3 – 5 – 0
Florida 1 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0
Clemson 2 – 6 – 0 4 – 6 – 1
LSU 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 3 – 1
Chattanooga 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 4 – 1
The Citadel 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Ole Miss 0 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 0
Kentucky 0 – 3 – 1 3 – 4 – 1
Georgetown (KY) 0 – 2 – 0 0 – 3 – 0
Millsaps 0 – 3 – 0 0 – 3 – 0
Mercer 0 – 4 – 0 2 – 6 – 0
Wofford 0 – 4 – 0 0 – 8 – 1
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1920 Centre Praying Colonels football team represented Centre College in the 1920 college football season. The Praying Colonels scored 546 points while allowing 62 points and capped off their season by defeating TCU, 63–7 in the Fort Worth Classic.

Schedule[edit]

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 2Morris Harvey*
W 66–0[1]
October 9Howard (AL)
  • Cheek Field
  • Danville, KY
W 120–0[2]
October 16Transylvania
  • Cheek Field
  • Danville, KY
W 55–0[3]
October 23at Harvard*
L 14–3140,000[4]
October 30at Georgia Tech
L 0–24[5]
November 6at DePauw*
W 34–0[6]
November 13at Kentucky
W 49–0[7]
November 20vs. VPI*
W 28–0[8]
November 25Georgetown (KY)
  • Cheek Field
  • Danville, KY
W 103–0[9]
January 1, 1921at TCU*
W 63–77,000[10][11][12]
  • *Non-conference game

Season[edit]

Centre opened the season with three straight wins by a combined score of 241–0, beating Morris Harvey, 66–0; the Howard Bulldogs, 120–0; and Transylvania, 55–0.

A prequel to the 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game followed; Harvard had not lost a game since 1918[13] and defeated visiting Centre 31–14, finishing with a record of 8–0–1. With the Harvard game tied 7–7, it was 4th down and 6 at the 30-yard line. Instead of punting, McMillin "defied every "don't" in the football book" and tossed a touchdown pass.[14]

A loss at Georgia Tech followed, 24–0; Georgia Tech finished its season 8–1, having outscored its opponents 312–16.[15] One writer recalled he heard a story that Tech tackle Bill Fincher sought to knock Bo McMillin out of the game, taking with him brass-knuckles or "something equally diabolical."[16]

Centre then defeated DePauw, 34–0, in Indianapolis;Kentucky, 49–0, at Lexington; VPI, 28–0, in Louisville; and the Georgetown Tigers, 103–0.

Postseason[edit]

Centre then traveled to Fort Worth, Texas for a bowl game, the Fort Worth Classic, against undefeated TCU. TCU entered the game with a record of 9–0, including wins at Arkansas (19–2) and at Baylor (21–9).[17] Texas Christian had attained its perfect record while outscoring its opponents 163–46.[17] Centre won the game handily. Accounts of the final score vary; some sources say Centre won 63-7[17] and other sources give the final score as 77–7.[18]

Centre finished the season with a record of 8–2. McMillan was named to the 1920 College Football All-America Team.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Easy victory for Danville". The Courier-Journal. October 3, 1920. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Kentucky champions roll up 120 to 0 score". Messenger-Inquirer. October 10, 1920. Retrieved August 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Centre wins over Transy". The Courier-Journal. October 17, 1920. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ W.D. Sullivan (October 24, 1920). "Harvard Crushes Centre in Thrilling Game, 31-14". The Boston Globe. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Georgia Tech too fast for Centre". The Boston Globe. October 31, 1920. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Centre beats DePauw, 34–0". The Indianapolis Star. November 7, 1920. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Centre's goal never in danger". The Journal and Tribune. November 14, 1920. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Centre College triumphs over Virginia Tech team". The Courier-Journal. November 21, 1920. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Colonels crush Georgetown Tigers in annual Thanksgiving bout 103–0". Danville Daily Messenger. November 26, 1920. Retrieved June 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Renfro, Colvin (December 30, 1920). "Open Play Will Mark Big Game Saturday". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. p. 12. Retrieved August 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  11. ^ Bee, Billy (January 2, 1921). "Centre's Colonels Beat T. C. U. 63 To 7". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. p. 22. Retrieved August 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  12. ^ Renfro, Colvin (January 2, 1921). "Game as Seen by Colvin Renfro". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. p. 22. Retrieved August 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  13. ^ Harvard footballs scores
  14. ^ Yust, Walter (1952). "Encyclopaedia Britannica: A New Survey of Universal Knowledge".
  15. ^ 1920 Georgia Tech football scores
  16. ^ "Fincher, Guyon, Strupper-and Shaw Hardy". The Miami News. November 3, 1943.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ a b c 1920 Texas Christian football scores
  18. ^ John Y. Brown, The Legend of the Praying Colonels, J. Marvin Gray & Associates, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky


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