1923 Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football team

The 1923 Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football team represented the Quantico Marine Base in the 1923 college football season. The team was led by third-year head coach John Beckett. In a 10-game schedule, the team went 7–2–1, with losses to VMI and Michigan. Between those two losses, the team had a six-game winning streak where they outscored opponents by an aggregate of 248–3. The season ended with a tie against Haskell and a 7–0 win over military rival Third Army Corps.

1923 Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football
Quantico Marines vs. Michigan Wolverines on November 10, 1923
Conference	Independent
1923 record	7–2–1
Head coach	John Beckett (3rd season)

1923 Southern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Tennessee Docs			–					6	–	0	–	2
VMI			–					9	–	1	–	0
West Virginia			–					7	–	1	–	1
Loyola (LA)			–					5	–	1	–	1
Navy			–					5	–	1	–	3
Middle Tennessee			–					4	–	1	–	0
Quantico Marines			–					7	–	2	–	1
Wake Forest			–					6	–	3	–	0
William & Mary			–					6	–	3	–	0
Louisville			–					5	–	3	–	0
Delaware			–					5	–	3	–	1
Trinity (NC)			–					5	–	4	–	0
Catholic University			–					4	–	4	–	0
Texas Mines			–					3	–	4	–	0
Richmond			–					3	–	5	–	0
Georgetown			–					3	–	6	–	0
East Tennessee State			–					3	–	6	–	0
Tulsa			–					2	–	5	–	1
Davidson			–					3	–	7	–	0

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22	at VMI	VMI Parade Ground Lexington, VA	L 0–6		[1]
September 29	vs. Washington College	Winchester, VA	W 19–0	20,000	[2][3]
October 6	at Georgetown	Griffith Stadium Washington, D.C.	W 14–3	15,000	[4]
October 13	Western Maryland freshmen[lower-alpha 1]	Quantico, VA	W 74–0		[6][7]
October 20	Gallaudet	Quantico, VA	W 61–0		[8]
October 27	vs. George Washington	Norfolk, VA	W 40–0	2,500	[9]
November 3	Villanova	Quantico, VA	W 40–0		[10]
November 10	at Michigan	Ferry Field Ann Arbor, MI	L 6–26	42,000	[11]
November 17	vs. Haskell	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY	T 14–14	10,000	[12]
December 1	vs. Third Army Corps	Griffith Stadium Washington, D.C.	W 7–0		[13][14]
Source: [15]

Game summaries

at Michigan

Quantico Marines at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total Quantico Marines 6 0 0 0 6 • Michigan 0 7 7 12 26 Date: November 10, 1923 Location: Ferry Field Ann Arbor, MI Game attendance: 42,000 Referee: James Masker (Northwestern)

On November 10, 1923, the Quantico Marines faced the 1923 Michigan Wolverines football team at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[16] The game was attended by 2,000 Marines and by several dignitaries, including Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby, who had played football at Michigan in the 1890s, and Marine Corps Commandant John A. Lejeune.[17] The Wolverines, who went on to an undefeated season and a national championship, defeated the Marines, 26–6. The Marines took the opening kickoff and drove 89 yards for a touchdown, using "a bewildering aerial and line attack." The Marines' touchdown was the only one scored on Michigan during the entire 1923 season. The Marines led 6–0 at the end of the first quarter, but Michigan then scored 26 unanswered points. Quarterback Irwin Uteritz led Michigan's comeback, scoring a touchdown in the second quarter on a dive between center Jack Blott's legs. Uteritz later left the game with a broken leg and was replaced by Tod Rockwell at quarterback. When Rockwell came into the game, Michigan lined up for a field goal with Rockwell holding the ball. As the Marines came through to block the kick, Rockwell jumped to his feet and ran the ball 26 yards for a touchdown.[18][17][19]

Notes

1. Catholic University, listed by some sources as the Devil Dogs' opponent, played and defeated Randolph–Macon on this date.[5]

References

1. "V. M. I. Takes First Game of Football Season from Quantico Marines, 6 to 0". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. September 23, 1923. p. 13. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
2. "Three State College Teams Swing Into Action Today". The Baltimore Sun. September 29, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
3. "Marines Win With Stars On Side Lines". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. September 30, 1923. p. 67. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
4. "Marines Again Win From Georgetown". The Baltimore Sun. October 7, 1923. p. 19. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
5. "Catholic U. Opens Grid Season With Win". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. October 14, 1923. p. 81. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
6. "Football Scores". The Baltimore Sun. October 14, 1923. p. 17. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
7. Aloha (PDF). Western Maryland College. 1924. p. 172. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via mcdaniel.edu. The first time that the team had a chance to prove its worth was on October 13th when they met the Quantico Marines second team at Quantico, Va. The end of the game found the Freshman on the short end of the score, but the experience they gained was incalculable.
8. "Gallaudet Crushed by Marine Gridmen". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. October 21, 1923. p. 59. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
9. "Marines Too Powerful For George Washington". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. October 28, 1923. p. 61. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
10. "Marine Team Improves As Season Progresses". The Baltimore Sun. November 5, 1923. p. 13. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
11. "Marines Are No Match for Michigan". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. November 11, 1923. p. 65. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
12. "Quantico Marines' Comeback Ties Haskell Indians, 14-14". New York Daily News. November 18, 1923. p. 58 – via newspapers.com.
13. "Foot Ball Having Last Big Saturday of Year: Marine and Army Squads Speed Up". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. November 24, 1923. p. 23. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
14. "Quantico Marines Defeat Third Army Corps Eleven In Annual Grid Contest". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. AP. December 2, 1923. p. 72. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
15. "Quantico Football 1918 thru 1942 ROSTERS" (PDF). jarheadjocks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
16. "42,000 Watch Marines Fall". The Decatur Sunday Review. Decatur, Illinois. November 11, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
17. "Michigan Defeats Marines By 26–6: 42,000 See the Wolverines Rally After Opponents Tally First Touchdown; Notables Attend Game". The New York Times. November 11, 1923.
18. Evans, Billy (December 8, 1923). "Won Fame On First Big Ten Play". Iowa City Press-Citizen. p. 8. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
19. "Marines Crack Under Terrific Attack of Wolverine Warriors: Michigan Eleven, Swept Off Its Feet by Naval School Team in First Period, Stages Brilliant Comeback and Wins Easily by 26 to 6 Score". The Davenport Democrat and Leader (Iowa). November 11, 1923. p. 24.

External links

• Video of 1923 Michigan game