FSU Football - Pre 1947

Click to enlarge

1902 Coach: W.W. Hughes

    
       OPPONENT                 DATE     SCORE   LOC      COMMENT
============================  ========  =======  ===  ============================
BAINBRIDGE (GA) GIANTS        11/21/02  W  5- 0   H   
FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL COL (UF) 12/12/02  W  6- 0   H   
FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL COL (UF) 12/20/02  L  0- 6   A   Lake City, Fl
	

Click to enlarge

1903 Coach: W.W. Hughes

    
       OPPONENT                 DATE     SCORE   LOC      COMMENT
============================  ========  =======  ===  ============================
BAINBRIDGE (GA) GIANTS        10/16/03  W 22- 0   H   
BAINBRIDGE (GA) GIANTS        10/23/03  W  5- 0   A   Bainbridge, Ga
EAST FLORIDA SEMINARY         10/31/03  L  0-16   H   From Gainesville, Fl
GEORGIA TECH                  11/07/03  L  0-17   A   
FLORIDA                       11/13/03  W 12- 0   H   From Lake City
STETSON                       11/26/03  T  5- 5   A   
	

E. F. S. Won Game

Defeated Tallahassee State College 16 to 0

The victors had the home team beat at every point. A large crowd witnessed the game.

The Game at Stetson

Tallahassee College Failed To Take The Times-Union Trophy

It was a clean game and well played by both. Stetson kicked off and in three plays got the ball on downs and held it for a touchdown which was made by a series of line bucks.

In the second half Stetson kicked off and held Tallahassee well, with varying results, until the last ten minutes when Tallahassee, by a series of line plays, claimed by Stetson to be illegal, using four men massed back of the line, made a touchdown, but failed to kick goal.

The Tallahassee team are being entertained at dinner and reception at the school tonight.

Click to enlarge

1904 Coach: Jack Forsythe

    
       OPPONENT                 DATE     SCORE   LOC      COMMENT
============================  ========  =======  ===  ============================
GEORGIA TECH                  10/08/04  L  0-35   A   
FLORIDA                       10/22/04  W 23- 0   A   Lake City, Fl
SAVANNAH ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION 10/29/04  L  0- 6   A   
JACKSONVILLE CONSOLIDATED     11/05/04  L  0- 6   A   
STETSON                       11/24/04  W 18- 6   H   Florida State Champions
	

State College Defeats University

Hotly contested Football Game on Lake City Gridiron.

The line-up of the State College was Peters, center; Buchholz, right guard; Watson, left guard; McCord, right tackle; Mullen, left tackle; Puliston, right end; Johnson, left end; Murray, quarterback; Whitner, right half back; Cook, left half back; University of Florida: Keen, center; T. Cason, right guard; Schmit, left guard; Rowlet, right tackle; Bratton, left tackle; Zelius, right end; Weller, left end; R. Cason, quarterback; B. T. Bridges, right half back; Buck, left half back; McQuire, full back. Referee, A. G. Witle of Princeton; umpire, W. C. Forsythe of Clemson. (editors note: only 10 players were listed for FSC - I guess we didn't need 11 to whip that other school.)

The university kicked off. The first half was hotly contested, resulting in Tallahassee making a touchdown and kicking goal. Score, 6. Second half. Tallahassee made quick work in scoring a touchdown, but failed to make goal. Score, 5.

The feature of the game was the kick from field to touchdown by Whitmer of the Tallahassee team, kicked goal. Score, 6.

In the last half Tallahassee rushed and made a touchdown and kicked goal. Cason's tackling stamps him as the best player on either team. (editors note: UF just lost 23-0 but according to this paper had the best player on the field. Makes sense to me!!)

Time of game: First half, 25 minutes; second half, 20 minutes. Result, State College, 23; University of Florida, 0.

Jacksonville Won From College Team

In a Fierce Contest, the Consolidated scores Touchdown and Goal.

Visitors Could Not Score

Were Equal to Jacksonville at Times, but Lost a Hard Game.

Jacksonville                    State College
Finley          center          Williams
Waters          left guard      Cook
Bridges         left tackle     Liddell
Dodge           left end        Johnson
Appleyard       right guard     Buchholz
Jones           right tackle    McCord
Coyler          right end       Puleston
Kennedy         quarterback     Murray
Yancey          right half      Watson
Ferris          fullback        Whitner
Curran          left half       Forsyth

The Jacksonville Consolidated team won from the Florida State College yesterday through a sensational run to goal by Jones from a catch of a kickoff. It was a spectacular run, and an event in football seldom seen where two good teams are contesting the field. It was a great play.

Jones was standing on Jacksonville's fifteen-yard line when Tallahassee kicked off and he caught the ball. A dash through center for a fake run was followed by a sudden dart through right tackle, catching the opposing team almost unawares. Good interference from Curran and others, and a clever direction of his route by Kennedy assisted Jones materially in making the touchdown. Jones caught the ball fair, and his run was as fleet as that of a deer. When he started out the opposing team expected him to break through center, as he was making rapid strides in that direction, Tallahassee bunched for the center and left her ends practically unprotected. Once around the center of the Tallahassee line and between tackle and right end, Jones had almost clear sailiing. There were but two efforts to tackle him but they were successfully met. Jones jumped one of the tackles and Curran guarded him against the second.

Continued Down the Field
Continuing down the field for a long run the scene was a most exciting one. The fleet college boys and the Jacksonville players were racing with Jones for the goal, the Tallahassee players in an effort to overtake Jones and the Consolidated team making a run to beat them back.

Nothing like it has ever been seen on the Jacksonville gidiron, and what lent interest and excitement to the play was the fact that the college team had demonstrated that it was a clever eleven, and that it was a good match for the Consolidated. The first half had been played without a score and after a terrific twenty minutes of bucking through center and good offensive and defensive work on the part of both Elevens. That they were evenly matched was manifested every time that there was a snap of the ball. It was with the greatest effort and with great force that the two sides had advanced, and the spectators were appreciating the fact that the game was an even one. But when Jones hiked out with the ball, dodged Tallahassee's strong center, jumped a tackle, and dodged another, had broken completely through the line, and was running in the lead for Tallahassee's goal, there was the greatest excitement. Those who had been waving aloft the Jacksonville colors went wild with enthusiasm, and there was a din which lasted until Yancey had succeeded in kicking the goal.

A Great Achievement
It was a great achievement for a football player, and it was the one great achievement of the day. But Jones was playing a remarkably clever and hard game during all of the two halves. (editor's note: I wonder if Jones' girl friend wrote this article?) He was terrific in his onslaughts and charges against the center of the college boys' line, and made long and frequent gains during the scrimmages.

The saddest part of the game for Jacksonville was the calling of time in the second half, when Jacksonville was in posession of the ball and within only five yards of the Tallahassee goal. Another touchdown would probably have been made with another play, but time was called before this could be done. The ball was almost over but not quite.

Yancey Kicked Off
Jacksonville started the game with a kickoff by Yancey to Liddell on the thirty-yard line. Liddell fumbled the ball and was held where he caught it. Then commenced a series of rapid charges through the center of the Consolidated team. The visitors were fierce in their work, and as rapid as they could have been. They made perceptible gains, and were threatening the Jacksonville goal when Jacksonville got the ball on a fumble and commenced its return toward the Tallahassee goal. There were rapid advances made by Jones and Yancey with good interference and heavy work on a scrimmage. Again Tallahassee got the ball by a fumble by Yancey and ???? ???? Jacksonville forced back toward her goal.

When on the thirty-yard line and with Tallahassee in posession of the ball, Jones did a pretty piece of work in tackling and Tallahassee again lost a fumble. But after advancing the ball for several yards an effort to send it around the left end of the college team resulted in a loss of ten yards. Yancey again lost several yards but by a technicality kept possession of the ball instead of delivering it on downs.

Yancey, Jones and Kennedy then commenced a rapid advance of the ball by a series of fierce bucks. Bridges was clever also in this part of the game and worked viciously and hard. The half ended with the ball in Jacksonville's territory.

The Second Half
In the second half, with the exception of Jones' sensational touchdown, the incidents of the first half were repeated with the exception that there was a decided improvement in the work of the home team and an apparently falling off in the defensive work of the visitors. Jacksonville was getting into weak points of Tallahassee and managed to advance a little more rapidly. It was, however, the slow work of recovery while in possession of the ball that caused a failure to score in this half. Jacksonville ought to have reached the goal in this half, and would have done so had the home team quickly recovered themselves and played more rapidly.

After the touchdown by Jones the ball was returned to the center and Jacksonville kicked off to the visitors. the ball was caught by Puleston, who carried it from the 16-yard line to the 30-yard line by rapid work. The visitors again made vicious onslaughts against the center of the home team, and made some perceptible gains. Fifteen yards were gained when again the visitors lost on a fumble.

Almost Another Touchdown
Jacksonville took the ball and worked hard to advance it toward the opposing goal. The Tallahassee team was good on the defensive here, and held the home team back well, though they were unable to get the ball on downs. There were a number of close decisions in this part of the game as to whether the proper distances had been made, but Jacksonville managed to retain it until within twenty yards from the goal when it was fumbled. Tallahassee took the ball but lost it on downs before it had been carried for a great length. There were then but three minutes to play, and the home team made a vigorous effort to cross the chalk line, failing to do so in only about four yards.

A Great Game
It was a great game, and the best that has been seen in Jacksonville for several years. The Tallahassee team is a strong one, and has been well coached and thoroughly seasoned by the contests with other colleges.

The next game is to be next Sunday when the Fort Sereven soldiers are coming from Savannah for a game. The soldiers have been playing Savannah and Charleston and will give the home team a hard contest. The eleven that the Consolidated had on the field yesterday is the best football team Jacksonville has ever got together, and the indications are that it will win some notable victories before the closing of the season.