1903 Sewanee Tigers football
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record7–1 (5–1 SIAA)
Head coach
CaptainJoseph Lee Kirby-Smith
Home stadiumHardee Field
1903 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Clemson + 2 –0 –14 –1 –1
Cumberland (TN) + 4 –1 –16 –1 –1
Sewanee 5 –1 –07 –1 –0
Vanderbilt 5 –1 –16 –1 –1
Mississippi A&M 2 –0 –23 –0 –2
Georgia 3 –2 –03 –4 –0
Ole Miss 1 –1 –12 –1 –1
Texas 0 –0 –15 –1 –2
Kentucky State 0 –0 –07 –1 –0
Alabama 3 –4 –03 –4 –0
Auburn 2 –3 –04 –3 –0
Tennessee 2 –4 –04 –5 –0
Georgia Tech 1 –4 –03 –5 –0
Tulane 0 –1 –12 –2 –1
Mercer 0 –1 –00 –1 –0
Nashville 0 –2 –01 –3 –0
LSU 0 –5 –04 –5 –0
SW Presbyterian   –    –  
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1903 Sewanee Tigers football team represented the Sewanee Tigers of Sewanee: The University of the South in the 1903 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 3Mooney*
W 23–0
October 203:00 p.m.Cumberland (TN)
  • Hardee Field
  • Sewanee, TN
W 6–0
October 24Tennessee Docs*
  • Hardee Field
  • Sewanee, TN
W 52–0[1]
October 31at Auburn
W 47–0[2]
November 2at Alabama
W 23–0[3]
November 7at Nashville
W 6–0[4]
November 14at Tennessee
W 17–0[5]
November 26at Vanderbilt
L 5–104,000

[6]

Game summaries

Mooney

The season opened with a defeat of Mooney School by a 23–0 score.

Tennessee Medical

The Tennessee Medicos were beaten 6–0.

Cumberland

Cumberland at Sewanee
1 2Total
Cumberland 0 0 0
• Sewanee 0 6 6

Sewanee gave the greatest team in Cumberland history its only loss.. Henry D. Phillips plowed through the line for the deciding score.[7]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), L. Kirby-Smith (left tackle), Blount (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), Brong (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Colmore (left halfback), E. Kirby Smith (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[7]

Auburn

Sewanee at Auburn
1 2Total
• Sewanee 23 24 47
Auburn 0 0 0

Sewanee easily beat Auburn 47–0. The first half was all Sewanee. Phillips made the first touchdown. After an Auburn fumble, Shaffer made the next touchdown.[8] Phillips soon made the next touchdown. Kirby-Smith the next.[8] In the second half, Auburn played better, but got nowhere near Sewanee's goal.[8] Phillips had three touchdowns in the second half, "by some of the finest line bucking ever seen here."[8]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), L. Kirby-Smith (left tackle), Harper (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), Brong (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Colmore (left halfback), Shaffer (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[8]

Alabama

Sewanee beat Alabama 23–0 in the first match between the two schools since 1896.[9] The game was originally scheduled to be played in Tuscaloosa, but was subsequently moved to West End Park in Birmingham in an effort to increase gate receipts.[10] Phillips made the first score.[10]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), Brong (left tackle), Harper (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), L. Kirby-Smith (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Colmore (left halfback), E. Kirby Smith (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[10]

Nashville

Sewanee defeated the Nashville Garnet and Blue 6–0. In 1903, Wreidt, the team's coach, resigned and Nashville football was threatened with its end, but it survived for a few more years.[11]

Tennessee

Tennessee was beaten 17–0.

Vanderbilt

Sewanee at Vanderbilt
1 2Total
Sewanee 0 5 5
• Vanderbilt 5 5 10

Sewanee was defeated by rival Vanderbilt, 10–5, the first team to even score on the Tigers. Sewanee was crippled in the first half by the loss of Stewart, who fractured his ankle in a scrimmage before the game. He tried to play through it, but had to be helped off the field.[12] John J. Tigert, later a prominent educator, got Vanderbilt's first touchdown.[12] Sewanee tied the score with a touchdown in the second half. Later, Vanderbilt had the ball at the 4-yard line third down. "As great a stand of a football elevve was that of Sewaee before Vanderbilt's winning touchdown was made."[12] On third down from the 1-yard line the center Perry fell on a fumble. Sewanee protested that the runner was down, but Vanderbilt was awarded the touchdown.[12] "Vanderbilt, in fact all Nashville, is wild with joy tonight. Sewanee is looking forward to next Thanksgiving."[12]

The starting lineup was Wheless (left end), Brong (left tackle), Harper (left guard), Watkins (center), Phillips (right guard), E. Kirby-Smith (right tackle), Jones (right end), Scarbrough (quarterback), Sawrie (left halfback), Colmore (right halfback), Stewart (fullback).[12]

Players

Varsity lettermen

Line

Player Position Games
started		 Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age
J. L. Brongtackle
Emile Harperguard
J. W. Jonesend
Joseph Lee Kirby-SmithtackleSewanee, Tennessee15621
Ephraim Kirby-SmithtackleSewanee, Tennessee15619
Henry D. Phillipsguard6'4"18521
Miles Watkinscenter
Wesley E. Whelessend

Backfield

Player Position Games
started		 Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age
John ScarbroughquarterbackRockdale, Texas13518
Rupert ColmorehalfbackSewanee, Tennessee15520
Nate Sawrieback
W. Meacham Stewartback

Subs

Player Position Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age
G. A. Blount
Robert Bostrom
Roland Crownover
William Poyner
J. W. Price
I. J. Rosebrough
John Schaffer
Henry Sneed
David Wettlin

References

  1. ↑ "Sewanee is the winner, University of the South runs up big score on Tennessee Medical". The Courier-Journal. October 25, 1903. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Sewanee 47, Auburn 0". Tuscaloosa Times-Gazette. November 1, 1903. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Sewanee beats Alabama by the score of 23 to 0". The Birmingham News. November 3, 1903. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Close call for Sewanee, University of Nashville held South's eleven 0 to 6". The Journal and Tribune. November 8, 1903. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Sewanee wins again". The Chattanooga Daily News. November 15, 1903. Retrieved August 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "1903 Sewanee Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  7. 1 2 "The Varsity Triumphs Over Cumberland". Sewanee Purple. Vol. 20, no. 8. October 27, 1903. hdl:11005/766.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Auburn Was Pie For The Purple". The Atlanta Constitution. November 13, 1905. p. 4. Retrieved May 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ↑ "Alabama vs Sewanee". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ↑ "America's Lost Colleges".
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Commodores Win From Old Rivals". Atlanta Constitution. November 27, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved May 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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