1916 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

1916 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
National champion (Billingsley)
SIAA co-champion
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record8–0–1 (5–0 SIAA)
Head coach
Offensive schemeJump shift
CaptainTalley Johnston
Home stadiumGrant Field
Uniform
Seasons
← 1915
1917 →
1916 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Georgia Tech + 5 0 0 8 0 1
Tennessee + 6 0 1 8 0 1
Vanderbilt 4 1 1 7 1 1
LSU 3 1 1 7 1 2
The Citadel 3 1 0 6 1 1
Tulane 2 1 1 4 3 1
Kentucky 2 1 2 4 1 2
Auburn 6 2 0 6 2 0
Georgia 5 2 0 6 3 0
Alabama 4 3 0 6 3 0
Sewanee 2 2 2 5 2 2
Centre 1 1 1 5 1 3
Howard (AL) 1 1 0 6 4 0
Georgetown (KY) 1 1 0 2 1 0
Mississippi A&M 3 4 0 4 4 1
Transylvania 2 3 1 3 3 2
Mississippi College 2 3 0 6 3 0
Clemson 2 4 0 3 6 0
South Carolina 2 4 0 2 7 0
Wofford 1 2 0 2 7 0
Louisville 1 2 1 2 3 1
Furman 1 3 0 4 5 0
Chattanooga 1 4 0 3 5 0
Florida 0 4 0 0 5 0
Mercer 0 5 0 1 6 0
Ole Miss 0 6 0 3 6 0
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1916 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1916 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. Georgia Tech was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The Tornado was coached by John Heisman in his 13th year as head coach, compiling a record of 8–0–1 (5–0 SIAA) and outscoring their opponents 421 to 20.[1] Georgia Tech played its home games at Grant Field. One writer claimed the 1916 team "seemed to personify Heisman."[2] This was the first team to vault Georgia Tech to national prominence.[3]

The season featured the 222–0 defeat of Cumberland, the largest margin of victory in football history. Tech scored the second-most points in the nation, behind Georgetown. Everett Strupper was third in the nation in scoring, including 16 touchdowns.[4]

Several players received post-season honors. Pup Phillips was the first Tech center selected All-Southern, and was selected third-team All-America by Walter Camp. Along with Phillips and Strupper, tackle Walker Carpenter, guard Bob Lang, and fullback Tommy Spence were also All-Southern.

  1. ^ Campbell, Jim. "John Heisman, the man, not the trophy" (PDF). library.la84.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Heisman, John M. (October 2, 2012). Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy. Simon and Schuster. p. 144. ISBN 9781451682915.
  3. ^ "Early Georgia Tech Football" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  4. ^ George B. Underwood (December 3, 1916). "Georgia Tech and Georgetown Lead". The Sun. p. 3.