Also, a lot of those early NC's were given after the fact...by organizations that didn't even exist when the season was actually played.:huh: Alabama got a couple that way. Another reason I think teams should only be able to lay claim to 'modern" NC's is because...in the past, NC's were handed out like the Heisman...before the bowl games. If you actually took the time to read my earlier post, you'll see I made a notation on one of Bama's NC's...that they finished the season 9-2, with one of their losses to undefeated Miss St.! They went on to lose their bowl game, but still got the NC.:nope:
Um...who or what is a Berryman? Any why is OK mentioned at all in this space? They lost their last two games for gods sakes...
Hurricane didn't take the time to sort thru that mess I posted earlier...and quite frankly, I don't blame him.:lol: But there are 6 from which we could choose, if we were petty. Berryman is probably some individual with a sporting publication...and also a Sooner fan.:thumb:
I think the National Championship Foundation should have their vote canceled for voting for two teams. But maybe that is just me.
Well, thats one that slipped by me...I do know the Tigers were the first CF team to play a game in a foreign country...but not about the 1908 thing. :geaux::geaux::geaux::geaux::geaux::geaux:
Funny you should mention that, came across it a few days ago. Fenton played at Mansfield University first. Interestingly enough, Mansfield claims the first ever night football game. http://sports.mansfield.edu/football/fbhist.html
As has been written in other posts here, there was no real mention of National Champions in those earliest years. The teams we call the "Ivy League" never played games against the Southern leagues, for instance. So there could never be a comparison. But although the 1908 LSU team was the first of two undefeated, untied LSU teams (1958 National Champions are the other), a lot of controversy surrounded that team. Doc Fenton was only one of several players who were charged as being "Ringers". Many, including sports writer Grandland Rice charged LSU with "professionalism". That is, paying veteran players to come to LSU. There were investigations on that subject that lasted several years, surrounding the 1908 team. Another oft-charged claim was that LSU was paying referees. Never proven, so many respected sports figures and writers backed it up, that the charges are considered likely. For example, baseball famer Ty Cobb was in Baton Rouge was in for the Haskell Game. Haskell was an indian reservation school from Lawrence Kansas. They did not ever start offering college courses until 1927. (Division ?). Cobb was extremely upset over the repeated obvious missed calls of holding, roughing, clipping, etc, and penalities against Haskell. He was quoted in the news as "Don't people here know how to run football game?", and made repeated pleas to the referees of "open your eyes and watch these LSU men holding". Grantland Rice said he could prove that six different LSU players were paid an active salary for playing football at LSU. Because of these charges and investigations, LSU was not recognized as the Southern Champion. Auburn got that title because of it's victory over Sewanee that year. The only points scored against Auburn that year was the 10-2 loss to LSU. Most of this info comes from Pete Finney's, "The Fighting Tigers, 75 Years of LSU Football, pgs 33-36." LSU Press, 1968. I also "Googled" a couple of articles online about the subject. Couldn't find them again if I tried!
