1901 Columbia Blue and White football team

The 1901 Columbia Blue and White football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University as an independent during the 1901 college football season. In its third and final season under head coach George Sanford, the team compiled an 8–5 record and outscored opponents by a total of 158 to 91.[1][2] Chauncey L. Berrien was the team captain.[2]

1901 Columbia Blue and White football
ConferenceIndependent
Record8–5
Head coach
CaptainChauncey L. Berrien
Home stadiumPolo Grounds
1901 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Harvard   –  12 –0 –0
Yale   –  11 –1 –1
Cornell   –  11 –1 –0
Dartmouth   –  10 –1 –0
Massachusetts   –  9 –1 –0
Princeton   –  9 –1 –1
Syracuse   –  7 –1 –0
Holy Cross   –  7 –1 –1
Geneva   –  6 –1 –1
Army   –  5 –1 –2
Western U. of Penn   –  7 –2 –1
Lafayette   –  9 –3 –0
Swarthmore   –  8 –2 –2
Washington & Jefferson   –  6 –2 –2
Frankin & Marshall   –  7 –3 –1
Penn   –  10 –5 –0
Buffalo   –  4 –2 –0
Columbia   –  8 –5 –0
Fordham   –  2 –1 –1
Penn State   –  5 –3 –0
Bucknell   –  6 –4 –0
Pittsburgh College   –  3 –2 –0
Temple   –  3 –2 –0
NYU   –  4 –3 –1
Tufts   –  6 –6 –1
Vermont   –  5 –5 –1
Dickinson   –  3 –4 –0
Carlisle   –  5 –7 –1
Brown   –  4 –7 –1
Villanova   –  2 –3 –0
Drexel   –  2 –5 –1
Colgate   –  2 –5 –0
Boston College   –  1 –8 –0
Lehigh   –  1 –11 –0
New Hampshire   –  0 –6 –0
Rutgers   –  0 –7 –0

Two Columbia backs were selected as first-team players on the 1901 All-America team: Harold Weekes (from Walter Camp) and Bill Morley (from Caspar Whitney). Berrien and Richard Shore Smith also played in the backfield.[3][4]

Before the season

In its October 1901 preview of the college football season, Harper's Weekly opined: "In Weekes, Morley, and Berrien, Columbia has a trio that is equalled by no other college this year."[5]

Columbia's sports teams were commonly called the "Blue and White" in this era, but had no official nickname. The name "Lions" would not be adopted until 1910.[6]

The team played its home games at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan.

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 283:00 p.m.at Buffalo
L 0–57,000–8,000[7][8]
October 2at Rutgers
W 27–0[9]
October 5Williams
W 5–0[10]
October 12at Harvard
L 0–18[11]
October 19Hamilton
  • Polo Grounds
  • New York, NY
W 12–0[12]
October 26at Yale
L 5–10[13]
October 30Haverford
  • Polo Grounds
  • New York, NY
W 29–6[14]
November 2Penn
  • Polo Grounds
  • New York, NY
W 11–0[15]
November 5Georgetown
  • Polo Grounds
  • New York, NY
W 18–0[16]
November 9Syracuse
  • Polo Grounds
  • New York, NY
L 5–11[17]
November 16Cornell
L 0–24[18]
November 20at Navy
W 6–5[19]
November 28Carlisle
  • Polo Grounds
  • New York, NY
W 40–125,000[20]

Season summary

Preseason

Morley resigned as captain and Chauncey L. Berrien took his place.[21]

Week 1: at Buffalo

On the eve of the first game with Buffalo, the faculty announced a number of leading players were forbidden to play.[5]

Week 4: at Harvard

In "the first big football battle of the season," Columbia lost to Harvard 18 to 0. Captain Berrien had been prevented from playing by Columbia faculty.[5]

Week 6: at Yale

Columbia gave Yale one of its hardest games of the season in a 10 to 5 loss, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the first half.[5]

Week 8: Penn

Columbia defeated Penn 10 to 0, its first victory over Penn since the school instituted a coaching system, and its second ever.[22]

Week 13: Carlisle
Carlisle at Columbia
1 2Total
Carlisle 0 12 12
• Columbia 17 23 40

Columbia rolled up its largest score of the season, defeating the Carlisle Indians 40 to 12. It was 40 to 0 until the final five minutes.[23][24] Starring in the contest was Columbia's backfield of Bill Morley, Harold Weekes, Richard Shore Smith, and Chauncey L. Berrien.

Postseason

In his review of the 1901 football season, Charles Edward Patterson wrote: "Morley, stocky, muscular, not to be denied his two yards help or no help (and three times two means six, or a first down, you know!) able to repeat indefinitely, the best interferer in present day football, a forty yard punter and a drop-kicker who can actually score."[25]

Morley took over as the team's head coach the following year.

Players

Line
  • Edward Bright Bruce, tackle

Backfield
Morley, Weekes, and Berrien.
Player Position
Chauncey L. Berrienfullback
Bill Morleyquarterback
Richard Shore Smithhalfback
Harold Weekeshalfback

Subs
  • H. Van. Hoevenberg, quarterback

[26][27]

References
  1. "1901 Columbia Lions Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  2. "Columbia Football 2018 Record Book" (PDF). Columbia University. 2018. p. 197 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "All-America Team of 1901". Spalding's Football Guide: 47. 1902. Retrieved March 8, 2015 – via Google books. open access
  4. Caspar Whitney (1902). "The Sportsman's View-Point" (PDF). Outing. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  5. "Football - The Season of 1901". Harper's Weekly. 45: 1062, 1086, 1134. 1901.
  6. "How Columbia Became the Lions". Columbia Football 2019 Record Book. New York, N.Y.: Columbia University. p. 238. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  7. "Football At 3 0'clock". The Buffalo Times. Buffalo, New York. September 28, 1901. p. 1. Retrieved April 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  8. "U. of B. Didn't Allow Columbia to Score". Buffalo Sunday Times. September 29, 1901. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Columbia's Eleven Won: Blue and White Football Team Defeat Rutgers at New Brunswick". The New York Times. October 3, 1901. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Columbia Narrowly Escapes Defeat at the Hands of Williams". The New York Times. October 6, 1901. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Crimson Line In No Danger: Harvard Beats Columbia 18 to 0". The Boston Globe. October 13, 1901. pp. 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Columbia Beat Hamilton". The New York Times. October 20, 1901. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Columbia Surprises Yale Football Team". The New York Times. October 27, 1901. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Football: Columbia Defeats Haverford Without Trouble at the Polo Grounds". New York Daily Tribune. October 31, 1901. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Columbia's Triumph: The Blue and White Wins From Pennsylvania by 11 to 0 -- Weeks Makes Both Touchdowns". New York Daily Tribune. November 3, 1901. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Football: Columbia Defeats Georgetown In Rather Easy Fashion". New York Daily Tribune. November 6, 1901. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Syracuse The Victor: Little Fellows From Up The State Play Aggressively And Defeat Columbia". New York Daily Tribune. November 10, 1901. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Columbia Outplayed by Cornell on the Polo Grounds". The New York Times. November 17, 1901. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Columbia, 6; Annapolis, 5". The Baltimore Sun. November 21, 1901. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Columbia Beats Indians: Carlisle School Football Team Scores in Sensational Plays". The New York Times. November 29, 1901. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Football Captain Elected". Columbia Daily Spectator. Vol. 44, no. 47. April 12, 1901.
  22. "Penn Football:Origins to 1901". Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  23. "Carlisle Indians Lose". San Francisco Call. Vol. 90, no. 182. November 29, 1901.
  24. "Columbia, 40 - Carlisle 12". Columbia Daily Spectator. Vol. 45, no. 16. December 3, 1901.
  25. "Review of the Football Season" (PDF). Outing. January 1902. p. 501. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  26. Hammond, John E. (2009). "Village Life". Oyster Bay. Arcadia Publishing. p. 51.
  27. "Team Statistics". Columbia Daily Spectator. Vol. 45, no. 16. December 3, 1901.
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