Moments in College Football History

The Greatest Team Ever?

If someone asked you which college football team was the greatest ever, what would you say?

Army in 1945? Oklahoma in 1956? Alabama in 1961? Nebraska in 1971? USC in 1972?

What about Sewanee in 1899? They would get my vote.

A small Episcopal college located in the mountains of Tennessee about 50 miles west of Chattanooga, Sewanee, The University of the South began playing football in 1891. Having adopted royal purple as their color, "the Purple" (they later became the Tigers) may have been nursing an inferiority complex.

The 1899 squad thought they had something special, and set out to prove it to anyone who would pay attention.

Bear in mind this was back in the day when less scrupulous schools would pad their rosters with players who rarely attended class, or, in some cases, with players who never even enrolled.

But this Sewanee squad was rather unique. When they boarded a train for the Greatest Road Trip Ever, the 21 man roster included 4 theological students, 4 medical students and 5 law students.

Along with their coach, Billy Sutter, a student manager named Luke Lea, and a trainer, they traveled 2500 miles by rail, and played 5 games in 6 days.

Here are the results:

Nov. 9 (Thursday) at Austin.............Sewanee 12 Texas 0
Nov. 10 (Friday) at Houston.............Sewanee 10 Texas A&M 0
Nov. 11 (Saturday) at New Orleans.....Sewanee 23 Tulane 0
Nov. 13 (Monday) at Baton Rouge......Sewanee 34 LSU 0
Nov. 14 (Tuesday) at Memphis.........Sewanee 12 Ole Miss 0

They won all 5 games, against some of the most respected teams of the time, and didn't surrender a single point.

The 1899 Sewanee Purple went on to finish 12-0, and just to pad their resume, they also beat Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Auburn and North Carolina.

Sewanee eventually joined the Southeastern Conference as a charter member in 1932, but, by then, had chosen to emphasize academics over athletics. They never won a game in the new league, and withdrew in 1940.

While they still compete in Division III (non-scholarship) football, they are most proud of the 25 Rhodes Scholars and dozens of Fulbright Scholars that have wandered their halls.

But when anyone asks me which was the greatest college football team of all time, there is no doubt in my mind.

Sewanee in 1899.