1892 Georgia Tech football team

1892 Georgia Tech football
ConferenceIndependent
Record0–3–0
Head coach
CaptainErnest West
Home stadiumPiedmont Park, Brisbine Park
Seasons
1893 →
1892 Southern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Centre     6 0 0
Biddle     1 0 0
Furman     1 0 0
Mercer     1 0 0
North Carolina A&M     1 0 0
Virginia Military     4 0 1
Wake Forest     4 0 1
Johns Hopkins     7 1 0
North Carolina     5 1 0
Central (KY)     4 1 0
Sewanee     5 1 1
Navy     5 2 0
Georgetown     4 2 1
Virginia     3 2 1
Vanderbilt     4 4 0
Alabama     2 2 0
Auburn     2 2 0
Georgia     1 1 0
Virginia A&M     1 1 0
Western Maryland     0 0 1
Richmond     2 3 0
Delaware     1 2 2
Kentucky A&M     2 4 1
Tennessee     2 5 0
Trinity (NC)     1 3 0
Hampden–Sydney     0 1 0
Livingstone     0 1 0
Maryville (TN)     0 1 0
South Carolina     0 1 0
Georgia Tech     0 3 0
Maryland     0 3 0

The 1892 Georgia Tech football team represented the Georgia School of Technology during the 1892 college football season. It was the team's inaugural season, only seven years after the school's founding. Led by Ernest West, a Georgia Tech professor in his first and only season as head coach, the Techs compiled a record of 0–3. West, who had previously played football at Navy, also served as Georgia Tech's captain.

Professors West and Frank Spain began training the new team by October, holding practices each afternoon in the area of what would become Bobby Dodd Stadium.[1] The team was also placed on a diet consisting of milk, crust of bread or toast, rare steak or mutton chops, and fruits for breakfast; ale, rare roast beef or ribs of roast, chicken, Irish potatoes, and toast for lunch; and cold meats, crust of toast, and milk or ale, for dinner.[2] The team incorporated a 'V' formation that was being used at the time by football powerhouse Princeton.[3]

The Techs received challenges to play from Mercer, Auburn, and Trinity (later Duke). Contracts with Mercer and Auburn, and games were later proposed against Vanderbilt and North Carolina. However, Georgia Tech's faculty would not allow them to accept every game invitation.[4]

The team used white and gold as its colors, which caught on as Georgia Tech's traditional colors.[2] The newspapers referred to the team as the Techs throughout the season.[3] Fans created a standard cheer to be yelled out during the game:[2]

  Tech–ity–Techs!  Who–Rex!  Who–Rex!
  Tech–ity–Techs!  Who–Rex!  Who–Rex!
  Boom–Rah!!  Boom–Rah!!
  Georgia!!!

During the season, there was extensive planning in creating a southern athletic association, of which Frank Spain was a prominent proponent. An attempt was made to create the Southern Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) while several schools were playing a series of football games in Atlanta the week of November 21, 1892.[5] However, the organization did not formalize until a second attempt was made on December 28 in Richmond, Virginia.[6] Georgia Tech did not participate in this later meeting and did not join the SIAA until 1896.

  1. ^ "Football Is the Game This Winter". The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Georgia. October 22, 1892.
  2. ^ a b c "On Football Fields". The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Georgia. October 31, 1892.
  3. ^ a b "Football". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. October 29, 1892.
  4. ^ "Football Again". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. November 2, 1892.
  5. ^ "This Is Football Week". The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Georgia. November 21, 1892.
  6. ^ "For Southern Athletics". The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Georgia. December 28, 1892.