1919 Centre Praying Colonels football team

Schedule

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A game with was scheduled for October 11 but never played due to Maryville injuries.

Before the season

Five Centre regulars were natives of Fort Worth, Texas, namely captain and quarterback Bo McMillin, and linemen Bill James, Sully Montgomery, Matty Bell, and Red Weaver. They were accused of being professionals, but the charges were rebuked by season's end. According to one author, "Without Bo it would not be a Centre team." Centre's linemen were known as the "Seven Mustangs".

Former Centre player and North Side High School head coach Robert L. Myers was to bring McMillin, Weaver, and the above teammates to Centre. However, McMillin and Weaver did not have sufficient credits to enter college, and thus entered Somerset High School for the 1916-17 year, playing with Red Roberts.

Game summaries

Week 1: Hanover

Danville, KY

• Sources: On opening day, Centre swamped , 95–0. Eight different players scored. Roberts was shifted from fullback to tackle, and played well.

The starting lineup was King (left end), Roberts (left tackle), Montgomery (left guard), Bell (center), Van Antwerp (right guard), Coleman (right tackle), Whitnell (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Murphy (left halfback), Davis (right halfback), Diddle (fullback).

Week 2: at Indiana

Bloomington, IN

• Sources: Centre beat Indiana, 12–3. Indiana was up 3–0 with 2:20 left in the game, when Centre started its comeback victory. McMillin and Roberts worked it towards the goal, Roberts going over. Indiana was then desperate to even the score, and McMillin intercepted a pass, and returned it for a touchdown, dodging and straight arming the entire Indiana eleven. Indiana's three points came early in the first period, when its quarterback, Mathys, made a 35-yard drop kick.

The starting lineup was Whitnell (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Garrett (center), Coleman (right guard), James (right tackle), McCullom (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Bittle (left halfback), Davis (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

Week 3: St. Xavier

Danville, KY

• Sources: The Colonels beat St. Xavier, 57–0. The field was in poor condition due to heavy rains from the past week. Xavier never crossed Centre's 30-yard line. McMillin twice connected with Armstrong for 80-yard forward passes. McMillin also had four runs of greater than 50 yards. Roberts's punts averaged 60 yards in the second half.

The starting lineup was Bell (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Weaver (center), Ford (right guard), James (right tackle), King (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Armstrong (left halfback), Davis (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

Week 4: at Transylvania

• Sources: In the fourth week of play, the Colonels beat , 69–0. Transylvania's Milton broken several bones in his foot the week previous. Davis and McMillin each scored three touchdowns.

The starting lineup was King (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Weaver (center), Cregor (right guard), James (right tackle), Bell (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Armstrong (left halfback), Davis (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

Week 5: at Virginia

Charlottesville, VA

• Sources: Centre's backfield starred and smashed the Virginia Orange and Blue, 49–7 in the mud. Joe Murphy had a 75-yard touchdown run. Soon after, McMillin went 70 yards for a touchdown. Kuyk scored Virginia's points.

The starting lineup was Bell (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Weaver (center), Cregor (right guard), James (right tackle), Snoddy (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Armstrong (left halfback), Davis (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

Week 6: at West Virginia

• Sources: The sixth week of play brought the highlight of the season — a 14–6 comeback win over West Virginia, a team which beaten Eastern power Princeton the week before, and had the nation's leading scorer Ira Rodgers. McMillin had the team pray before the game, forever giving the Centre College Colonels its alternate moniker of "Praying Colonels."

Rodgers came out passing and West Virginia scores first early when he bucked it over. Later, a 25-yard pass from McMillin to Terry Snoddy brought the ball near the goal. Roberts eventually scored. Centre had another touchdown drive in the last quarter, ending in McMillin sidestepping for a touchdown. Murphy was in a flimsy track suit and track shoes.

The starting lineup was Bell (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Weaver (center), Cregor (right guard), Jones (right tackle), Snoddy (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Davis (left halfback), Armstrong (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

Week 7: Kentucky

Danville, KY

• Sources: With a large crowd at home on Cheek Field, the Colonels beat rival Kentucky, 56–0, giving the Wildcats their worst loss on the season. Roberts had three touchdowns.

The starting lineup was Bell (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Weaver (center), Cregor (right guard), James (right tackle), Snoddy (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Davis (left halfback), Armstrong (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

Week 8: vs. DePauw

• Sources: The Colonels defeated the in Louisville 56–0. McMillin's passes "aroused the wonderment of the crowd." The first touchdown came on an 18-yard pass to Army Armstrong.

The starting lineup was Bell (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Weaver (center), Cregor (right guard), James (right tackle), Snoddy (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Armstrong (left halfback), Davis (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

Week 9: at Georgetown

• Sources: Centre rolled up a 77–7 score on the . Georgetown's one score came off a 65-yard fumble return. Weaver made 11 straight extra points.

The starting lineup was Bell (left end), Montgomery (left tackle), Van Antwerp (left guard), Weaver (center), Cregor (right guard), James (right tackle), Snoddy (right end), McMillin (quarterback), Davis (left halfback), Armstrong (right halfback), Roberts (fullback).

After the season

Legacy

Red Weaver reportedly scored 46 extra point field goals in a row, though it was in fact 43, and held the NCAA record with a reported 99 consecutive points after touchdowns in the 1919 and 1920 seasons. Weaver was put at the placekicker position on an Associated Press Southeast Area All-Time football team 1869-1919 era.

The season brought national attention to the small town of Danville.

Awards and honors

Due to the dispute over professionalism, most writers picked Auburn as SIAA champion. The team was retroactively selected by Jeff Sagarin as the national champion for the 1919 season.

McMillin and Weaver were named to Walter Camp's first-team 1919 College Football All-America Team. Just the year before Bum Day was the first Southern player ever selected to Camp's first team – and Centre became the first school with two. Fullback and end Red Roberts was named to Camp's third team.

Players

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Centre's lineup during the 1919 season with games started at the position reflected in parentheses. The chart mimics a single wing on offense.

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Starters

Line

Backfield

Subs

Line

Backfield

Scoring leaders

The following is a list of statistics and scores, largely dependent on newspaper summaries.

References

References

1. (20 December 1919). "Boston Daily Globe Newspaper Archives, Dec 20, 1919, p. 21".
2. [http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/Centre.htm#1919 1919 Centre football scores] {{webarchive. link. (2000-09-28)
3. John Y. Brown, The Legend of the Praying Colonels, J. Marvin Gray & Associates, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky
4. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). (2015). "National Poll Rankings". NCAA.
5. (1919). "Centre College of Kentucky". School.
6. . ["Centre College Football Record (1910-1919)"](https://sc.centre.edu/sc/digital/football_1910.html). *[[Centre College]]*.
7. Fred Turbyville. (November 21, 1919). "Centre College Prays and Crys, Then Goes Out And Wins". New Castle Herald.
8. (December 9, 1919). "Charges Against Centre Men Are Considered Ridiculous". The Courier-Journal.
9. Charles A. Reinhart. (October 26, 1919). "Sport Review". The Courier-Journal.
10. Whitney Martin. (November 25, 1943). "Sarazen Loses Squire Title Sells Property". [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]].
11. "Red Weaver".
12. (September 28, 1919). "Centre Swamps Hanover". The Indianapolis Star.
13. (October 5, 1919). "Centre Downs Indiana In Last Two Minutes of Play". The Courier-Journal.
14. (October 19, 1919). "M'Millan and Co. win easily". The Lexington Herald.
15. "History of Football At Transylvania College".
16. (October 26, 1919). "Backfield of Centre Eleven Shows Class". The Lexington Herald.
17. (November 2, 1919). "Centre College Smashed Vaunted Virginia Eleven". The Courier-Journal.
18. Frank G. Weaver. (1919). "Come On, You Praying Kentuckians". Association Men.
19. (November 28, 1919). "Kentucky Colonels Have Phenomenal Record; Always Pray Before Battle". Arizona Daily Star.
20. (November 9, 1919). "Centre College Victorious Over West Virginia Team". The Courier-Journal.
21. (November 17, 1937). "It Really Happened In Football". Spartanburg Herald-Journal.
22. Sam H. McMeekin. (November 16, 1919). "Colonels Are Triumphant In Big Game At Danville". The Courier-Journal.
23. Sam H. McMeekin. (November 23, 1919). "Centre College Overwhelms Depauw Football Eleven". The Courier-Journal.
24. (November 28, 1919). "Colonels Romp Over Georgetown". The Courier-Journal.
25. (November 28, 1919). "How About This?". The Atlanta Constitution.
26. (October 24, 1920). "Detail Story of Stadium Game". Boston Post.
27. (December 24, 1920). "Kicks 90 Goals, "Red Weaver's Toe Stuff May Be Useless Next Year". The Wichita Beacon.
28. (July 27, 1969). "All-Time Football Team Lists Greats Of Past, Present". Gadsden Times.
29. (December 1, 1919). "Kentucky School Wins". The Dekaly Daily Chronicle.
30. (December 3, 1919). "The Centre College Football Squad". The Gazette Times.