SPORTS SLANTS
By ‘MELANCHOLY' JONES
Morris Brown’s Smashing 20-0 Triumph
Over Florida Gives Her Undisputed Top
Berth; Texas In Mighty Langston Upset
(Latest National Standings)
TEAM W.
Morris Brown.... 5
N. C. State. 4
Lane . 4
Morgan . 3
Prairie Viewr . 3
Shaw U. 3
Texas . 3
J. C. Smith.2
Fisk . 1
Tuskegee . 4
Florida . 4
Langston ... 4
L T. PTS. O. PTS. PCT.
0 0 115 18 1.000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
130
48
70
99
82
81
53
19
97
74
64
12
7
0
28
19
21
25
15
51
28
38
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
1.000
.800
.800
.800
THF NATION’S UNBEATEN, untied colored football
teams were reduced from nine to just four the past Satur
day after a week end of explosive upsets. .
Previously unbeaten, untied Florida was beaten 20-0 b>
Morris Brown for the first time in five years, giving the
Purple Wolverines undisputed first place in the sizzling na
tional football derby. , ,,
Unbeaten, untied Langston was toppled 18-7 by the pow
erful Texas College Steers, having also ^ept the Lions tiom
an undisputed conference title in 1940 when they beat Lang
lTillotson fell from unbeaten, untied ranks by getting
nosed out 7-6 bv Philander Smith College. Talladega was
eliminated 31-7 by Co^ch Duke Williams’ Tougaloo jugger
A scoreless tie with John C. Smith’s Golden Bulls drop
ped the Shaw Bears from undefeated, untied circles
Though favored to win, Morris Brown surprised by the
margin bv which she took Florida’s flaming Men m Orange,
only aggregation to slop the Wolverines last year ml
starts. Texas’ rout of Langston was a mighty upset,
this column, experiencing its best doping season, predicted
the correct outcome in both games, making the fourth long
shot” in four 1941 attempts it has called. Previous ringers
were Tuskegee by three touchdowns over Wilberforce and
Lane over Alabama. ,
Ranking next to the Texas win over Langston as a major
upset was A. and T.’s 26-6 rout of previously unbeaten but
once-tied West Virginia State.
The N. C. State Eagles made another march toward 1941
CIA A and national honors the past week end when they
nailed Lincoln (Pa.) 36-6, while the Lane Dragons, idle last
Saturday, kept pace with the Burghardt men just behind/
Morris Brown’s fast travelling Purple Wolverines.
Morgan’s Bears are the only other undefeated, untied
unit. Jap Hurt’s men walloped tough Bluefield 31-0 and are j
still the only club in Negro football with an uncrossed goal
line. Florida’s unblemished goal line “went with the wind
in the stunning defeat the Rattlers suffered at the hands of
Billy Nicks’ championship-bound Atlantans.
Still in the unbeaten class but beneath the “perfect
classification because of prestige-shattering ties are Prairie
View, Texas, and Shaw, all of which have three wins to their
credit. Prairie View ripped Ark. State 39-14 to move for
Also in the unbeaten class is twice-tied Johnson C.
Smith with two wins and twice-tied Fisk with one triumph.
The Golden Bulls were reduced in stature by the 0-0 dead
lock against Shaw, but Fisk actually scored a dope-upsetting
tie at the expense of Coach Wallace O. Hawkins’ Knoxville
Bulldogs.
Tuskegee, Florida, and Langston all have highly im
pressive records though no longer holding spots in the so
called “charmed circle”. All three have four wins against
a single setback. Morris Brown eliminated Tuskegee and
Florida from the unbeaten class at fortnightly periods and
Texas, as reported, polluted the Langston record Saturday.
In the sectional races, Morgan with three wins in as
many starts, N. C. State with two wins, and Shaw with three
loop wins and a tie pace the CIA A: Morris Brown and Lane
with three wins and no losses lead the SIAC; Kentucky State
and Wilberforce with one conference victory each are ahead
in the Midwestern circuit; and unbeaten but once-tied Prairie
View and Texas, with two wins apiece, are out in front in
the Southwestern loop.
TougalooBags’Dega
Tornado 31-7 On j
Six Touchdowns
TOUGALOO, Miss.—In its only
scheduled intersectional game on
its home grounds for the 1941 sea
son. Coach -‘Duke” Williams’
Tougaloo gridsCers defeated Talle
dega College of Talledega, Ala
bama here Saturday by the score
of 31-7. before a small but en
thusiastic crowd of followers of the
gridiron snort.
From the start of the game when
after receiving the kickoff, Touga
lco kicked deep into Talledega
territory without a single try for
downs, and after brilliant runs by
Braddock and Gordon of Tougaloo,
with Gordon crossing over for the
first Tougaloo score, there was
little doubt in the minus of the
spectators as to the outcome of
the same.
Throughout the entrie first half ;
the Talledega team was unable to j
penetrate the Tcugaloo side of the j
marker.
Late in the last period with most
of the first string wings and backs J
on the sideline Tougaloo allowed
the Alabamians to complete a long
pass which put them in the Touga
lco 10 yard stripe from which they
went over for a touchdown on the
fourth try, adding the extra point
with a beautiful kick from place
ment.
With Braddock in the lead the
playing of Gordon, Tillis, Scott and
Harris of Tougaloo was outstand
ing, while Lee, Harper, and Jones
turned in a fine performance toi
Talledega.
Officials for the game w°re
Pales of West Virginia; Hender
son, Dillard and Hawkins of Al
corn.
N. C. State, Tuskegee Top
Choices In *Bowl* Tilts
Negro football is moving swiftly
down the home stretch now and
already “blossom” and “bowl” talk
is in the air.
Morris Brown is centering her
atiention on the fourth annual
peach Blossom Classic Saturday,
December 6, in Atlanta, Georgia,
and “feelers” are being sent out to
unbeaten, untied N. C. State, un
beaten but twice-tied J. C. Smith,
unbeaten but once-tied Texas and
Prairie View, and also once-beaten
Langston and Southern.
FAVORS GOLDEN TIGERS
Florida is “sold” on Tuskegee for
the eighth annua! Orange Blossom
Classic Saturday, December 6, in
Orlando, Florida, if the Golden Ti
gers can go through the rest ot
the season undefeated
MORRIS BROWN ROARS TOWARD ANOTHER
NATIONAL TITLE; BAGS FLORIDA 20 TO 0
As One Tiger Halted Sweep Of Another
The smaller, but spunkier Maroon Tigers of
Morehouse College halted the touchdown march of
the much larger Golden Tigers of Tuskegee in this
particular instance, though the game ended 20-7
in favor of the Alabamans. Here you see Arthur
Sawyer, sensational ’Skegee ailback being halted
four-yards from pay-dirt by Parsons, Morehouse
tackle. Though the game stood 7-6 favoring More,
house until the fourth quarter, the Tuskegeans
could no longer be denied a victory, scoring two
torchdowns in the closing few minutes of play.
Mere than 12,COO witnessed the game at the Me
morial Stadium, Columbus, C»a. (SNS Staff Photo,!
MBO, Lane Only Major Units
In SIAC Unbeaten; Pai r Shares Lead
(SIAC Standings To Date)
W.
Morris Brown ... 3
Lane . 3
Tuskegee . 3
Florida . 2
Alabama.2
Xavier . 2
Benedict .. 1
Talladega. 0
Fisk . 0
S. C. State.0
Clark . 0
Knoxville . 0
Le Moyne. 0
Morehouse . 0
L. T. PTS. 0. PTS. POT.
0 0 70 6 1.000
0
1
1
2
2
2
0
0
1
1
1
2
3
41
71
42
39
38
2(1
00
6
14
13
12
12
9
i
44
20
61
60
40
00
6
21
20
36
24
48
1.000
.750
.667
.500
.500
.333
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
FLORIDA was toppled from the ranks of the unbeaten
and Morris Brown, which stepped the Famceeans 20-0 to
smear their uncrossed goal record, moved into a numerical
tie with Lane’s Red Dragons for top place in the 1941 South
ern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football race.
TWO CONFERENCE TIES
In the only other conference du
els of the week end, Clark and S.
C. State tied 7-7 with Fisk and
Knoxville deadlocking 6-6. Fisk re
mains unbeaten and Talladega,
which went outside the loop to take
a 31-7 passing by Tougaloo, also
is undefeated.
Lane and LeMoyne were idle the
past week. Benedict stepped out
side the loop and whipped Georgia
State 13-6 and Fort Valley, asso
ciate member of the SIAC, tied
Paine 0-0 at the former’s colorful
Homecoming Dav Exercises.
MOODY REGAINS SCORING
LEAD
John (Big Train) Moody, Morris
unanimous All-American fullback
and 1940 high scorer, regained the
individual scoring lead of the loop,
racking up seven points in the
week Florida battle push his sea
son’s figures to 41. Florida’s full
back. A1 Gant, now trails Moody
by four points with 37 to his credit,
while Jolting Joe Jenkins, deer
footed Purple Wolverine halfback
hiked his own total to 30 points on
a six-pointer down at Famcee Sat
urday. This trio is far ahead of
all pursuers.
Morris Brown is the best balanc
ed club, boasting an offensive av
erage of 23.33 points in three games
and a defensive average of but
two points per game allowed to
date. These are the best figures in
both departments.
FOOTBALL
RESULTS
CLARK 7, S. C. State 7
MORGAN 31, Lluefield 0.
Livingstone 0, AUGUSTINE 3.
PRAIRIE VIEW 39, Ark. A. and M.
14.
Knoxville 6, Fisk 6
A. and T. 26. W. Va. 6
N. C. COLLEGE 36, Lincoln 6
ALABAMA STATE 27, Xavier 13
PHILANDER 7, Tillotson 6
ALA. A. and M. 27, La. Normal 0.
KY. STATE 25, Lincoln (Mo.) 18 !
TEXAS COLLEGE 18, Langston 7
ALCORN 12, Jarvis 6
MORRIS BROWN 20, Fla. A. and
M. 0.
VA. STATE 8. IlamptonO
VA. UNION 45, St. Paul 6
J. C. Smith 0, Shaw 0.
Paine O, Ft. Valley State 0
BETHUNE-COOKMAN 6, Claflin
0
TUSKEGEE 20, Morehouse 7
Voirhees 0, Friendship 0
BENEDICT 13, Georgia State 6
Tougaloo 31, Talladega 7
Southern 22, Wiley 7
There Coes Jenkins On Th at Naked Reverse
Joltin Joe Jenkins, No. 22, scat-footed Mor
ris Brown Halfback, is shown sweeping around
Flor;da's left end for a twenty-three yard gain,
setting- the Wolverines in position for the second
of three touchdowns made against the tough Rat
tlers. A Florida tackier has caught Joe from be
hind, while Wysinger, (No. 26) is seen racing to
the aid of the runner. Joe stopped on the six.
snagged a pass on the next play for a touchdown.
The game ended 20-0, Morris Brown.
(SNS Staff Photo)
Bill Bell’s Men Held To Minus
Five Yards Rushing In Contest
By LUCIUS JONES
(SNS Sports Editor)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—(SNS)—A smoothly clicking!
machine described by Bill Bell, the young miracle coach, as !
the greatest Negro football team he ever witnessed, wreck
ed Florida’s hitherto unbeaten, untied Men in Orange by
the unbelievable margin of 20-0 here Saturday afternoon
before an overflow crowd that included more than a thou
sand invading Atlantans.
The astounding Morris Brown victory, one of the finest
coaching jobs ever done by Billy .Nicks and Joe Lockhart, j
ended Florida’s uncrossed goal line and toppled the Rattlers I
from the select ranks of the nation’s unblemished elevens, j
Florida had won four straight victories prior to the stun-1
ning affair Saturday, having been the lone club to whip j
Morris Brown's 1940 National Champions which roared to i
nine wins in ten starts last season, including victories over j
Kentucky State and Wilberforce in the Peach Blossom and j
Steel Bowl Classics.
Both Bell and his assistants, Jake
Gaither and Buck Neilson, said
they had nothing to be ashamed
of. They asserted they had a swell
team and knew it—that only a
truly great ball club could handle
them as masterfully as had Mor
ris Brown in scoring her first tri
umph in history over Bill Bell and
first in five years over Florida.
So complete was Morris Brown’s
mastery that Florida was never
in the ball game except the first
few minutes when punting gains
nut her on the Purple 35. Kow
ever, Moody’s 62 yard quick kick
to the Florida two-yard line
changed all that.
Florida failed to penetrate the
Morris Brown 35 in the first half
half and did not cross the 50 yard
line of her own efforts in the second
half. Famcee failed to complete a
single pass out of seven and had
four intercepted. Her net yardage
rushing was a minus five yards for
the afternoon.
Morris Brown, on the other hand,
made 156 yards rushing and 39 on
three completed passes in eight
tried with a single interception.
She had eight first downs to Flori
da’s four, one on a penalty.
It was the most devastating dose
of defeat dished out to Bill Bell in
his whole coaching career and he
[ was unashamed, because he said it
took the greatest combination Ne
gro football probably had ever pro
duced to do the job.
What made the Purple win more
remarkable was the fact that Jen
kins was ailing and Moody was
hurt in the game, both losing ap
proximately 30 minutes of playing
time.
Morris Brown is on the march
and appears a lead pipe cinch for
a second straight national title.
It. was the feared John (Big
Train) Moody, 210 pound All
American fullback and high scorer
of Negro football last year with 109
points in eight games, u?ho wrecked
Florida wath a remarkable individ
ual performance.
The first quarter had been score
less for 10 minutes when Moody
climaxed a 31-yard Morris Brown
drive with a nine yard sweep around
Florida’s right end. Trapped at left
end, the Big Train reversed his
field, shook off three would be
tacklers, and swung behind perfect
blocking by Bullet Joe Mitchell to
score standing up. His conversion
put the Wolverines out in front 7
0 and the Purple stands were wild
with excitement.
The second quarter wras nearing
an end when Morris Brown blocked
a Florida punt on the Famcee 29
with Haywood Settles, the big Pur- 1
Morehouse Beaten By,
TuskegeeOn Belated
Scoring Spree 20-7
COLUMBUS, Ga. — (SNS) — More than 12,000 awe
stricken white and colored football fanatics looked on in
wonderment Friday night in commodious Memorial Stadium
as Tuskegee’s Golden Tigers, on sheer manpower, bullied
their way to a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to rally
and defeat Morehouse’s surprising Maroon Tigers 20-7.
Tuskegee drew first blood and led 6-0 at the end of the
first quarter, but Morehouse retaliated and scored in the
second quarter with a successful conversion to boot, taking
a lead of 7-6 at half time and holding it throughout a bit
terly contested third period that, for all its bruising milling
by both teams, was scoreless.
Lacking both the heft and num- |
bers of Coach Cleve Abbott’s rug
ged Golden Tigers, the Maroons
wilted alarmingly in the final pe
riod and, slowly but surely, the
Morehouse defense ripped in the
seams. Tuskegee, her back to the
wall, fashioned long scoring drives
of 79 and 67 yards, respectively, in
the fourth quarter and made both
extra points to erect her ultimate
margin of 20-7.
Tuskegee’s first score came on a ;
38 yard march of 13 plays that was ;
climaxed with Quarterback George
Robinson passing eight yards into !
the end zone to Left End Charles
Perry for a touchdown. Robert Ivey,
elongated right end, missed the at
tempted conversion from placement.
Tuskegee led 6-0.
Early in the second quarter More
house’s alertness was rewarded
when, after the Maroons blocked
Robinson’s punt on his own 20, Har
ry Miller, Maroon center, recovered
on the 21. A running play netted a
yard to the 20 and a second down
pass fell incomplete. However, on
the next play, Quarterback Charles
Simmons passed to Pinky Haines,
6-3 end, in the end zone, where pass
interference was ruled against Tus
kegee. It was then Morehouses ball
on the Tuskegee one. Captain Leon
Elam, the jarring fullback, cata
pulted over for the touchdown and
Haines converted from placement.
Morehouse was ahead 7-6 and the
lead lasted until the fourth quarter
got underway.
COLORFUL HALF-TIME
At half time, the famous 75-piece
Tuskegee band and the colorful
Morehouse 50-piece band vied for
honors within the completely dark
ened ampitheatre. Illumined feet,
waists, and foreheads of the mu
sicians, drum major, and major
ettes made a picturesque spectacle
and the tremendous gallery went
wild with excitement. Tuskegee’s
pretty queen, Mist Dorothy Howard ,
of Pittsburgh, Pa., was then pre- ]
sented.
Morehouse launched what]
amounted to a Roman holiday, what j
with booming pyrotechnics which |
darted heavenward in loud rever
berations and wealth of rainbow
colors. Martial strains filled the
vast arena, being climaxed in the
case of both bands with compelling
strains of the alma maters.
Leading 7-6, Morehouse once had
a field goal opportunity in the sec
ond quarter, but it had fallen short
by several yards. In the scoreless
third period, Morehouse, after in
tercepting a Tuskegee pass, had an
other field goal try from the Golden
Tiger 23, but, again, Pinky Haines’
placement effort was short, this
time, merely by inches.
Taking over on her own 23, Tus
kegee, after losing two yards to the
21, fashioned a 28 yard pass, Rob
inson to Ivey, which gave her first
down on her own 49. Robinson’s
heave to Upshaw Sams produced 11
more yards and moved the ball to
the Morehouse 40.
Here, Arthur Sawyer, 147-pound
tailback from Tuscaloosa, Ala., who
made 105 of Tuskegee’s 172 yards
from scrimmage, made eight yards
to the 32. Robinson added four to
the 28. Sawyer grabbed 14 to the
14 yard line. Sawyer tried for no
gain, then made 10 to the four, aft
er which Sams added three yards
to the one yard strip. Robinson
bolted over for the second Tuskegee
touchdown and booted the extra
point to make the count 13-7.
TUSKEGEE TAKES CHARGE
A few minutes later, Tuskegee
took charge on her own 33. Saw
yer made 10, two, and then 11 yards
to the Morehouse 44. Sawyer got
four and then two to the 38 but an
offside penalty moved it back to the
13. After an incomplete pass, Saw
yer made two yards to th' 41, then
pie left tackle, recovering. Jolting
Joe Jenkins then sped to the Flori
da 6 yard line on a baffling naked
reverse. After two plays, a pass,
Mitchell to Jenkins, in the end zone
produced Morris Brown’s second
touchdown. Alex Sheppard, guard,
converted and the Wolverines led
14-0 at the half.
The third quarter was scoreless
but Morris Brown threatened time
and again in the final period, twice
lifting field goal boots at the cross
bars with Moody operating. The
first was good but failure of a Pur
ple sub to report resulted in a 15 yd.
penalty and ruined the job The
second was high enough but wide
by inches.
But the Wolverines smashed
through for a third and final mark
er late in the period when, after
gaining the ball on Moody’s inter
ception of a Florida pass on the
Famcee 30, the Big Train complet
ed a touchdown pass to Turpin in
the end zone. The conversion, at
tempted on a fake kick was throtted.
The final count was on the book
at 2010.
Morris Brown’s victory was a
team triumph, every man on the
field playing a stellar role. Moody,
however, teamed with Mitchell and
Jenkins as leading backfield lumi
naries, with Wysinger and Settles,
Bookert and Turpin, Griffin and
Sheppard being most effective in
the line.
For Florida, the play of Macon
Williams, especially on pur.t re
turns, and the linebacking of Dow
dell and Harris stood out
Morris Brown
E—Grimes
T—Settles
G—Griffin
C—Brown
T—Wysinger ({,')
E—Bookert
Q—Lucas
H—M Jenkins
H—Mitchell
F—Moody
Florida
Shefield
Mike
Gant, R (C).
Dewell
Gentry
' ingleton
Oglesby
Simms
Gilliam
Harrison
Scoring touchdowns: Moody Jen
kins, Turpin; extra points: Moody,
Sheppard.
Referee: Cravens (Clark).
Umpire: Mosely (Morehouse)
Headlinesman: Gross (Knoxville)
Field Judge: Bush, (Morehouse)
Robinson passed to Eugene Porter
for 12 yards and Robinson added a
yard to the 28 for first down. Prom
here, Sams skirted Morehouse’s left
end for a touchdown. Robinson
converted, making the score final
at 20-7.
Jimmie Washington’s kicking was
sensational as he averaged bettef
than 40 yards for the evening with
one punt of 54, while Haines, Cap
tain Elam, Simmons, Clarence An
derson, Harry Miller, and Murra
townsen also stood out brilliantly
for Morehouse.
Robinson, Sawyer, Sams, Ivey,
Perry, Porter, and Captain Dennis
Stewart were Tuskegee’s mainstays.
Tuskegee had 16 first downs to
five for Morehouse, made 172 yards
rushing to 75 for Morehouse, and
also had six passes out of 13 for 39
yards to Morehouse’s two out of
seven for 29 yards.
Alcorn Bags
Jarvis Crew
By 12-6
ALCORN. Miss.—(S N S)—Jarvis
Bulldogs bit the dust against the
Alcorn Braves 12-6 here October
25. When Jarvis covered a spilled
punt by Battle on the eight yard
line in the first quarter, “Runt”
Smith ran it over on third down
to put Jarvis ahead 6-0. Smith’s
line buck for the extra point failed.
Jarvis was set back in the second
quarter when Johnson’s 50-yard
quick kick rolled deau inside the
ten yard line. The attempt to kick
out was short and Alcorn got the
ball on the Jarvis thirty. A series
of runs worked the ball to the
twelve yard line, where Battle
skirted left end on fourth down to
tie the score 6-0 as Lemoir’s at
tempted conversion was wide.
Things looked bad for Alcorn late
hi the fourth quarter when Jarvis
covered Spigner’s fumble, but, a
few plays later, Lenoir intercepted
Smith’s pass on the ten and return
ed it to the thirty. Then Lenoir
passed to Miller for ten yards. On
the next play Johnson arched a
beautiful heave to Creshon who ran
twenty seven yards to place the
oval on the thirteen, from where
Lenoir did some nice siz-zagging
around right end for the final
score.
Outstanding for Jarvis were
Smith, Parker, Wheeler in the back
field, Garman and Hemphill in the
line. For Alcorn, Lenoir, Johnson
and Battle in the backfield, Seab
ron, Derden and Creshon in the
line stood out.
All-American end Paul Miller
who returned to school late because
he could not get released from his
defense job, showed that he is
back in form and intends to mak«
fair bid for his berth again this
year as indicated by his plavin*
Saturday. yng