1914 Illinois Fighting Illini football team explained

Year:1914
Team:Illinois Fighting Illini
Sport:football
Conference:Western Conference
Short Conf:Western
Record:7–0
Conf Record:6–0
Head Coach:Robert Zuppke
Hc Year:2nd
Off Scheme:I formation[1]
Captain:Ralph Chapman
Stadium:Illinois Field
Champion:National champion (Billingsley)
Co-national champion (Davis)
Western Conference champion

The 1914 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois in the Western Conference during the 1914 college football season. In their second season under head coach Robert Zuppke, the Fighting Illini compiled a 7–0 record (6–0 against conference opponents), shut out four of seven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 224 to 22.[2]

There was no contemporaneous system in 1914 for determining a national champion. However, Illinois was retroactively named as the national champion by the Billingsley Report and as a co-national champion by Parke H. Davis. Army was chosen as co-champion by Davis and as national champion by three other selectors.[3]

End Perry Graves and guard Ralph Chapman were consensus picks for the 1914 All-America college football team.[4] Chapman was the team captain.[5] Seven Illini players were also honored on the 1914 All-Western Conference football team selected by Walter Eckersall: quarterback Potsy Clark (first teaam); halfbacks Harold Pogue (first team); ends George K. Squier (first team) and Perry Graves (second team); guard Ralph Chapman (first team); fullback Eugene Schobinger (second team); and tackle Lennox F. Armstrtong (second team).[6]

Roster

PlayerPosition
Perry GravesRight End
Manley Ross PettyRight Tackle
Frank StewartRight Guard
John Ward NelsonRight guard
John Wesley WatsonCenter
Ralph Chapman (captain)Left guard
Lennox Francois ArmstrongLeft tackle
Olay MadsenLeft tackle
Sylvester Randall DerbyLeft end
George Kasson SquierLeft end
George ClarkQuarterback
Bart MacomberRight halfback
Frank Howard PethybridgeRight halfback
Eugene SchobingerFullback
Orlie RueFullback
Alexander WagnerLeft halfback
Harold PogueLeft halfback

Awards and honors

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Football.
  2. Web site: 1914 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results. Sports Reference LLC. SR/College Football. March 30, 2022.
  3. Book: 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records . The National Collegiate Athletic Association . 112–114 . July 2020 . Indianapolis . January 12, 2021 . November 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032438/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf . live .
  4. Web site: Football Award Winners. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. October 21, 2017. 6.
  5. Web site: Fighting Illini Football Record Book. University of Illinois. 2015. December 28, 2016. 156.
  6. News: All Conference Elevens of "Big Nine" Selected. The Wichita Beacon. November 24, 1914. 7. July 15, 2015. Newspapers.com.
  7. News: Menke Selects Annual All-American Eleven. New Castle News. November 25, 1914.
  8. News: Football Roll of Honor: The Men Whom the Best Coaches of the Country Have Named as the Stars of the Gridiron in 1914. Outing. 1915. 498.
  9. Spalding's Official Football Guide 1915
  10. News: Eckersall Names All-Stars: Eckersall Names One Western Man; Maulbetsch of Michigan on All-American. Waterloo Evening Courier. December 12, 1914.
  11. News: Walter Camp's Three All-American Elevens. The Syracuse Herald. 1914-12-13.
  12. News: Menke Selects Annual All-American Eleven. New Castle News. 1914-11-25.