1915 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 1915 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1915 college football season. In his first season with the program, head coach Pop Warner led the Panthers to wins in all eight games and they outscored their opponents by a combined total of 247–19. Home games were held at Forbes Field, the ballpark of baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates.

1915 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Co-national champion (Davis)
Conference	Independent
1915 record	8–0
Head coach	Pop Warner (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Double wing
Captain	Guy Williamson
Home stadium	Forbes Field

1915 Eastern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Cornell			–					9	–	0	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					8	–	0	–	0
Columbia			–					5	–	0	–	0
Harvard			–					8	–	1	–	0
Carnegie Tech			–					7	–	1	–	0
Rutgers			–					7	–	1	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	1	–	0
Washington & Jefferson			–					8	–	1	–	1
Colgate			–					5	–	1	–	0
Syracuse			–					9	–	1	–	2
Dartmouth			–					7	–	1	–	1
Tufts			–					5	–	1	–	2
Penn State			–					7	–	2	–	0
Lafayette			–					8	–	3	–	0
Princeton			–					6	–	2	–	0
Franklin & Marshall			–					6	–	2	–	0
Temple			–					3	–	1	–	1
Wesleyan			–					6	–	3	–	0
Allegheny			–					5	–	3	–	0
Swarthmore			–					5	–	3	–	0
Army			–					5	–	3	–	1
Lehigh			–					6	–	4	–	0
Holy Cross			–					3	–	2	–	2
Brown			–					5	–	4	–	1
Buffalo			–					4	–	4	–	0
Fordham			–					4	–	4	–	0
NYU			–					4	–	4	–	1
Middlebury			–					3	–	4	–	2
Muhlenberg			–					4	–	5	–	0
Yale			–					4	–	5	–	0
Boston College			–					3	–	4	–	0
Penn			–					3	–	5	–	2
WPI			–					3	–	5	–	1
Carlisle			–					3	–	6	–	2
Rhode Island State			–					3	–	5	–	0
New Hampshire			–					3	–	6	–	1
Gettysburg			–					3	–	6	–	0
Rochester			–					3	–	6	–	0
Bucknell			–					2	–	6	–	3
Williams			–					1	–	7	–	0

Season

Cover art from a 1915 Pitt football game program

Pitt athletic booster Joseph Trees and athletic director A. R. Hamilton hired Pop Warner in 1914 as Pitt's head coach. Warner, who had previously led Carlisle, Cornell, and Georgia, had been successful at his previous stops, mentoring the likes of Jim Thorpe, and was known as an innovator of the game who originated the screen pass, single- and double-wing formations, and use of shoulder and thigh pads. His arrival at Pitt gave the program instant national credibility, lifting the perception of the program from a regional power to that of a national one.[1]

Warner's impact was immediate. Led by center Robert Peck, Pitt's first First Team All-American, and All-American end James Pat Herron, the 1915 Pitt team went 8–0, shutting out five opponents and outscoring opponents by a combined 247–19. The team was selected by football historian Parke H. Davis as that season's co-national champion, along with Cornell.[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 2	Westminster (PA)	Forbes Field Pittsburgh, PA	W 32–0
October 9	at Navy	Worden Field Annapolis, MD	W 47–12
October 16	Carlisle	Forbes Field Pittsburgh, PA	W 45–0
October 23	at Penn	Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA	W 14–7
October 30	Allegheny	Forbes Field Pittsburgh, PA	W 42–0
November 6	Washington & Jefferson	Forbes Field Pittsburgh, PA	W 19–0
November 13	Carnegie Tech	Forbes Field Pittsburgh, PA	W 28–0
November 25	Penn State	Forbes Field Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	W 20–0

[3]

List of national championship selectors

The 1915 team was selected or recognized as national champions by multiple selectors, of which Parke H. Davis's selection is recognized as "major" (i.e. national in scope) by the official NCAA football records book.[4] College Football Data Warehouse also recognizes Pitt as a national champion in 1915.[5]

The selectors that determined Pitt to be national champions in 1915.[5]

• Bill Libby
• Jim Koger
• Mel Smith
• Parke H. Davis*

* A "major" selector that was "national in scope" according to the official NCAA football records book.[4]

All-American selections

Main article: 1915 College Football All-America Team

• Bob Peck, center (College Football Hall of Fame inductee) (1st team Collier's Weekly as selected by Walter Camp;[6] 1st team Frank G. Menke, Sporting Editor of the International News Service;[7] 1st team Monty, New York sports writer Monty;[8] 1st team Parke H. Davis;[9] 1st team Tommy Clark[10])
• Andy Hastings, Pittsburgh (2nd team Frank G. Menke)[7])
• James Pat Herron, end (2nd team Walter Camp)

*Bold - Consensus All-American[6]

References

1. Sciullo Jr., Sam (2008). University of Pittsburgh Football Vault: The History of the Panthers. Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, LLC. p. 25. ISBN 0-7948-2653-9.
2. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2015). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. p. 108. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
3. "Pittsburgh Yearly Results".
4. 2012 NCAA Football Records (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2012. pp. 69–71. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
5. "1915 National Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
6. "Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA. 2012. pp. 2–4.
7. "Covers Wide Scope In Choosing His All-American Gridironers". The Washington Post. 1915-12-05.
8. "Monty Picks All-Star Team: Maulbetsch of Michigan Lands on Second Eleven; He is Only 'Westerner' to Be Honored by the Writer". Fort Wayne News. 1915-12-04.
9. "Sporting Notes". Syracuse Herald. 1915-12-03.
10. Tommy Clark (1915-12-05). "The All American Eleven for Season of 1915". The Lexington Herald.