1936 Slippery Rock Rockets football team

The 1936 Slippery Rock Rockets football team represented Slippery Rock State Normal School—now known as Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania—in the 1936 college football season.[2][3]

1936 Slippery Rock Rockets football
Northwestern Pennsylvania champion[1]
ConferencePennsylvania State Teachers Conference
Record6–3 (3–1 PSTC)
Head coach
Home stadiumNew Slippery Rock Stadium
Seasons
← 1935
1937 →
1936 Pennsylvania State Teachers Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Lock Haven $ 6 0 2 6 0 2
Shippensburg 6 1 0 7 1 0
Mansfield 4 1 0 4 3 0
Slippery Rock 3 1 0 6 3 0
Indiana (PA) 4 2 1 4 2 1
West Chester 1 1 0 4 4 1
Kutztown 1 1 1 5 2 1
California (PA) 3 4 0 3 4 1
Edinboro 1 3 0 1 4 0
Millersville 1 4 0 3 4 0
Bloomsburg 1 6 0 1 7 0
East Stroudsburg 0 3 0 2 6 0
Clarion 0 4 0 0 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion

History

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In N. Kerr Thompson's 16th year as head coach, the Rockets compiled a 6–3 record and outscored their opponents 93 to 70. The Rockets went 3–1 against conference opponents, finishing fourth in the Pennsylvania State Teachers conference.

The team is most famous for a news story that circulated[citation needed] around the United States and used the transitive property to declare Slippery Rock the national champion.[4] Slippery Rock made its case by beating the Westminster Titans, which defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, which beat Duquesne, which upset Pittsburgh, which beat Notre Dame, which upset former #1 Northwestern, which defeated Minnesota, who was crowned national champions by the Associated Press. The humorous story was widely popular, and gave Slippery Rock college a good deal of notoriety.[citation needed]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 26at West ChesterWest Chester, PAL 6–132,000[5]
October 3at Geneva*Beaver Falls, PAL 0–25[6]
October 10Indiana Normal 
W 10–03,500[7]
October 17at Westminster (PA)*New Wilmington, PAW 14–0[8]
October 24at Waynesburg*Waynesburg, PAL 0–20[9]
October 31Grove City*
  • New Slippery Rock Stadium
  • Slippery Rock, PA
W 6–02,500[10]
November 7BloomsburgBloomsburg, PAW 10–0[11]
November 14Thiel*
  • New Slippery Rock Stadium
  • Slippery Rock, PA
W 14–6[12]
November 21California (PA)
  • New Slippery Rock Stadium
  • Slippery Rock, PA
W 33–6[13]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming

References

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  1. ^ "ROCKETS BEST IN N. W. PENNA". The Record-Argus. November 30, 1936. p. 4. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "- All-time Game Results". static.rockathletics.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  3. ^ "Slippery Rock 1936 schedule". The Pittsburgh Press. November 23, 1936. p. 31. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  4. ^ "Yes Virginia, There Is a Slippery Rock". The Express. Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. September 7, 1967. Retrieved June 15, 2023. Slippery Rock was No. 1 in the nation because the team that beat West Virginia Wesleyan which beat Duquesne, 2–0, which in turn beat Pitt, 7–0, which beat Notre Dame, 26–0, which beat Northwestern, 26–6, which beat Minnesota, 6–0 so there.
  5. ^ "SLIPPEY ROCK NOSED OUT". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. September 27, 1936. p. 24. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "GENEVA DOWNS ROCKETS". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. October 4, 1936. p. 23. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Slippery Rock Whips Indiana". The Pittsburgh Press. October 11, 1936. p. 21. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Rockets Top Westminster, Win, 14 to 0". The Pittsburgh Press. October 18, 1936. p. 23. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "JACKETS CRUSH ROCKETS BY 20-0 SCORE". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. October 25, 1936. p. 23. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  10. ^ "Rockets Top Grove City". The Pittsburgh Press. November 1, 1936. p. 23. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "ROCKETS TRIM BLOOMSBURG". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. November 8, 1936. p. 28. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "Slippery Rock Scores Win Over Lutherans, 14 To 6". The Pittsburgh Press. November 15, 1936. p. 24. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  13. ^ "Rockets Top California". The Pittsburgh Press. November 22, 1936. p. 25. Retrieved May 24, 2020.