College Football During the Last Total Eclipse

You’ve undoubtedly seen the news that there will be a solar eclipse today. Connecticut is not in the path of totality, although it’s pretty close, with an estimated 92% cover being predicted. The last total solar eclipse in the state was in 1925, which got me thinking, what was going on in Storrs and the world of college football?

Starting in Storrs, we have the Connecticut Aggies football season, playing in the New England Conference. The Aggies would finish in last place in the conference with an 0-3-1 record, 3-5-1 overall. It was the third season under HC Sumner Dole, who also coached basketball (1923-27), baseball (1923-1935), as well as football (1923-1933), amassing a 36-39-14 record. His 36 wins is good for fifth all-time. The schedule was:

@Wesleyan W 7-3

@NYU L 23-0

Maine L 7-0

UMass L 13-0

@Tufts 3-0

Manhattan 19-0

@New Hampshire L 17-3

@URI T 0-0

@Rensselear L 13-7

Elsewhere in college football: 

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: there was fierce debate over the true national champion. In the running was Dartmouth, Tulane, Michigan, Washington, and Alabama. Dartmouth went 8-0 while outscoring opponents 340-29. Alabama went 10-0, and Michigan lost one game, outscoring their opponents 227-3. There were several undefeated teams, such as Tulane, Colgate, Louisville, Michigan State-Normal (later would become Eastern Michigan), Hawaii, Nebraska Wesleyan, and Oberlin. 

Dartmouth was named the retroactive national champion by the Dickinson System, which ranked national teams from 1924 to 1940. Alabama received far more recognition, earning at least four national champion recognitions, as they won the 1926 Rose Bowl 20-19 over Washington. This was the first time a southern team had played in the Rose Bowl, and this game was influential in the rise of college football in the southern US. 

Some notables games that season included:

Army beating Notre Dame 27-0 at Yankee Stadium.

Washington played a doubleheader, defeating both West Seattle A.C. and USS Oklahoma by scores of 59-0. 

Syracuse defeated Penn State 7-0, extending its shutout streak to six games.

Michigan allowed the only points all season in a 3-2 loss to Northwestern.

Big East Football:

Obviously, the BIg East had not existed yet, but here are some records from current and former foes:

Boston College 6-2-0 (Eastern Independent)

Villanova 6-2-1 (Eastern Independent)

St. John’s 3-4-1 (Eastern Independent)

Providence 2-7-0 (Eastern Independent)

Rutgers 2-7-0 (Eastern Independent)

Marquette 7-2-0 (Midwestern Independent)

Butler 5-2-2 (Midwestern Independent)

Georgetown 9-1-0 (Southern Independent)

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the eclipse! Make sure to wear your glasses!