1947 Shaw Bears football team

The 1947 Shaw Bears football team was an American football team that represented Shaw University as a member of the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1947 college football season. In their second season under head coach Howard K. Wilson, the team compiled a 10–0 record (6–0 against CIAA opponents), won the CIAA championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 246 to 39.[2]

1947 Shaw Bears football
Black college national champion CIAA champion
Conference	Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1947 record	10–0 (6–0 CIAA)
Head coach	Howard K. Wilson (2nd season)

1947 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Shaw $	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
No. 7 Virginia State	7	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Hampton	5	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
No. 11 Howard	6	–	2	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
No. 9 Morgan State	5	–	2	–	1			5	–	2	–	1
No. 14 West Virginia State	4	–	1	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
No. 19 Lincoln (PA)	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	4	–	1
Delaware State	4	–	3	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Virginia Union	3	–	5	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Winston-Salem State	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
North Carolina A&T	1	–	5	–	1			1	–	5	–	1
North Carolina College	2	–	6	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Bluefield State	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Saint Paul's (VA)	0	–	5	–	1			0	–	5	–	1
Johnson C. Smith	0	–	2	–	1			1	–	5	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from the Pittsburgh Courier using the Dickinson Ratings System.[1]

Key players included halfbacks Twillie Bellamy and Jim Jackson, fullback John Turner, end Bill Elliott, tackle Gladstone Booth, guard Leroy Way, and center Kermit Booker.[3]

In post-season discussions about the black college football national championship, Shaw was criticized for a weak strength of schedule, having failed to schedule games against the three CIAA opponents that were ranked in the top 10 under the Dickinson Rating System: Hampton (No. 4), Virginia State (No. 7), and Morgan State (No. 9). In the final Dickinson ratings, Tennessee A&I was determined as the black college national champion with Shaw in fifth place. Florida A&M, a team that Shaw defeated by a 19–0 score, was ranked fourth under the Dickinson System.[4] Shaw was, however, determined to be the CIAA champion under the Dickinson methodology.[5]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22	at Fayetteville State*	Fayetteville, NC	W 21–0
October 4	Florida A&M*	Raleigh, NC	W 19–0
October 11	at Saint Paul (VA)	Lawrenceville, VA	W 71–0
October 18	St. Augustine's	Raleigh, NC	W 49–0
October 25	at Morris Brown*	Atlanta, GA	W 13–6
November 1	Howard	Raleigh, NC	W 22–14
November 8	Virginia Union	Raleigh, NC	W 12–6
November 15	at Johnson C. Smith	Charlotte, NC	W 19–6
November 27	at North Carolina College	Durham, NC	W 12–7
December 6	vs. South Carolina State*	Washington, DC	W 8–0	5,000	[3][6]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "1947 - Shaw (NC)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
3. "Shaw's Bears Smite S.C.: S.C. Team Outclassed By Shaw in 8-0 Battle". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 13, 1947. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tennessee No. 1 in Nat'l Grid Ratings". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 6, 1947. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Shaw Officially Named CIAA Grid Champions". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 20, 1947. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Fred Leigh (December 13, 1947). "Shaw Rips S.C. State In D.C.: Bears' 2nd Quarter Tallies Decide Tilt, CIAA Champs Fizzle On Early Drives Then Fight Gallanty to Hold Lead". Baltimore Afro-American (p. 17).