Centre Is The Top Ranked Team From 1919-1924
Let's summarize what Centre accomplished in the eight years, 1917-1924. Overall, the college won 58, lost 8, and tied 2 games.
1917 7-1-0
1918 4-0-0
1919 9-0-0
1920 8-2-0
1921 10-1-0
1922 8-2-0
1923 7-1-1
1924 5-1-1
TOTAL 58-8-2
During those 68 games, Centre had scored 2321 points while giving up only 244. The average score was 34.1 to 3.6.
The Colonels shut out their opponents 43 times. Only 6 times did they allow a team to score in double figures.
Of the 68 games, 28 were played in Danville. The other 40 were played in 26 cities in 15 states.
SITES OF CENTRE'S GAMES 1917-1924
Danville, Ky. 28
Lexington, Ky. 6
Louisville, Ky. 5
Birmingham, Al. 4
Cambridge, Ma. 3
Greencastle, In.
Maryville, Tn.
Winchester, Ky.
Chattanooga, Tn.
Bloomington, In.
Charlottesville, Va.
Charleston, W.Va.
Georgetown, Ky.
Atlanta, Ga.
Indianapolis, In.
Fort Worth, Tx.
Cincinnati, Oh.
New Orleans, La.
San Diego, Ca.
Dallas, Tx.
Clemson, S.C.
Richmond, Va.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Memphis, Tn.
Athens, Ga.
New York, N.Y.
Knoxville, Tn.
Bo McMillin, Red Weaver and Red Roberts were Walter Camp, first team, All-American selections, and their designation began to establish in the public's mind that even "minor," or small schools, had talent that needed to be recognized.
Numerous Colonels had been consensus, All-Southern team members.
Despite unfounded accusations, Centre's players had excelled not only on the gridiron, but also in the classroom. Of the 18 members of the Omicron Delta Kappa honorary leadership society listed in the 1925 Old Centre yearbook, seven had played football: Herb Covington, Minos Gordy, Howard Lynch, Howard Robertson, Walter Skidmore, Case Thomasson, and Robert Wallace.
The seven "Immortals" all graduated with their class.
The comment was made in the beginning of this book that from 1919 through 1924, the years following the Great War, Centre had the top football program in the country. Naturally, it is time to make the case for that claim.
James Howell of Baltimore, Maryland, has devised a method to establish "Power Ratings" for college football programs dating back to 1869, the year of the first football game between Princeton and Rutgers. His system and site are known as "the ultimate argument settler" regarding the strength of football teams throughout the years.
To see how Mr. Howells' system works, you can log onto: http//www.jhowell.net and then click on "College Football Power Ratings." His system includes;
( 1 ) Head to Head Results of Teams
( 2 ) Strength of Schedule
( 3 ) Other Criteria: Performance, Improvement, and Common Opponents
Mr. Howell ranked the teams for each of the years, and we are concerned with the 1919-24 rankings. If Centre had the 7th strongest power ranking for 1919, as it had, then we would consider that according to this computerized system, Centre was the 7th best team in the country for that year.
Below, you'll see how Centre ranked during the six years in question, 1919-24.
1919 CENTRE # 7
1920 CENTRE # 13
1921 CENTRE # 2
1922 CENTRE # 6
1923 CENTRE # 7
1924 CENTRE # 8
The average for the period is 7.17.
Notre Dame had the following rank based on Mr. Howell's power ratings.
1919 NOTRE DAME # 11
1920 NOTRE DAME # 11
1921 NOTRE DAME # 11
1922 NOTRE DAME # 9
1923 NOTRE DAME # 10
1924 NOTRE DAME # 1
The average for the period is 8.83.
The lower the numerical power rating was, the higher the ranking for the team. Centre College, the little school in Danville, Kentucky, edges out Knute Rockne's Notre Dame Irish by a slight margin.
The top 30 teams during 1919-1924, determined by their rounded off, average power ratings, were:
( 1 ) Centre 7.2
( 2 ) Notre Dame 8.8
( 3 ) Vanderbilt 14.1
( 4 ) California 15.3
( 5 ) Syracuse 15.8
( 6 ) Georgia Tech 16.3
( 6 ) Alabama 16.3
( 8 ) Penn State 16.8
( 9 ) Georgia 17.5
(10) West Virginia 19.2
(11) Yale 20.7
(11) Pittsburgh 20.7
(13) Texas 22.6
(14) Dartmouth 24.2
(15) Nebraska 24.8
(16) Auburn 25.5
(17) Furman 26.3
(18) Texas A&M 27.0
(19) Wash. & Jeff. 27.8
(20) VMI 29.0
(21) Wash.& Lee 30.3
(22) Iowa 32.8
(23) Harvard 33.3
(24) Pennsylvania 34.5
(25) Virginia Tech 37.5
(26) Missouri 38.0
(26) Illinois 38.0
(28) Chicago 39.5
(29) Tulane 39.7
(30) Navy 39.8
During the 1919-24 time frame, Centre played 11 teams in the "Top 30," power ratings a total of 21 games, winning 13, losing 7, and tying 1.
TEAM TIMES PLAYED RECORD
Harvard 3 1-2
Auburn 3 2-1
Virginia Tech 3 3-0
Wash.& Lee 3 3-0
Georgia 2 1-0-1
West Virginia 2 1-1
Georgia Tech 1 0-1
Pennsylvania 1 0-1
Texas A&M 1 0-1
Tulane 1 1-0
Alabama 1 1-0
Totals 21 13-7-1
Of Centre's 21 games, only 2 were played in Danville ( VPI in 1921 and Georgia in 1924 ), proving once again that in order to play teams with football prowess, the Colonels had to go on the road.
Notre Dame played 10 games against 3 teams in the "Top 30," and compiled a 7-3 record. Of the 10 games, 6 were with Nebraska. Four of the 10 games were in South Bend.
TEAM TIMES PLAYED RECORD
Nebraska 6 4-2
Georgia Tech 3 3-0
Iowa 1 0-1
Totals 10 7-3
Any rating system is bound to provoke some controversy, even as those also do in the modern era. However, in averaging James Howell's yearly power ratings from 1919-24, Centre was the top team in the country during the 6 year span.
You can argue far into the night about the "best team" in college football during the period of the post-World War I years. No matter. It would seem to be without dispute that the Centre College "Crying, Praying Colonels" were the most unlikely and most colorful group of young men to ever reach the pinnacle of the great game of college football.
Of that, there should be no argument.