Today in History—October 7: The Most Lopsided Score in College Football

On this day in 1916, Georgia Tech demolished Cumberland College, 222–0, in the biggest blowout in college football history. And it was all because of a grudge.

Earlier that year Cumberland College had trounced Georgia Tech in a baseball game, 22–0. Georgia Tech’s coach, John Heisman, was furious. He believed that Cumberland had used professional players. He wanted revenge.

Luckily for Heisman, he also coached Georgia Tech’s powerhouse football team, which was scheduled to play Cumberland in the 1916 season. However, Cumberland had decided to disband its sports teams. Undeterred, Heisman said that if the game wasn’t played, Cumberland would owe a forfeit fee of $3,000 (about $92,000 today). He also offered to cover its travel expenses from Lebanon, Tennessee, to Atlanta and pay an additional $500.

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Cumberland relented, and it assembled a squad of law students and fraternity brothers. Because the college had gotten rid of its football equipment, the players stole uniforms from a local high school.

The game began—and basically ended. Cumberland punted on its first drive, Georgia Tech scored on the next play, Cumberland then fumbled, and Georgia Tech scored again. And that’s pretty much how things went. By the end of the first half, Georgia Tech had put up 126 points.

Several Cumberland players left during the game, and two were found hiding on Georgia Tech’s sidelines. Eventually Cumberland’s student manager, George E. Allen, was forced to play. After a fumble, the ball landed near Allen, and his teammate yelled at him to get it. With Georgia Tech players barreling toward him, Allen refused: “You dropped it, you pick it up!”

Heisman showed some compassion, agreeing to shorten each quarter of the second half by three minutes. The final score was 222–0, echoing the baseball game’s tally. Heisman had his revenge, and Cumberland’s misery was over.

The final numbers were impressive—and impressively bad. Georgia Tech scored 32 touchdowns and had 978 total yards. Cumberland made no first downs and committed 15 turnovers.

Georgia Tech went on to win the national championship in 1917. Cumberland decided to give football another try, reinstating its team in 1920. And John Heisman? He became one of the sport’s legendary coaches, and college football’s most prestigious award is named after him: the Heisman Trophy. He was also one heck of a grudge holder.