The 1908 LSU Tigers football team represented the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers (also known as the Fighting Tigers) are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiat ...

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

during the

1908 college football season The 1908 college football season ran from Saturday, September 19, to November 28. The 1908 Penn Quakers football team, Penn Quakers and the 1908 Harvard Crimson football team, Harvard Crimson each finished the season unbeaten but with one tied. ...

. The Tigers were coached by

Edgar Wingard Edgar Ramey Wingard (September 21, 1878 – July 31, 1927) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at seven different schools: Ohio Northern University (19 ...

and posted a perfect 10–0 record, outscoring opponents 442 to 11. The team played its home games at

State Field State Field was the home stadium of the Louisiana State University Tigers football team prior to 1924. The field was built on the old downtown campus of LSU. It was located east of the Pentagon Barracks and at the site of the current Louisiana ...

and competed as members of the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

(SIAA). Triple threat quarterback Doc Fenton led the nation in points scored. The Tigers were retro-picked as co- national champion by the

National Championship Foundation The National Championship Foundation (NCF) was established by Mike Riter of Hudson, New York. The NCF retroactively selected College_football_national_championships_in_NCAA_Division_I_FBS, college football national champions for each year from 1869 ...

, and the NCAA recognizes LSU as national champion for that season along with Penn. However, LSU does not officially recognize this season as a national championship season. The season was clouded by accusations of

professionalism Professionalism is a set of standards that an individual is expected to adhere to in a workplace, usually in order to appear serious, uniform, or respectful. What constitutes professionalism is hotly debated and varies from workplace to workplac ...

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880 – July 13, 1954) was an American sportswriter and poet known as the "Dean of American Sports Writers". He coined the famous phrase that it was not important whether you “won or lost, but how you playe ...

and

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

school

Tulane The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it be ...

. The SIAA conducted an investigation that cleared LSU of any wrongdoing, but since many publications voted for the SIAA champion prior to the conclusion of the investigation, they did not recognize LSU's title.

Before the season

In 1908, football used a

one-platoon system The one-platoon system, also known as "iron man football", is a platoon system, rule-driven substitution pattern in American football whereby the same players were expected to stay on the field for the entire game, playing both offense and defense ...

, with players featuring on offense, defense, and special teams. Also, the field was 110 yards in length, touchdowns were worth 5 points, and field goals earned 4 points. The team that scored a touchdown had the option to kickoff or receive. The

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for s ...

was also much fatter. The Tigers lost few players from the 1907 team and prospects were bright. Several members of the team came from Pennsylvania, including Doc Fenton, Mike Lally, John Seip, and coach

End End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

Rowson "Little" Stovall and

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Robert L. "Big" Stovall were brothers. Lally and Fenton had both previously played for Mansfield Normal School, and Lally was one of the best blockers for Fenton. One of Fenton's favorite plays was the "tackle over tackle" play. In this play, Fenton faked a

handoff In cellular telecommunications, handover, or handoff, is the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one channel connected to the core network to another channel. In satellite communications it is the process of transfe ...

to a back, then gave the ball to a tackle and led the blocking behind the other tackle. "Doc was the hub," recalled captain and tackle Marshall 'Cap' Gandy, "and we were the

spoke A spoke is one of some number of rods radiating from the center of a wheel (the hub where the axle connects), connecting the hub with the round traction surface. The term originally referred to portions of a log that had been riven (split ...

s." Fenton earned the reputation of doing everything well with a football.

Schedule

Game summaries

LSU opened the season with two warm-up games, one against the Young Men's Gymnastic Club and the other Jackson Barracks-New Orleans.

Y. M. G. C.

LSU beat

Tad Gormley Francis Thomas "Tad" Gormley (December 23, 1883 – December 5, 1965) was an American athletic trainer, coach and official. He was a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts and was the head of the New Orleans Gymnastics Club and Amateur Athletic Union ...

's Young Men's Gymnastic Club, winning 41–0. The starting lineup was: Seip (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Pollock (left guard), R. L. Stovall (center), Hillman (right guard), Noblett (right tackle), Fenton (right end), Gill (quarterback), Stovall (left halfback), C. Smith (right halfback), and Lally (fullback).

Jackson Barracks-New Orleans

LSU swamped the Jackson Barracks-New Orleans 81–5. Fenton was switched to

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, swapping places at

end End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

with Reuben Gill. One account reads: "In Lally and Fenton the University has a pair that can hardly be equaled. In the game Fenton showed that he has lost none of his ability to dodge, his swiftness as a runner, his power as a punter and kicker, and his cool hard work. ... The two work splendidly together." The soldiers at Jackson Barracks made the only touchdown scored all season on the Tigers, when their halfback Culligan picked up a fumble and ran it back 105 yards. Captain Gandy once had a 40-yard touchdown, and Lally had one score of 60 yards.

Texas A&M

The Tigers beat the

Texas A&M Aggies The Texas A&M Aggies are the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "wikt:aggie#Etymology 2, Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also simply referr ...

26–0 at Pelican Park in New Orleans in the rain. The Aggies once ran the wrong way. The first scoring drive was highlighted by a 14-yard pass from Fenton to Little Stovall, and ended with a Stovall touchdown run around left end. On LSU's second scoring drive, Lally had a 25-yard run, and Fenton eventually went around left end for the score. Before the half ended, Fenton kicked a 25-yard field goal from placement. LSU's next touchdown came on a fumble recovery by Willie Hillman. The final touchdown was the most exciting, as Mike Lally had a 40-yard touchdown run around right end. The starting lineup was: Gill (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Pollock (left guard), Hillman (center), Thomas (right guard), Noblett (right tackle), Stovall (right end), Fenton (quarterback), C. Smith (left halfback), Lally (right halfback), and B. Smith (fullback).

Southwestern Presbyterian

Southwestern Presbyterian (today known as Rhodes College) fell to LSU 55–0. SWPU did not make ten yards all day. The starting lineup was: Stovall (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Pollock (left guard), Hillman (center), Thomas (right guard), Noblett (right tackle), Gill (right end), Fenton (quarterback), C. Smith (left halfback), Lally (right halfback), and B. Smith (fullback).

Auburn

Undefeated LSU met undefeated Auburn for the top spot in the SIAA at the Auburn athletic field. LSU won 10–2, the only game it did not win by more than 20 points. Johnseip

The first touchdown came on a run from John Seip. Later in the half, Auburn's T. C. Locke blocked an LSU punt which was recovered by Fenton behind his own goal for a safety. According to one source, Fenton was knocked unconscious by a spectator's cane as he tried to get out of the

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on the opposite side of the field ...

. LSU made the second score using conventional football. "We won every game that fall except LSU," Auburn star Walker Reynolds told Clyde Bolton in 1973. "But LSU had a pro team." The starting lineup was: Stovall (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Hillman (left guard), R. L. Stovall (center), Thomas (right guard), Noblett (right tackle), Seip (right end), Fenton (quarterback), Tally (left halfback), C. Smith (right halfback), and B. Smith (fullback).

Mississippi A&M

LSU won easily over the Mississippi Aggies 50–0, using substitutes by the end of the game. The first score occurred after five and-a-half minutes had passed, Clarence Smith going through right tackle. LSU then scored a safety by tackling the Aggies punter. Seip then went around end for another touchdown. On the next drive, Seip went 20 yards on a cross play, Fenton hit Seip with a forward pass for 8 yards, and Bob Smith then scored on a trick play. Clarence Smith then got another touchdown, of 25 yards. The highlight of the game followed as Fenton had a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown. In the second half, Fenton went 30 yards for another touchdown on a return. Gill went around left end for another touchdown. Fenton went 40 yards for the next touchdown. The last touchdown came from Clarence Smith. Mikelally

The starting lineup was: Seip (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Hillman (left guard), R. L. Stovall (center), Pollock (right guard), Noblett (right tackle), Stovall (right end), Fenton (quarterback), C. Smith (left halfback), Lally (right halfback), and B. Smith (fullback).

Baylor

The Tigers romped 89–0 over Baylor, the second highest score in school history. The highlight of the contest was Mike Lally's 105-yard return for a touchdown. Pat Ryan also had a 75-yard touchdown run. After the game, Baylor's coach Enoch J. Mills said: "You have, without any doubt, the strongest team in the South by far. The playing of your team here was something wonderful. We were simply badly beaten. You could run up as large a score on Tulane as you did against us without any trouble." The starting lineup was: Stovall (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Pollock (left guard), R. L. Stovall (center), Hillman (right guard), Neblett (right tackle), Seip (right end), Fenton (quarterback), I. Smith (left halfback), Lally (right halfback), and C. Smith (fullback).

Haskell

LSU defeated the Haskell Indians, 32–0, outweighing the Indians and needing little strategy. Clarence Smith bucked the line for 15 yards and the first touchdown. Fenton later added a 30-yard field goal. In the second half, Gandy made a touchdown on the "tackle over tackle" play; Bob Smith made another. Clarence Smith made his second touchdown of the day around right end. The final score was a 32-yard end run by Mike Lally. The starting lineup was: Stovall (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Pollock (left guard), R. L. Stovall (center), Hillman (right guard), Neblett (right tackle), Seip (right end), Fenton (quarterback), C. Smith (left halfback), Lally (right halfback), and B. Smith (fullback).

Louisiana Industrial

The Tigers beat Louisiana Industrial of Ruston, 22–0. Fenton was the star of the game, with two interceptions for touchdowns. The starting lineup was: Stovall (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Thomas (left guard), Hillman (center), Pollock (right guard), Noblett (right tackle), Seip (right end), Fenton (quarterback), C. Smith (left halfback), Lally (right halfback), and B. Smith (fullback).

Arkansas

LSU defeated

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

36–4, with Fenton's runs and kicks featuring throughout. The crowd was the largest ever to see a football game in Arkansas. LSU made three touchdowns in the game's first four minutes. On the Tigers' first possession, Fenton went 22 yards around right end and Lally then went 40 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing Arkansas possession, Fenton intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards for the score. Big Stovall made the third touchdown on an

onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff (under American and Canadian rules) or punt (under Canadian rules only) deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a t ...

from scrimmage. LSU also had touchdowns using a triple pass and a double pass. Arkansas got its points after a 35-yard pass from a fake field goal led to a field goal from the 30-yard line. Fenton had the lone score of the second half, on a 55-yard run and fake pass. The starting lineup was: Stovall (left end), Gandy (left tackle), Thomas (left guard), R. L. Stovall (center), Hillman (right guard), Noblett (right tackle), Seip (right end), Fenton (quarterback), C. Smith (left halfback), Lally (right halfback), and B. Smith (fullback).

Postseason

Disputed title

The season was clouded by accusations of professionalism by

and

school

. Rice claimed V. Smith, C. Smith, Seip, Fenton, Lally, and Gandy were all paid salaries to play football, and that Clarke was a former All-Western player. Amidst fears of many players being ineligible under SIAA rules, most sportswriters instead gave the Southern title to Auburn, and left LSU players off their All-Southern team. A subsequent SIAA investigation cleared LSU of any wrongdoing, but since many publications voted for the SIAA champion prior to the conclusion of the investigation, they did not recognize LSU's title.

Awards and honors

Fans presented coach Wingard and referee James Halligan with gold-handled umbrellas. Fenton's 125 points (132 by modern rules) led the nation in scoring. He had a school record 36 extra points and 6 field goals. Fenton, Lally, and Willie Hillman were selected All-Southern by

Nash Buckingham Theophilus Nash Buckingham (May 31, 1880 – March 10, 1971), commonly referred to as Nash Buckingham, was an American author and conservationist from Tennessee. He wrote a collection of short stories entitled De Shootinest Gent'man. He playe ...

in the ''

Memphis Commercial Appeal ''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by the Gannett Company; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, also ...

''.

Legacy

The 1908 team is said to be LSU's first great team, and was considered the greatest until

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

. Fenton and Seip were nominated, though not selected, for an

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

All-Time Southeast 1869–1919 era team. Fenton, Lally, Seip, and Noblett made the first-team of an all-time LSU team selected in 1935. According to Tony Barnhart, Fenton is considered the first great football player in LSU history. The

National Football Foundation The National Football Foundation (NFF) is a non-profit organization to promote amateur American football on all levels throughout the United States and develop "the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academi ...

selected Fenton as the retroactive

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner of 1908.

Personnel

Roster

Roster from LSU: The Louisiana TigersHardesty, Dan. "LSU: The Louisiana Tigers". The Strode Publishers. Huntsville, Alabama. 1975. P. 334-345.

Scoring leaders

The following is an incomplete list of statistics and scores, largely dependent on newspaper summaries.

Staff

*Coach:

*Manager: R. L. Himes

Notes

References

Additional sources

* {{College Football National Champion pre-AP Poll navbox

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

LSU Tigers football seasons College football national champions College football undefeated seasons

LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers, Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athle ...