re: 1908 - LSU’s First Great Team

All of that said, 1908 WAS LSU's first great team, and they along with some other teams (Vanderbilt 1906) helped put southern football on the map. The first truly great southern team that had a legitimate claim on the national title, however, wouldn't come for another decade--John Heisman's 1917 Georgia Tech team, which is still considered one of the greatest teams of the era.

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Not by a mile. Alabama was the best team in 1909, and Harvard (or maybe Penn) was the best team in 1908. Those teams would have beaten LSU handily. LSU probably wouldn't have even scored on them.

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Bama troll

professionalism if you use the standards of 1908 today, all athletes are professionals.

Michigan used many players even at that time you would have called professionals, as did near all the northern teams.

Baylor played their coach in 1908 in games.

Tulane played one player that was twice banned and another banned player in 1908.

Carlisle was paying their players, in an underhanded way. Thrope quit Carlisle to pay pro baseball and then came back to play at Carlisle and was given a huge amount by Pop in their system of credit. Pop was making more money than almost every coach in America.


Army played players who were paid to play pro baseball under assumed names.

In 1908 as had been going on for years, teams bet on their games. There is always a side bet in football in those years, and the coaches are normally the one handling the money.

Heisman paid players to come in and practice with his teams, which means if he is paying players to come practice at 10$ a week; what is he paying his players?

This is the world of 1908 football.

You have players going school to school to play long years some as many as nine years. Players played under assumed names.

One of the guys used as a witness against the LSU team (who said nothing to hurt LSU), was coach Wingard's teammate from college who played at 3 colleges and was long passed the four years allowed when he plays for Michigan.

The case against LSU comes from the Michigan mob and Rice.

Rice is wrong in his article, Tulane is wrong from it's 1905 case against LSU, as the Smith brothers played under their real names.

The one guy on the 1907 team did played under his father's name, but he had sit out a year before he and his bubby came to play for LSU, after being recruited by Wingard's friend.

thank you posting this!

I love history and this is fascinating. I knew some of this, but have learned more tha ks to all who contributed


but if players were getting paid everywhere that is a black eye, so we should erase this part of history

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Why on earth we don't claim this championship I don't know.

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What’s this “we”shite? I claim it.

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The NCAA recognizes us as champions that year.

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USC claimed the Title that year as well

TxTiger82

You have posted this before and I answered you before, I will once again.

John W. Mayhew the coach of the 1909 and 1910 LSU team is an All American in track and field and comes to LSU and challenges Doc and Martin to a foot race which the later two win with ease. Had Clearance Smith still been alive he likely would have been close in the race. By 1908 Clearance had lost a little speed after sitting out a to earn money at the Istrouma hotel as a night clerk, and teaching school in the day. John was considered one of the fastest players in football and track and field at that time.

The LSU team is made up of the Penn recruit base and the 2 hold over Michigan players (Smith brothers). This to go along with the Southern players, would have held their own in a game with the northern teams.

No one wanted to play LSU, Tulane, Michigan and many others were offered to play that year.

The talk around the press offices in the south was the speed of the 08 team, but do not forget it is also a passing team (at a time when an incomplete pass was a 15 yard penalty).

Rice was at his office at the Tennessean paper with Dan McGugin, when he wrote the article on the LSU team. I know every person in the room that night. No team in the south had that speed.

Also LSU runs in base formation that is an early model of the T and stacked I behind the end with the quarterback facing in the direction to the right or left of the center. The trick plays LSU uses by the end of the season are legendary, including a triple pass play.

Have this original press photo depicting the 1908 team.
From the left, first row: O.H. Noblet, tackle; W.A. Hillman, guard; H.L. Stovall, center; A.J. Thomas, guard; M.H. Gandy, tackle (capt.)
Second row: David Reymond (mascot); Bill Seips, end; M.F. Lally, halfback; G.E “Doc” Fenton, quarterback; Ira Smith, halfback; R.F. Stovall, halfback.
Last row: E.R. Wingard (coach); W.M. Pollack, guard; V.E. Smith, fullback; R.O. Gill, halfback; R.F. Ryan, substitute; J.A. Albright, substitute.



Another fact is that this Lsu team outscored opponents 443-10 and was dubbed the “point a minute” team.

I have an original copy of each of the rule books from around 1900 to 1920 range. The rules change little from 1900 until 1906, when the forward pass comes into the game. The change your thinking of around 1913 is changing passing rules. Each year there is normal a rule book printed.

M.H. Gandy is the toughest player on the team and is the team enforcer.

In those days there was a lot of dirty play in the scrum, and each team had an enforcer. The enforcer's job is to take the player out the next play.

There is a helmet of the 1908 team still around and is owned by the great grandson of a player. I have a photograph of it on file in a hard drive. He has the cheats and shoulder pads too. All of this equipment is bought at the start of the 1908 season and used by the 08-09-10 teams.