Game of the (20th) Century

As a kid, I enjoyed reading "The Guinness Book of World Records." One of the records that always stood out was the "highest scoring college football game": Georgia Tech's 222-0 victory over Cumberland College in Tennessee.

In the 2007 "Year of the Upset", it is fitting today, October 7th, to recognize the most lopsided victory ever in any sport -- a game that took place 91 years ago today, on October 7th 1916.

While there is very little in terms of "color commentary" available on this game (the photo above, courtesy of Mrs. Lena Dugat via the Cumberland University website on the game, being the only picture available), there are some notable facts:

1. Georgia Tech was coached by the legendary John Heisman (yes, of the trophy), and was a veritable scoring machine that won 33 straight.
2. Cumberland had embarassed Georgia Tech the previous spring 22-0 in baseball -- allegedly using professional ringers.
3. The Cumberland football team had been disestablished and reestablished several times during the previous years -- and the squad that faced powerhouse Georgia Tech was a newly-created team that had only played four or five games together.

Perhaps our 2007 "Season of the Upset" (replete with a proposed classification system for upset victories) is evidence of greater parity across diverse programs. It used to be that you had to go to a big Southeast or Texas school to get notoriety in college football; now even humble Appalachian State in tiny Boone, NC, has gotten a boost to its recruiting program.

What a crazy season...