1922 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Encyclopedia
The 1922 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1922 college football season
. The team was coached by Fred Dawson
and played their home games at Nebraska Field
in Lincoln, Nebraska
.
South Dakota served as Nebraska's tune up game of the season, and the Coyotes were easily brushed aside with no points as the Cornhuskers cruised and looked ahead to the homecoming game coming up in two weeks. South Dakota's record against Nebraska fell to 1-7-2.
Missouri was supposed to be a worthy foe according to some pregame press, but the Cornhuskers rolled up their opponent for the second game in a row, holding the Tigers to just 17 total yards on the day, while playing virtually error-free in the conference opener. Missouri fell further behind in the series as Nebraska began to pull out of sight by leading 13-3.
High winds and high heat complicated matters during Nebraska's first ever trip to Norman, but the outcome was familiar for Nebraska as the Sooners were defeated on their own home field, the 8th straight win for the Cornhuskers going back into the previous season. Oklahoma found itself farther behind in the series 0-3-1.
Iowa State presented no challenge to Nebraska whatsoever, scoring only once on a fast passing play in the second quarter. The six points from that touchdown were swept aside in the flurry of scoring put up by the Cornhuskers, who scored only five minutes into the game and ultimately found the end zone eight times. Nebraska improved their commanding lead over Iowa State, 14-4-1. As one of the only two undefeated teams in conference play, but with one more win than fellow undefeated Drake, this win secured Nebraska's second consecutive league title.
's Fighting Irish, featuring rising stars Harry Stuhldreher
, Don Miller
, Jim Crowley
, and Elmer Layden
, who would later be known as the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame
in coming years. The Cornhuskers were not going to be stopped on this day, and continually gashed Notre Dame for big plays to go up 14-0 by halftime. The Fighting Irish figured out how to stop Nebraska, but could not come up with the matching points. After getting their first 6, Notre Dame drew close again, reaching the Nebraska 2-yard line before a 4th-down 10-yard sack turned them away. Yet another scoring drive culminated in the Irish halfback breaking loose a big run that looked like it would go in, but the ball was lost to a fumble and Notre Dame never seriously threatened to score again. This was the first of only two losses the Four Horsemen would experience in their entire college football careers. Best was granted his wish for a win, and Nebraska closed the series gap by pulling within 3-4-1 against Notre Dame all time.
The season ended in triumph with the emotional Thanksgiving Day win over Notre Dame in Lincoln, but sorrow followed not long after when Jack Best, the only trainer the program had ever known, died less than two months after watching the epic defeat of the Fighting Irish in Nebraska Field's grand finale.
1922 college football season
The 1922 college football season had a number of unbeaten and untied teams, and no clear-cut champion. Three different "retro polls", taken years later and based on opinions drawn from historical research, reached different conclusions...
. The team was coached by Fred Dawson
Fred Dawson
-References:...
and played their home games at Nebraska Field
Nebraska Field
Nebraska Field hosted the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team beginning in 1909 until it was replaced with the new Memorial Stadium, which was built in the same location and opened for the 1923 Nebraska football season...
in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
Before the season
Now permitted three weeks of pre-season practice, the league champion Cornhuskers prepared under second-year coach Dawson to attempt to repeat as champs. Plans were in motion to build a new playing field and stadium for Nebraska, and this would be the final season of games played on Nebraska Field. Longtime trainer Jack Best, who had been with the program since its very beginning in 1890 through all of the coaching turnovers, was in declining health but came back for the season to help ready his beloved Cornhuskers.Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 7* | South Dakota | Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
W 66-0 | - |
| October 21† | Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 48-0 | - | |
| October 28 | at Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the... |
W 39-7 | - |
| November 4* | at | Archbold Stadium Archbold Stadium Archbold Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Syracuse, New York. It opened in 1907 and was home to the Syracuse University Orangemen football team prior to the Carrier Dome opening in 1980. It was the third concrete football stadium built in the country.... • Syracuse, New York Syracuse, New York Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603... |
L 6-9 | - |
| November 11 | at | Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County... |
W 28-0 | - |
| November 18 | Kansas State 1922 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1922 Kansas State Agricultural College Wildcats football team represented Kansas State Agricultural College in the college football season of 1922. 1922 saw the Wildcats finish with a record of 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties, and a 3-1-2 record in Missouri Valley Conference play.The team's head... |
Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 21-0 | - |
| November 25 | Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 54-6 | - | |
| November 30* | Nebraska Field • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 14-6 | 16,000 | |
| *Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming | ||||
Roster
Bassett, Henry (Jr.) T Berquist, Joy (Jr.) RG Dewitz, Herbert (Jr.) HB Dewitz, Rufus (So.) HB Hartley, Harold HB Hartman, Cecil (Jr.) FB House, Gordon (Jr.) C Hoy, George (Sr.) HB Klemke, George (So.) E Lewellen, Verne (Jr.) QB McAllister, Eugene (So.) E McGlasson, Ross (Jr.) T Nixon, Bryan (Jr.) G Noble, Dave (Jr.) HB Peterson, Carl (Jr.) C Preston, Glen (Jr.) QB Russell, Robert (Sr.) QB Scherer, Leo (Sr.) E Schoeppel, Andrew (Sr.) E Thomsen, Fred (Jr.) E Weller, Raymond (Sr.) T Wenke, Adolph (Sr.) G |
||||||
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | First year in this position |
Years at Nebraska | Alma Mater |
| Fred Dawson Fred Dawson -References:... |
|Head Coach | 1921 | 1921–1924 | Princeton Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution.... |
| Jack Best | |Trainer | 1890 | 1890–1922 | |
| Henry Schulte Henry Schulte Henry Frank Schulte was an American football player and coach and also a college track and field coach... |
|Lineman Coach | 1921 | 1919–1924, 1931–1937 | Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| Owen Frank | |Backfield Coach | 1921 | 1921–1925 | Nebraska |
| Bill Day | |Centers Coach | 1921 | 1921–1925, 1928–1931 | Nebraska |
| Clarence Swanson Clarence Swanson Clarence Swanson was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.... |
|Ends Coach | 1922 | 1922 | Nebraska |
| Farley Young | |Freshmen Coach | 1921 | 1921–1922 | Nebraska |
South Dakota
|
South Dakota served as Nebraska's tune up game of the season, and the Coyotes were easily brushed aside with no points as the Cornhuskers cruised and looked ahead to the homecoming game coming up in two weeks. South Dakota's record against Nebraska fell to 1-7-2.
Missouri
|
Missouri was supposed to be a worthy foe according to some pregame press, but the Cornhuskers rolled up their opponent for the second game in a row, holding the Tigers to just 17 total yards on the day, while playing virtually error-free in the conference opener. Missouri fell further behind in the series as Nebraska began to pull out of sight by leading 13-3.
Oklahoma
|
High winds and high heat complicated matters during Nebraska's first ever trip to Norman, but the outcome was familiar for Nebraska as the Sooners were defeated on their own home field, the 8th straight win for the Cornhuskers going back into the previous season. Oklahoma found itself farther behind in the series 0-3-1.
Syracuse
Nebraska journeyed east again to take on Syracuse as the season's signature eastern game. Coming into the game, the Cornhuskers were feeling confident after three straight wins by a combined margin of 143-7. Playing in muddy conditions unfavorable to the Nebraska game plan, with both teams suffering from miscues, fumbles and penalties, the Orangemen ultimately stunned the Cornhuskers with a late touchdown to go up 9-6 before the final whistle, moving ahead in the series 2-1.Kansas
Kansas brought the Cornhuskers to Lawrence to play in their new Memorial Stadium, but Nebraska ruined that game day for the stadium's first season, as the Jayhawks were completely shut down and shut out. Nebraska scored slowly in the first half before blowing it open in the 4th quarter, with the final score coming from backup players giving the starters a rest. Kansas fell farther behind Nebraska in the series, 9-19-1.Kansas State
It was a battle of offensive philosophies in Lincoln, as Kansas State brought in a prolific passing attack, daring the Cornhuskers to stop them. Stop them they did, though, time after time as the Aggies drew in for a score, they were turned away. Meanwhile, the Nebraska running game pounded without stop, eventually putting up 21 points, as Kansas State finished without any points in a second consecutive Nebraska shutout win, their fourth of the year. Nebraska extended their domination over the Aggies by moving to 7-0 all time against them.Iowa State
|
Iowa State presented no challenge to Nebraska whatsoever, scoring only once on a fast passing play in the second quarter. The six points from that touchdown were swept aside in the flurry of scoring put up by the Cornhuskers, who scored only five minutes into the game and ultimately found the end zone eight times. Nebraska improved their commanding lead over Iowa State, 14-4-1. As one of the only two undefeated teams in conference play, but with one more win than fellow undefeated Drake, this win secured Nebraska's second consecutive league title.
Notre Dame
Trainer Jack Best, now nearly incapacitated and his health failing at the age of 77, was carried wrapped in blankets from his Grant Hall office to a taxi for the trip to Nebraska Field, and then carried to the Nebraska locker room before the game. Best told the young men that this game would be the last one he would see, and that he wanted a win. Tears were on the players' faces as they emerged onto the field amidst a crowd chanting in honor of Best, to face Knute RockneKnute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
's Fighting Irish, featuring rising stars Harry Stuhldreher
Harry Stuhldreher
Harry Augustus Stuhldreher was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-American and member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
, Don Miller
Don Miller (football)
Don "Midnight" Miller was an American football player and coach. He was one of the famous "Four Horsemen" of the University of Notre Dame's backfield in 1924. Miller was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.Miller's three brothers attended Notre Dame before him...
, Jim Crowley
Jim Crowley
James Harold "Jim" Crowley was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback from 1922 to 1924. After a brief career as a professional football player, Crowley turned to coaching...
, and Elmer Layden
Elmer Layden
Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
, who would later be known as the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame
Four Horsemen (football)
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team...
in coming years. The Cornhuskers were not going to be stopped on this day, and continually gashed Notre Dame for big plays to go up 14-0 by halftime. The Fighting Irish figured out how to stop Nebraska, but could not come up with the matching points. After getting their first 6, Notre Dame drew close again, reaching the Nebraska 2-yard line before a 4th-down 10-yard sack turned them away. Yet another scoring drive culminated in the Irish halfback breaking loose a big run that looked like it would go in, but the ball was lost to a fumble and Notre Dame never seriously threatened to score again. This was the first of only two losses the Four Horsemen would experience in their entire college football careers. Best was granted his wish for a win, and Nebraska closed the series gap by pulling within 3-4-1 against Notre Dame all time.
After the season
Coach Dawson's second year record was a success, matching his first with just a single defeat on the record. His overall career record with the Cornhuskers advanced to 14-2-0 (.875), the program's overall record improved to 188-62-15 (.738), and the program's conference record improved to 32-3-2 (.892).The season ended in triumph with the emotional Thanksgiving Day win over Notre Dame in Lincoln, but sorrow followed not long after when Jack Best, the only trainer the program had ever known, died less than two months after watching the epic defeat of the Fighting Irish in Nebraska Field's grand finale.