Re: Hill Watch...117 days!!!

CBProf®

Tiger Titan [45818]

TigerPulse: 100%

Posts: 1783

Joined: 2017

117 Seasons Ago - Clemson Football Finished 1-6 in 1908

May 5, 2025, 6:10 AM

The season was not exactly one of Clemson’s better ones. A 1-6 record sounds a lot more like a Gamechicken season than a Clemson one!

Much of the problems for this season traced back to an April Fool’s prank that probably seemed like a good idea at the time! Not such a good idea after the fact however!

Overview:

According to Wikipedia:

“Led by Stein Stone in his first and only season as head coach, the team posted an overall record of 1–6 with a mark of 0–4 in SIAA play. Stricker Coles was the team captain.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Clemson_Tigers_football_team

Head Coach Stein Stone (Another cool sound-alike name!):

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stein_Stone)

Noteworthy:

According to ClemsonTigers.com:

April 1, 1908 – Tiger football hopes of the 1908 season were shattered on this day, not by what happened in spring practice, but what 300 students did as a college prank on April Fools’ Day. The cadets were expelled for removing a Civil War cannon from the town square of Pendleton, four miles down the road from campus, and bringing the cannon back to Clemson. Many of the football stars, as well as many future stars, were among those who were expelled.

https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-football-historical-timeline/

Although 1908 was Clemson’s 13th football season, it was the first time Clemson endured a losing season. (Guess it had to happen at some point!)

Head Coach Stein Stone was Clemson’s 5th head coach in 5 seasons (each coach coaching for one season). And this season would be Stone’s only season as head coach as well!

Regarding Team Captain Stricker Coles:

“Stricker "Strick" Coles (1888-1932) was a college football player and referee, as well as a college baseball player. He played both for Clemson College. He was an end on the football team and an infielder on the baseball team, and was captain of both his senior season. He weighed just 120 pounds when he first joined the football team.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stricker_Coles

Results:

September 26 vs Gordon (Bowman Field): W 15-0
October 10 vs VPI (Bowman Field): L 0-6
October 17 at Vanderbilt: L 0-41
October 28 vs Davidson (Columbia, SC): L 2-13
November 5 vs UGa (Augusta, Ga): L 0-6
November 14 at Tennessee: L 5-6
November 28 at Ga Tech L 6-30

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Clemson_Tigers_football_team

Ugh!! Not sure what else to say about these results!

Just Ugh!!

1908 Clemson Football Team:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Clemson_Tigers_football_team)

Also in 1908:

According to ClemsonWiki:

“Baseball great Ty Cobb negotiates with Walter Merritt Riggs about becoming a coach at Clemson. According to Wright Bryan's "Clemson: An Informal History of the University 1889-1979" (page 214), a search of Athletic Department files revealed four letters from Cobb to Riggs, the last of which indicated "that Cobb, the 'Georgia Peach,' would coach the Tigers (Clemson, not Detroit) for $250 a month, provided he did not sign with Detroit that season. However, he did sign with Detroit and went on to a .324 batting average and 108 runs batted in during his third season there.

…

April 1: In a poorly thought out April Fool's Day prank, 306 cadets form the second "Pendleton Guards" and march off to Pendleton, where they dismount a cannon from the town square, and return with it to campus. President Patrick Hues Mell expells the entire group, gutting the football team, as several members had participated in the ill-advised roadtrip. This is a repeat of a similar stunt pulled in 1907, and which the cadet corps has been warned not to do again. Many are re-admitted the following year, however.”

https://clemsonwiki.com/wiki/1908

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

Clemson: Academic Excellence! Athletic Excellence!

Hill Watch...117 days!!!

Yessir***

Go Tigers!!!***