Just heard...
- Thread starter WVUALLEN
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Marshall had to beat a one win ODU team in OT. Thank you UpChucky for that report.
You mean a coach that went without a loss, not undefeated as there was a tie, in 1922 against this formidable roster? WV Wesleyan, Marietta, Pitt, Washington & Lee (the great team that dueled WVU to a tie), Rutgers, Cincinnati, Indiana, Virginia, Ohio, Washington & Jefferson, and Gonzaga.
Anyone who believes a coach, getting a 10-0-1 record against this schedule in an era where college football was not a lucrative enterprise, is the best coach in school history is crazy. Hardly anyone cared about college football in 1922 and coaching the sport certainly didn't get you a 1% of the 1% of income earners level wage. Success in an era where college football is a multi million dollar industry and coaching salaries are vastly above even the moderately wealthy's income is much more impressive than in an era where no one cared and coaching was a hobby secondary to your real job. "Doc" Spears had his nickname because he was a medical doctor as his primary job since coaching football did not warrant the vast majority of any coaches working hours. It's like being the best skate boarder in the 1950s when it was a kids past time compared to the early 2000's when multimillion dollar contracts were at stakes prompting stiff competition to be the best.
In all fairness, Washington & Lee was a pretty good program back then. Consider schools like that and Yale (which won several National Titles) back in the day.
"The 1922 college football season had a number of unbeaten and untied teams, and no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing California, Cornell, Iowa, Princeton, and Vanderbilt as national champions."
Sorry Doc and his brother, CFE.
Sorry Doc and his brother, CFE.
Washington & Lee was 5-3-1 in 1922
Emory & Henry 85-0 Win
NC State 14-6 Win
Carson Newman 13-0 Win
WVU 12-12 Tie
University Lynchburg 53-0 Win
UVA 6-22 Loss
Centre College 6-27 Loss
Virginia Tech 6-41 Loss
John Hopkins 14-0
I don't think power house meant the same thing as it does today.