1897 Georgia Bulldogs football team

The 1897 Georgia Bulldogs football team represented the University of Georgia during the 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Bulldogs competed as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) and completed the season with a 2–1 record. In the 1897 season, Georgia beat Georgia Tech for the first time and met both Clemson and Virginia for the first time. This was the Georgia Bulldogs' first season under the guidance of head coach Charles McCarthy.

1897 Georgia Bulldogs football
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record2–1 (2–0 SIAA)
Head coach
CaptainWilliam B. Kent
Home stadiumHerty Field
Seasons
← 1896
1898 →
1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Vanderbilt $ 3 0 0 6 0 1
Georgia 2 0 0 2 1 0
Auburn 2 0 1 2 0 1
Tennessee 1 0 0 4 1 0
Central (KY) 1 1 0 1 2 0
Nashville 1 1 0 1 1 0
Alabama 0 0 0 1 0 0
Texas 0 0 0 6 2 0
LSU 0 0 0 1 1 0
Sewanee 1 2 1 1 3 1
Clemson 0 1 0 2 2 0
Mercer 0 1 0 0 2 1
Cumberland (TN) 0 1 0 0 1 0
Kentucky State College 0 2 0 2 4 0
SW Presbyterian 0 0 0 0 0 0
  • $ – Conference champion

It was in the Virginia game of 1897 that tragedy struck the Georgia Bulldogs. In the second half of that game, a Georgia fullback named Richard Vonalbade ("Von") Gammon, was fatally injured in a play. In reaction to his death, the Georgia, Georgia Tech and Mercer football teams disbanded, the Atlanta Journal ran a headline proclaiming, the "Death Knell of Football" and the Georgia legislature passed a bill to outlaw football in the state of Georgia. As the bill sat on the desk of Georgia Governor William Yates Atkinson, a letter that Gammon's mother, Rosalind Burns Gammon, had written to the state legislature was revealed. In her letter, she pleaded with the legislators not to pass the bill because her son so loved football. As a result, reading her letter, Governor Atkinson vetoed the bill to ban football in Georgia.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 9ClemsonW 24–0[1]
October 23Georgia Tech
W 28–0600[2]
October 30vs. Virginia*L 17–45,000[3]
  • *Non-conference game

[4]

References

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  1. ^ "University of Georgia defeats Clemson College". The Morning News. October 10, 1897. Retrieved December 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Georgians Showed Some Strong Plays". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. October 25, 1897. p. 8. Retrieved September 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com  .
  3. ^ "Virginia wins, University practically walks over Georgia". The Richmond Dispatch. October 31, 1897. Retrieved December 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Georgia 1897 results". georgiadogs.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2012.