A Forgotten First National Championship: The 1914 Army Football Team
By Mike Belter
()
About this ebook
See how the Army college football team was able to win all nine games during the 1914 season. Army decisively played and defeated teams from Rutgers, Colgate, Villanova, Notre Dame, Navy and others. The team was later named by the NCAA as one of three national college football champions for 1914. Bradley, Van Fleet, Stilwell and thirty other players and coaches later became General officers and fought in three major wars. Six players and coaches were later named to the National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame, including Tennessee's head football coach Bob Neyland and all-around athlete Ollie Oliphant.
The United States Military Academy at West Point (Army) had played college football since 1890, and never had an undefeated until its 25th season in 1914. Over 200 out of 600 Cadets turned out in early September for the football team, and Head Coach Charlie Daly selected sixty for the team. Between six days of classes, military drills and parades, and the dangers of learning to ride horses (a major cause of season-ending injuries), the Cadets practiced one or two hours late each day in order to play on Saturdays. This team won nine straight games, including handily defeating a Notre Dame team that had beat them 35-13 the season before and becoming the first favored team to win the Army-Navy game since 1905.
Follow how Army football started and the day to day activities of the 1914 season. See what happened to the 83 coaches and players after they hung up their cleats and became Army Officers, coaches, and presidents of companies and of the USA (Eisenhower was a Cadet coach during the 1914 season and spent his early military career coaching military football squads). They married and had families, some were killed or died on active duty, some lost loved ones early, and many achieved some remarkable accomplishments.
Mike Belter
Mike Belter is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He also holds graduate degrees from Ball State University and Syracuse University. Mike has worked many years for one of America’s largest electric utilities in a variety of roles. He is heavily involved in the Baldrige process, being a volunteer in the national Baldrige Performance Excellence Program; state/regional programs, the Alliance for Performance Excellence, and the Communities of Excellence program. Mike is a retired Army Officer, having served in active Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard units as a Finance Officer, Operations Research Analyst, Inspector General, and Comptroller. He served in Desert Shield at Norfolk Naval Base and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in Baghdad. Mike and his wife live in the Midwest with their pound-puppies and love to holiday in Bermuda.
Read more from Mike Belter
Army Bowl Games, Volume 2: 2011-2021 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArmy Bowl Games, Volume 1: 1890-2010 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Impossible Dream, Winning Again at West Point: Remembering the 1984 Army Football Season Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Black September: The 1977 Army Football Team Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCombat Zone Tourist: My 13 Months of Emails from the Sandbox Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Forgotten First National Championship
Related ebooks
Legends of the Hall: 1950s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProfiles of the Game: Really Good Stories from the Sports Pages Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWe Are the Giants!: The Oral History of the New York Giants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFootball Fields and Battlefields: The Story of Eight Army Football Players and their Heroic Service Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica's Game: The NFL at 100 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If You Can't Join 'Em, Beat 'Em Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVanderbilt Basketball: Tales of Commodore Hardwood History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Original San Francisco Giants: The Giants of '58 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Team That Time Won't Forget: The 1951 New York Giants: SABR Digital Library, #32 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouthern Fried Football (Revised): The History, Passion, and Glory of the Great Southern Game Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Packers, the Ice Bowl and the Memorable 1967 Season Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMoments of Joy and Heartbreak 66 Significant Episodes in the History of the Pittsburgh Pirates: SABR Digital Library, #46 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTom Brady, 3rd Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrojans 1972: an Immortal Team of Mortal Men Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhy I Love Baseball Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5High School Football in South Carolina: Palmetto Pigskin History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMr. Inside and Mr. Outside: World War II, Army's Undefeated Teams, and College Football's Greatest Backfield Duo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRay Christensen's Gopher Tales: Stories from all Eleven University of Minnesota's Men's Sports Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlue With Envy: My American Journey With Manchester City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTom Brady: Gridiron G.O.A.T. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Day in Philadelphia Sports Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree Rivers Stadium: A Confluence of Champions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistoric Photos of University of Georgia Football Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: New York Giants: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments from New York Giants History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEchoes of Cincinnati Reds Baseball: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEagles QBs A to Z Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Big 50: Boston Bruins: The Men and Moments that Made the Boston Bruins Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPro Football Upsets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Football For You
The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four Days to Glory: The Heart of America, Flat on Its Back Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantasy Football For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5College Football Schemes and Techniques: Offensive Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSwing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Explosive: Skills to Increase Your Speed to the Next Level Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCollege Football Schemes and Techniques Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety into Motivation and You Can Too Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Football For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5"America's Team" History of the Dallas Cowboys Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTropic of Football: The Long and Perilous Journey of Samoans to the NFL Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFantasy Football for Smart People: A Guide to Winning at Daily Fantasy Sports Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tao of Chip Kelly: Lessons from America's Most Innovative Coach Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beckham: Both Feet on the Ground: An Autobiography Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Jesus Calling Magazine Issue 13: Carlos and Alexa PenaVega Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Fix Is Still In: Corruption and Conspiracies the Pro Sports Leagues Don't Want You To Know About Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of the Pocket: Football, Fatherhood, and College GameDay Saturdays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uncommon Marriage Bible Study Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swagger: Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs—A Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Junction Boys: How Ten Days in Hell with Bear Bryant Forged a Champion Team Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before the Whistle: Football Coaching 101 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBoys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for A Forgotten First National Championship
0 ratings0 reviews