1923 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1923 college football season saw several teams finish their seasons unbeaten and untied. Illinois (coached by Bob Zuppke) and Michigan (coached by "Hurry-Up" Yost, both members of what is now the Big Ten Conference, finished with records of 8-0-0 as did future Ivy League teams Yale and Cornell. Southern Methodist University (SMU) had a record of 9-0-0. Teams that had no defeats, but had been tied, were California (9-0-1), Texas (8-0-1), and Kansas (5-0-3).
Major conferences that existed in 1923 were the Western Conference (today's Big Ten), the Pacific Coast Conference (now the Pac-10), the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA, forerunner of the Big 12), the Southwest Conference, and the Southern Conference (whose members later formed the SEC and the ACC).
Notre Dame opened its season with a 74-0 win over visiting Kalamazoo College.
After a warmup game against a team of Cal alumni, California
beat St. Mary's 49-0.
Cornell
beat St. Bonaventure 41-6, Dartmouth
beat Norwich 13-0, and Syracuse beat Hobart 33-0.
Illinois beat Nebraska 24-7 and Michigan defeated Case 36-0. Syracuse beat William & Mary 61-3. Notre Dame beat Lombard College
14-0. Kansas
defeated Creighton 6-0. California
defeated Santa Clara 48-0. Following wins over the crews of the USS Mississippi (33-0) and the USS New York (42-7), Washington
beat Willamette 54-0.
Dartmouth
beat Maine 6-0,
Yale
beat North Carolina 53-0, and Cornell
beat Susquehanna 84-0
October 13
Notre Dame beat Army 13-0
Dartmouth
beat Boston University 24-0, and Yale
beat Georgia 40-0. Michigan beat Vanderbilt 3-0, and Illinois beat Butler 21-7
California
beat the Olympic Club 16-0 and Washington
beat Whitman College 19-0. Kansas
beat Oklahoma State 9-0.
October 20
Cornell
beat Williams 28-6, Yale
beat Bucknell 29-14 and Dartmouth
beat Vermont 27-2. Notre Dame won at Princeton 25-2. Illinois won at Iowa 9-6 and Michigan beat Ohio State 23-0
At Lincoln, Kansas
and Nebraska played to a 0-0 tie.
California
beat Oregon State 26-0 and Washington
beat visiting USC 22-0.
October 27
Cornell
defeated Colgate 34-7
Yale
beat Brown 21-0 and Dartmouth
beat Harvard 16-0
Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech 35-7. In Chicago, Illinois beat Northwestern 29-0. Michigan beat Michigan State 37-0. Kansas
and Kansas State played to a scoreless tie (0-0).
At Portland, Oregon, California
continued its streak of shutouts with a 9-0 win over Washington State. Washington
beat Puget Sound 24-0.
Yale
beat Army 31-10
Notre Dame beat Purdue 34-7
Dartmouth
(5-0-0) hosted Cornell
(4-0-0) and in a triumph of Big Red over Big Green, Cornell won won 32-7.
Illinois and Chicago, both unbeaten (4-0-0) met at Champaign, with the Illini winning 7-0. Michigan won at Iowa 9-3.
Kansas
won at Oklahoma 7-3.
California
held visiting Nevada scoreless for its seventh straight shutout, but could not score either, suffering a 0-0 tie. Washington
stayed unbeaten and untied with a 14-0 win at Oregon State.
November 10
At Boston's Fenway Park, Dartmouth
beat Brown 16-14, while at New York's Polo Grounds, Cornell
beat Columbia 35-0. Yale
beat Maryland 16-14. Notre Dame suffered its first loss, at Nebraska, 14-7.
Meanwhile, Illinois beat Wisconsin 10-0. Michigan defeated the Quantico Marines football team 29-6.
In Los Angeles, California
beat USC 13-7. Washington
beat Montana 26-14. Kansas
beat Washington University (of St. Louis) 83-0.
November 17
California
(7-0-1) hosted Washington
(8-0-0) and won 9-0.
Illinois beat Mississippi State 27-0, and Michigan won at Wisconsin 6-3, as both teams stayed unbeaten. Notre Dame beat Butler 34-7. Yale
defeated Princeton 27-0. Kansas
beat Drake 17-0.
November 24
In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame defeated Carnegie Tech 26-0. Dartmouth
beat Colby College 62-0, and
Cornell
defeated Johns Hopkins 52-0. Yale
closed a perfect season with a 13-0 win over Harvard.
Illinois closed its season at 8-0-0 with a 9-0 win at Ohio State, while Michigan closed a perfect season with a 10-0 win over Minnesota.
California
closed its season with a 9-0 win over Stanford. Washington
beat Washington State 24-7, and though it was second to Cal in the Pacific Coast Conference, received the invitation to the Rose Bowl to face (5-1-2) Navy.
On Thanksgiving Day, which was held on November 29 in 1923, Furman
, which had won its first ten games, lost its final game to visiting Clemson, 7-6. In Philadelphia, Cornell
closed a perfect season with a 14-7 win over Pennsylvania. Dartmouth
finished with a 31-6 win over Columbia at New York. Kansas
and Missouri played to a 3-3 tie, giving the Jayhawks an unbeaten, if not untied (5-0-3) finish. Notre Dame won at St. Louis 13-0
December 1 Washington
beat Oregon 26-7.
The Helms Athletic Foundation
, founded in 1936, declared retroactively that Illinois had been the best college football team of 1923.
Major conferences that existed in 1923 were the Western Conference (today's Big Ten), the Pacific Coast Conference (now the Pac-10), the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA, forerunner of the Big 12), the Southwest Conference, and the Southern Conference (whose members later formed the SEC and the ACC).
September
September 29Notre Dame opened its season with a 74-0 win over visiting Kalamazoo College.
After a warmup game against a team of Cal alumni, California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
beat St. Mary's 49-0.
Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
beat St. Bonaventure 41-6, Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Norwich 13-0, and Syracuse beat Hobart 33-0.
October
October 6Illinois beat Nebraska 24-7 and Michigan defeated Case 36-0. Syracuse beat William & Mary 61-3. Notre Dame beat Lombard College
Lombard College
-History:Lombard College was founded in 1853 by the Universalist Church as the Illinois Liberal Institute. In 1855, however, a major fire damaged much of the college, placing its future at risk, but a large gift from Benjamin Lombard, an Illinois farmer and businessman, rescued the institution,...
14-0. Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
defeated Creighton 6-0. California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
defeated Santa Clara 48-0. Following wins over the crews of the USS Mississippi (33-0) and the USS New York (42-7), Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
beat Willamette 54-0.
Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Maine 6-0,
Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
beat North Carolina 53-0, and Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
beat Susquehanna 84-0
October 13
Notre Dame beat Army 13-0
Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Boston University 24-0, and Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
beat Georgia 40-0. Michigan beat Vanderbilt 3-0, and Illinois beat Butler 21-7
California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
beat the Olympic Club 16-0 and Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
beat Whitman College 19-0. Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
beat Oklahoma State 9-0.
October 20
Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
beat Williams 28-6, Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
beat Bucknell 29-14 and Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Vermont 27-2. Notre Dame won at Princeton 25-2. Illinois won at Iowa 9-6 and Michigan beat Ohio State 23-0
At Lincoln, Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
and Nebraska played to a 0-0 tie.
California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
beat Oregon State 26-0 and Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
beat visiting USC 22-0.
October 27
Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
defeated Colgate 34-7
Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
beat Brown 21-0 and Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Harvard 16-0
Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech 35-7. In Chicago, Illinois beat Northwestern 29-0. Michigan beat Michigan State 37-0. Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
and Kansas State played to a scoreless tie (0-0).
At Portland, Oregon, California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
continued its streak of shutouts with a 9-0 win over Washington State. Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
beat Puget Sound 24-0.
November
November 3Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
beat Army 31-10
Notre Dame beat Purdue 34-7
Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(5-0-0) hosted Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
(4-0-0) and in a triumph of Big Red over Big Green, Cornell won won 32-7.
Illinois and Chicago, both unbeaten (4-0-0) met at Champaign, with the Illini winning 7-0. Michigan won at Iowa 9-3.
Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
won at Oklahoma 7-3.
California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
held visiting Nevada scoreless for its seventh straight shutout, but could not score either, suffering a 0-0 tie. Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
stayed unbeaten and untied with a 14-0 win at Oregon State.
November 10
At Boston's Fenway Park, Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Brown 16-14, while at New York's Polo Grounds, Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
beat Columbia 35-0. Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
beat Maryland 16-14. Notre Dame suffered its first loss, at Nebraska, 14-7.
Meanwhile, Illinois beat Wisconsin 10-0. Michigan defeated the Quantico Marines football team 29-6.
In Los Angeles, California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
beat USC 13-7. Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
beat Montana 26-14. Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
beat Washington University (of St. Louis) 83-0.
November 17
California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
(7-0-1) hosted Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
(8-0-0) and won 9-0.
Illinois beat Mississippi State 27-0, and Michigan won at Wisconsin 6-3, as both teams stayed unbeaten. Notre Dame beat Butler 34-7. Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
defeated Princeton 27-0. Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
beat Drake 17-0.
November 24
In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame defeated Carnegie Tech 26-0. Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
beat Colby College 62-0, and
Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
defeated Johns Hopkins 52-0. Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
closed a perfect season with a 13-0 win over Harvard.
Illinois closed its season at 8-0-0 with a 9-0 win at Ohio State, while Michigan closed a perfect season with a 10-0 win over Minnesota.
California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
closed its season with a 9-0 win over Stanford. Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
beat Washington State 24-7, and though it was second to Cal in the Pacific Coast Conference, received the invitation to the Rose Bowl to face (5-1-2) Navy.
On Thanksgiving Day, which was held on November 29 in 1923, Furman
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
, which had won its first ten games, lost its final game to visiting Clemson, 7-6. In Philadelphia, Cornell
Cornell Big Red
The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...
closed a perfect season with a 14-7 win over Pennsylvania. Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
finished with a 31-6 win over Columbia at New York. Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
and Missouri played to a 3-3 tie, giving the Jayhawks an unbeaten, if not untied (5-0-3) finish. Notre Dame won at St. Louis 13-0
December 1 Washington
Washington Huskies football
College football has a long history at the University of Washington. The Washington Huskies have won 15 Pacific-10 Conference championships, seven Rose Bowl titles, and three national championships. Washington's all-time record of 653-398-50 ranks 20th by all-time winning percentage and 21st by...
beat Oregon 26-7.
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:Conference Champions
| Conference | Champion | Conf. record | Overall record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western | Illinois/Michigan | (5-0)/(4-0) | (8-0-0) |
| Pacific Coast | California California Golden Bears football The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to... |
(5-0-0) | (9-0-1) |
| Independent | Cornell/Yale | (8-0-0) | (8-0-0) |
| Western | Illinois/Michigan | (5-0)/(4-0) | (8-0-0) |
| Southern | Washington & Lee | (4-0-1) | (6-2-1) |
| Missouri Valley | Kansas Kansas Jayhawks football The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference.... |
(3-0-3) | (5-0-3) |
| Southwestern | SMU SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA... |
(5-0-0) | (9-0-0) |
The Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
, founded in 1936, declared retroactively that Illinois had been the best college football team of 1923.