Orangeyes
R.I.P Dan
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 16,265
- Like
- 21,713
In this piece entitled, "1918 College Football National Championship" there are several references to that Syracuse squad:
"Michigan went 5-0 and defeated a powerful 5-1 Syracuse team 15-0, and they are the only other team I will be considering for the 1918 mythical national championship (MNC). The 1918 football season barely qualified as a football season at all, and there were plenty of teams that may well have been equal to or better than Pittsburgh or Michigan, but what sets Pitt and Michigan apart from the rest is that each defeated another MNC contending team"
"Unlike Navy, Illinois did beat a strong opponent-- 3 of them, in fact. 6-2-1 Iowa was particularly strong, losing their other game to Great Lakes Navy, tying Camp Dodge, and beating 5-2-1 Minnesota and 2-3-1 Nebraska (who was better than their record shows). Iowa was coached by hall of famer Howard Jones, who would take Iowa to the top of the Big Ten before moving on to even bigger things at Southern Cal in the 1920s. However, Iowa was no Syracuse or Georgia Tech, and that is Illinois' problem in contending for an MNC."
Pittsburgh hall of fame halfback Tom Davies running wild on Georgia Tech
"Like most teams in 1918, 4-1 Pitt played a shortened season, opening on November 9th and finishing just 3 weeks later. 6 games were canceled due to the Spanish flu pandemic, the big ones being against Great Lakes Navy and Syracuse, either of which could have had a big impact on the mythical national championship race of 1918. Syracuse had been rescheduled for November 23rd, but Pittsburgh dropped them once they convinced Georgia Tech to come up North that day."
Michigan 1918
"The biggest difference between Michigan and Pitt in 1918 was the reputed talent level of their players. Pitt had 3 consensus All Americans, Michigan none. But to get an idea of the value of having players make AA lists, consider that Syracuse had 2 consensus AA, yet Michigan beat them 15-0 this season. And Georgia Tech had 3, as many as Pitt, yet Pitt routed them 32-0. Still, it is hard to look at Pitt's players this season, then Michigan's, and see the teams as potential equals."
"Michigan's star player this year was freshman fullback/halfback Frank Steketee, a nonconsensus All American (Michigan's only), best known for his excellent punting and kicking. In the opener against Case, he came in as a substitute and scored 3 touchdowns. Against Syracuse, he scored all of Michigan's points with a touchdown and 3 field goals. He is in the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame."
"Michigan's next game was by far their biggest of the season, as powerful 3-0 Syracuse was coming to Ann Arbor, but it was the same weekend that Georgia Tech was visiting Pittsburgh, so no one who mattered came to Ann Arbor to see it. And that is why Michigan wasn't on the radar of most national writers in 1918, and why their players drew so little interest from All American selectors. The game was played in rain and mud, and the only offense resulted in field goals, all by Michigan. They led 6-0 at half on 2 Frank Steketee goals, and Steketee added a 3rd in the 4th quarter. That put the game out of reach at 9-0, but Steketee returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown to put some icing on that cake"
"Michigan went 5-0 and defeated a powerful 5-1 Syracuse team 15-0, and they are the only other team I will be considering for the 1918 mythical national championship (MNC). The 1918 football season barely qualified as a football season at all, and there were plenty of teams that may well have been equal to or better than Pittsburgh or Michigan, but what sets Pitt and Michigan apart from the rest is that each defeated another MNC contending team"
"Unlike Navy, Illinois did beat a strong opponent-- 3 of them, in fact. 6-2-1 Iowa was particularly strong, losing their other game to Great Lakes Navy, tying Camp Dodge, and beating 5-2-1 Minnesota and 2-3-1 Nebraska (who was better than their record shows). Iowa was coached by hall of famer Howard Jones, who would take Iowa to the top of the Big Ten before moving on to even bigger things at Southern Cal in the 1920s. However, Iowa was no Syracuse or Georgia Tech, and that is Illinois' problem in contending for an MNC."
Pittsburgh hall of fame halfback Tom Davies running wild on Georgia Tech
"Like most teams in 1918, 4-1 Pitt played a shortened season, opening on November 9th and finishing just 3 weeks later. 6 games were canceled due to the Spanish flu pandemic, the big ones being against Great Lakes Navy and Syracuse, either of which could have had a big impact on the mythical national championship race of 1918. Syracuse had been rescheduled for November 23rd, but Pittsburgh dropped them once they convinced Georgia Tech to come up North that day."
Michigan 1918
"The biggest difference between Michigan and Pitt in 1918 was the reputed talent level of their players. Pitt had 3 consensus All Americans, Michigan none. But to get an idea of the value of having players make AA lists, consider that Syracuse had 2 consensus AA, yet Michigan beat them 15-0 this season. And Georgia Tech had 3, as many as Pitt, yet Pitt routed them 32-0. Still, it is hard to look at Pitt's players this season, then Michigan's, and see the teams as potential equals."
"Michigan's star player this year was freshman fullback/halfback Frank Steketee, a nonconsensus All American (Michigan's only), best known for his excellent punting and kicking. In the opener against Case, he came in as a substitute and scored 3 touchdowns. Against Syracuse, he scored all of Michigan's points with a touchdown and 3 field goals. He is in the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame."
"Michigan's next game was by far their biggest of the season, as powerful 3-0 Syracuse was coming to Ann Arbor, but it was the same weekend that Georgia Tech was visiting Pittsburgh, so no one who mattered came to Ann Arbor to see it. And that is why Michigan wasn't on the radar of most national writers in 1918, and why their players drew so little interest from All American selectors. The game was played in rain and mud, and the only offense resulted in field goals, all by Michigan. They led 6-0 at half on 2 Frank Steketee goals, and Steketee added a 3rd in the 4th quarter. That put the game out of reach at 9-0, but Steketee returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown to put some icing on that cake"
