1911 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

The 1911 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska as a member of Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1911 college football season. The team was coached by first-year head coach Ewald O. Stiehm and played its home games at Nebraska Field in Lincoln, Nebraska.[1]

1911 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
MVC co-champion
Nebraska state champion
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record5–1–2 (2–0–1 MVC)
Head coach
Home stadiumNebraska Field
Seasons
← 1910
1912 →
1911 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Iowa State + 2 0 1 6 1 1
Nebraska + 2 0 1 5 1 2
Kansas 1 1 1 4 2 2
Washington University 0 0 2 4 2 2
Missouri 0 2 2 2 4 2
Drake 0 2 1 5 2 1
  • + – Conference co-champions

Following the retirement of W.C. Cole in 1910, Nebraska hired Stiehm as his replacement.[2] Nicknamed "Jumbo" because of his large feet, Stiehm was a regimented, fiery man who was prone to frequent tirades on the sidelines.[3] Despite this, his first Cornhuskers team, with nine returning starters from 1910, split the MVC championship with Iowa State.

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 73:30 p.m.Kearney Normal*
W 117–0
October 143:30 p.m.Kansas State*
  • Nebraska Field
  • Lincoln, NE (rivalry)
W 59–0
October 212:30 p.m.at Minnesota*L 3–2110,000[4]
October 283:00 p.m.Missouri
  • Nebraska Field
  • Lincoln, NE (rivalry)
W 34–0
November 42:30 p.m.at Iowa State
T 6–6
November 113:00 p.m.Doane*
  • Nebraska Field
  • Lincoln, NE
W 27–0
November 182:30 p.m.at Kansas
W 29–07,000[5]
November 252:30 p.m.Michigan* 
  • Nebraska Field
  • Lincoln, NE
T 6–6
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming

Coaching staff

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Coach[6] Position First year Alma mater
Ewald O. Stiehm Head coach 1911 Wisconsin
Jack Best Trainer 1890 Nebraska

Roster

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Anderson, Arthur G
Chauner, Walter E
Elliott, E.B. C
Frank, Ernest HB
Frank, Owen HB
Gibson, J.P. FB
Harman, Dewey RT
Hornberger, Evans G
Lofgren, Gus E
Pearson, Monte T
Potter, Herbert QB
Purdy, Leonard HB
Russell, Richard HB
Shonka, Sylvester LT
Swanson, Caesar LG
Warner, Leon QB

[7]

Game summaries

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Kearney State

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Kearney State at Nebraska
1 2Total
Kearney State 0
Nebraska 117

Stiehm's first game ended in a 117–0 blowout of Kearney State, two points shy of tying the program record of 119 points set in NU's previous game. This was the only meeting between Kearney State and Nebraska.

Kansas State

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Kansas State at Nebraska
1 2Total
Kansas State 0
Nebraska 59

Nebraska and Kansas State met for the first time in 1911, though they were not yet in the same conference.

At Minnesota

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Nebraska at Minnesota
1 2Total
Nebraska 3
Minnesota 21

Nebraska outgained Minnesota in both rushing and passing yards, but again fell to the Golden Gophers.

Missouri

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Missouri at Nebraska
1 2Total
Missouri 0
Nebraska 34

At Iowa State

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Nebraska at Iowa State
1 2Total
Nebraska 6
Iowa State 6
  • Date: November 4, 1911
  • Location: State Field, Ames, IA
  • Game start: 2:30 p.m.

Doane

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Doane at Nebraska
1 2Total
Doane 0
Nebraska 27

With wins against both in-state opponents, Nebraska recorded their eighth unofficial state championship.

At Kansas

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Nebraska at Kansas
1 2Total
Nebraska 29
Kansas 0
  • Date: November 18, 1911
  • Location: Central Park, Lawrence, KS
  • Game start: 2:30 p.m.

Nebraska clinched a share of the Missouri Valley championship with a 6–0 win over Kansas.

Michigan

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Michigan at Nebraska
1 234Total
Michigan 0 060 6
Nebraska 0 060 6

Michigan stars Stanfield Wells and Miller Pontius were unable to play, prompting the Detroit Free Press to quip that Michigan could claim the "world championship of injuries".

In the third quarter of a scoreless game, Michigan end Frederick L. Conklin blocked a Nebraska punt and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. The Chicago Daily Tribune wrote: "Conklin broke through, blocked it, turned like lightning and sped without interference across the goal line for Michigan's first touchdown." NU responded on its next drive with two long end runs that took the ball to Michigan's eight-yard line, and halfback Leonard Purdy finished off the drive with a touchdown.

The New York Times called the game "the hardest contest ever witnessed on Nebraska Field."

References

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  1. ^ "1909 Nebraska Cornhuskers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "Jumbo Stiehm selected as Nebraska coach". Lincoln Journal Star. February 21, 1911.
  3. ^ Mike Babcock. "How It Was: The first great coach". Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Players Find Themselves and Defeat Nebraskans by 21 to 3". The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. October 22, 1911. p. 53 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Scoring All Done by Cornhuskers: Kansas Lost Game to Nebraska 29 to 0 and Also the Missouri Valley Championship -- Line Didn't Hold". The Topeka Daily Capital. November 19, 1911. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Nebraska head coaches". HuskerMax. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  7. ^ "Nebraska Football 1911 Roster". University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletics Department. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "the 1910s". HuskerMax. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c "1912 Cornhusker - University of Nebraska Yearbook". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d "1912 Cornhusker - University of Nebraska Yearbook". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  11. ^ "Nebraska Wins Missouri Title: Coach Stiehm's Boys Romp Through Opponents at Will, Scoring Five Touchdowns". Detroit Free Press. November 19, 1911. p. 13. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Thomson Is Back, "Stan" Wells and Pontius Are Out: Regains Her Star Fullback, but Learns That Two Other Valuable Men Will Not Play Against the Sturdy Nebraska Cornhuskers--Coach Yost Is Not Certain of How His Team Will Line Up on Saturday". Detroit Free Press. November 23, 1911. p. 9. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  13. ^ "Pontius May Not Play Against the Nebraska Eleven: Feared That "Brute" Will Not Be in Shape for Closing Game of Michigan's Season--Scrimmage Work Is Scheduled for Today to Try Out Some New Plays Designed Especially to Whip the Cornhuskers--Reserves Are Given a Treat". Detroit Free Press. November 22, 1911. p. 9. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  14. ^ "Michigan Claims Championship of World at Having Men Hurt: More Injuries This Season Than Ever Before in History of Maize and Blue Football". Detroit Free Press. November 20, 1911. p. 8. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  15. ^ "Michigan in Tie Game: Wolverines Outplayed by Nebraska -- Both Score After Fumble" (PDF). The New York Times. November 26, 1911.
  16. ^ "Nebraska Plays Michigan to Tie: Each Team Scores Touchdown in Third Quarter of LinColn Contest; Game Fiercely Fought; Nebraska Holds Yost; Rival Elevens Battle to Tie, 6-6 in Lincoln Contest; Scores in Third Quarter; Capt. Conklin Makes First Touchdown and Shonka the Second". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 26, 1911. p. C1. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2019.