1924 college football season

(Redirected from 1924 NCAA football season)

The 1924 college football season was the year of the Four Horsemen as the Notre Dame team, coached by Knute Rockne, won all of its games, including the Rose Bowl, to be acclaimed as the best team in the nation. Notre Dame and Stanford were both unbeaten at season's end, with the Fighting Irish winning the Rose Bowl contest 27–10. The Penn Quakers were retroactively awarded a national championship by Parke H. Davis.[1]

Red Grange's Illinois team upset Michigan. The Illini were upset by Minnesota, which in turn was upset by Vanderbilt. Fred Russell's Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football dubs 1924 "the most eventful season in the history of Vanderbilt football." Centre claimed a southern title in its last season of national relevance, upsetting Wallace Wade's first SoCon champion Alabama team. Alabama did not lose another game until 1927.[2][3]

Conference and program changes

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Conference changes

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Membership changes

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School1923 Conference1924 Conference
Ball Teachers HoosieroonsProgram establishedIndiana Intercollegiate
College of Charleston CougarsIndependentDropped Program
Georgia Normal EaglesProgram establishedIndependent
Montana GrizzliesIndependentPCC
Sewanee TigersSIAASouthern
Vanderbilt CommodoresSIAA/SouthernSouthern
VMI KeydetsIndependentSouthern

September

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September 27 California with a 13–7 win over Santa Clara. Dartmouth beat Norwich College 40–0. Southern Methodist University (SMU) beat North Texas 7–0, and Alabama opened with a 55–0 win over Union College of Tennessee.

October

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October 4 Missouri opened its season with a 3–0 win at Chicago, the Maroons' only loss of the season. Notre Dame opened its season with a 40–0 win over Lombard College. Stanford beat Occidental College 20–6, and California beat St. Mary's 17–7. Army beat St. Louis 17–0, Yale beat North Carolina 27–0, and Dartmouth beat Montreal's McGill University 52–0. Alabama won at Furman 20–0. SMU beat Trinity College 14–3

October 11 Notre Dame beat Wabash 34–0. Stanford beat the Olympic Club 7–0 and California defeated Pomona College, 28–0. Army beat Detroit's Mercy College, 20–0 and Dartmouth beat Vermont 38–0. In a battle of Bulldogs, Yale beat Georgia 7–6. Missouri defeated Missouri Wesleyan College 14–0 (MWC was closed in 1930). Chicago beat visiting Brown, 19–7. Alabama beat Mississippi College 51–0. In a Friday game, SMU beat Austin College 7–0

October 18 At the Polo Grounds in New York, Notre Dame beat Army 13–7, the Cadets' only loss for the season. In his column the next day, sportswriter Grantland Rice dubbed the Notre Dame backfield (Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden) in his column of October 20, writing "Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."

In other games, Yale and Dartmouth played to a 14–14 tie. Stanford defeated Oregon 28–13, while California beat the Olympic Club 9–3. In Birmingham, Alabama beat Sewanee 14–0. SMU beat Texas 10–6. Missouri won at Iowa State 7–0, and Chicago defeated Indiana 23–0.

October 25 Notre Dame beat Princeton 12–0. In Columbus, Chicago and Ohio State played to a 3–3 tie. At Portland, Oregon, Stanford had a more difficult time than expected in defeating Idaho, 3–0, while California beat Washington State 20–7. Army beat Boston University 20–0, Dartmouth beat Harvard 6–0, and Yale defeated Brown 13–3. At Atlanta, Alabama recorded another shutout, beating Georgia Tech 14–0. SMU and Texas A & M played to a 7–7 tie in Dallas. Missouri beat Kansas State 14–7.

November

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November 1 California and USC, both unbeaten and untied with records of 5–0–0, met at Berkeley, with California handing the Trojans their first defeat, 7–0.Notre Dame beat visiting Georgia Tech 34–3Stanford beat Santa Clara 20–0 and California beat visiting USC 7–0Army and Yale played to a 7–7 tie. Dartmouth defeated Brown 10–3.SMU stayed unbeaten with a 6–0 win at TCU. Missouri suffered its first defeat, a 14–6 loss at Nebraska. Chicago beat Purdue 19–6.

Alabama registered its 8th shutout in a 61–0 win over Ole Miss at Montgomery. To that point, the Crimson Tide had outscored its opposition 215–0.

November 8 Notre Dame won at Wisconsin 38–3In a game at Berkeley, Stanford beat Utah 30–0, while in Seattle, California was tied by Washington.Army beat visiting Florida 14–7, Dartmouth beat Boston University 38–0, and Yale beat Maryland 47–0SMU was tied at Arkansas 14–14.Alabama gave up its first points in a 42–7 win over visiting Kentucky. Missouri won at Oklahoma 10–0.Chicago and Illinois played to a 21–21 tie.

November 15 Notre Dame beat Nebraska 34–6Stanford beat Montana 41–3 and California beat Nevada 27–0Army and Columbia played to a 14–14 tie, and Yale beat Princeton 10–0. In New York, Dartmouth closed its season unbeaten with a 27–14 win over Cornell.Alabama was defeated by Centre College, 17–0, in a game at Birmingham.SMU and Baylor played to a 7–7 tie in Dallas. Missouri beat Washington University in St. Louis 35–0. Chicago beat Northwestern 3–0.

November 22 In Chicago, Notre Dame beat Northwestern 13–6Stanford (7–0–0) and California (7–0–1) were both unbeaten going into the final game of the season, played at Berkeley. The teams played to a 20–20 tie, with Stanford getting the bid to the Rose Bowl; California hosted a postseason game against Penn for New Year's DayYale closed its season unbeaten with a 19–6 win over Harvard. Chicago and Wisconsin played to a scoreless tie.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 27 Alabama beat Georgia 33–0 in Birmingham. Missouri beat Kansas 14–0, and received an invitation to play USC at the Los Angeles Christmas Festival (where it would lose, 20–7)

Notre Dame closed its season in Pittsburgh on Friday, November 28, with a 40–19 win over Carnegie Tech.In the Army–Navy Game, held in Baltimore, Army won 12–0On November 29 SMU and Oklahoma State played to a 13–13 tie, giving the Mustangs a season record of 5 wins, no losses and four ties.

Rose Bowl

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Notre Dame had the Four Horsemen; Stanford had Ernie Nevers. Neither team had lost a game in 1924 and they met in Pasadena before a crowd of 52,000. The Stanford Indians took a 3–0 lead in the first quarter after Murray Cuddeback's field goal. In the second quarter, Elmer Layden ran for one touchdown, then scored another after picking off an Ernie Nevers pass and returning the interception to give the Irish a 13–3 lead at halftime. Stanford closed the gap to 13–10 in the third quarter with a pass from Ed Walker to Ted Shipkey, but lineman Ed Hunsinger scooped up a fumble from an attempted Stanford punt return to give Notre Dame its third touchdown. In the last quarter, Stanford was stopped eight inches from the goal line. Layden picked off another Nevers pass and returned it 70 yards for the final score, with Notre Dame winning 27–10.[4]

Other bowls

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Conference standings

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For this article, major conferences defined as those including multiple state flagship public universities. Rankings listed below under the Dickinson System were not made during the 1924 season, but retroactively on October 16, 1925 when Frank G. Dickinson ranked 11 teams according to his mathematical formula, with Notre Dame having the best score, followed by California, Yale, Illinois and Stanford in the top five teams.[5]

Major conference standings

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1924 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 11 Chicago $303413
No. 4 Illinois311611
No. 6 Iowa311611
Michigan420620
Purdue220520
Minnesota121332
Ohio State132233
Indiana130440
Northwestern130440
Wisconsin022233
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System
1924 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 10 Missouri $510720
Nebraska310530
Drake311521
Grinnell210330
Iowa State320431
Oklahoma231251
Kansas241251
Kansas State141341
Washington University040440
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System
1924 New England Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Connecticut $400602
New Hampshire210720
Maine120431
Massachusetts010611
Rhode Island State030070
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
South Dakota State $500710
South Dakota410620
Creighton310612
North Dakota Agricultural330530
Nebraska Wesleyan120242
Des Moines130260
Morningside140250
North Dakota140330
St. Thomas (MN)010520
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Stanford $301711
No. 2 California202802
Washington311811
No. 7 USC210920
Idaho420521
Oregon221423
Oregon Agricultural140350
Washington State041152
Montana030440
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Dickinson System
1924 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Colorado $501811
Utah Agricultural321421
Colorado Agricultural320420
Denver322422
Colorado College430530
Montana State111511
Utah221341
Colorado Mines241441
BYU131231
Wyoming160260
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Southern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Alabama $500810
Florida201622
Georgia510730
Tulane410810
Washington and Lee411631
South Carolina320730
Sewanee *320640
Mississippi A&M320540
Virginia320540
Georgia Tech321531
Vanderbilt *330631
VPI223423
VMI231631
Kentucky230450
North Carolina230450
Auburn241441
Maryland121333
NC State141242
LSU030540
Ole Miss030450
Clemson030260
Tennessee040350
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – co-member of SIAA
1924 Southwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Baylor $401721
SMU204504
Rice220440
Texas A&M221721
Oklahoma A&M111612
Texas230531
Arkansas121721
TCU150450
  • $ – Conference champion

Independents

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1924 Eastern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Dartmouth  701
No. 3 Yale  602
No. 8 Penn  911
Rutgers  711
Bucknell  820
Lafayette  720
Washington & Jefferson  720
Holy Cross  711
Army  512
Syracuse  821
Fordham  620
Lehigh  413
Boston College  630
Penn State  631
Princeton  421
Springfield  421
Columbia  531
Pittsburgh  531
NYU  431
CCNY  430
Brown  540
Carnegie Tech  540
Colgate  540
Cornell  440
Harvard  440
Tufts  342
Franklin & Marshall  351
Villanova  251
Drexel  270
Vermont  270
Temple  140
Boston University  150
Buffalo  170
Rankings from Dickinson System
1924 Midwestern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Notre Dame  1000
Kirksville Osteopaths  600
Central Michigan  710
Western State Normal (MI)  511
John Carroll  720
Haskell  721
Indiana State  620
Loyola (IL)  522
Marquette  520
Dayton  730
Saint Louis  630
Michigan Agricultural  530
Wabash  540
Butler  450
Detroit  450
Muncie Normal  130
Kent State  040
Rankings from Dickinson System
1924 Southern college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Quantico Marines  701
Tennessee Docs  910
Centenary  810
West Virginia  810
West Virginia Wesleyan  920
Davidson  721
Wake Forest  720
George Washington  631
William & Mary  521
Delaware  431
Texas Mines  321
Mississippi State Teachers  332
Birmingham–Southern  441
Spring Hill  441
Georgetown  440
Marshall  440
Duke  450
Western Kentucky State Normal  450
East Tennessee State Normal  341
Loyola (LA)  342
Louisville  351
Southwestern  360
Union (TN)  360
Richmond  261
Navy  260
Catholic University  152
Georgia Normal  130
West Tennessee State Normal  171
Middle Tennessee State Normal  170
Delaware State  010
1924 Western college football independents records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hawaii  800
Saint Mary's  810
La Verne  711
New Mexico A&M  730
Tempe Normal  611
Pacific (CA)  630
Gonzaga  502
New Mexico  510
Cal Aggies  541
Nevada  341
Santa Clara  351
Arizona  240
Santa Barbara  251
Humboldt State  100

Minor conferences

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ConferenceChampion(s)Record
California Coast ConferenceChico State Teachers2–0
Central Intercollegiate Athletics AssociationLincoln (PA)7–0–1
Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of WisconsinRiver Falls Normal4–0
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceSimpson7–0–1
Kansas Collegiate Athletic ConferenceKansas State Normal–Pittsburg5–0–1
Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationSouthwestern Louisiana3–0
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationHillsdale5–0
Midwest Collegiate Athletic ConferenceCornell College
Knox
Lawrence
3–0–1
3–0
1–0
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceCarleton4–0
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationNortheast Missouri State Teachers2–0–2
Nebraska Intercollegiate ConferenceNebraska State Teachers–Peru6–0
North Central Intercollegiate ConferenceSouth Dakota State College5–0
Ohio Athletic ConferenceOberlin8–0
Oklahoma Intercollegiate ConferenceCentral State Teachers
South Dakota Intercollegiate ConferenceColumbus College6–0
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic ConferencePomona5–0
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceTuskegee
Southwestern Athletic ConferencePaul Quinn3–0
Texas Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationHoward Payne5–0
Tri-Normal LeagueState Normal–Bellingham2–0

Minor conference standings

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1924 California Coast Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Chico State $200720
Fresno State300720
Modesto JC210341
San Mateo JC110???
Bakersfield JC120232
San Jose State010140
Sacramento JC010???
Cal Poly030150
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lincoln (PA) $501701
Virginia Union312413
Hampton331431
Virginia Normal123533
Virginia Seminary230440
Shaw121122
Howard111213
Saint Paul's (VA)041442
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Lombard +500540
Knox (IL) +400710
Bradley710810
Eastern Illinois520620
McKendree *420440
Millikin420440
Monmouth (IL)531541
Shurtleff320330
Wheaton (IL)320430
Western Illinois330430
Illinois College440540
Illinois Wesleyan440440
Eureka341341
Carthage231341
Mount Morris230550
Illinois State Normal242242
Southern Illinois120620
St. Viator120152
Northern Illinois State130440
Augustana (IL)270270
Lake Forest140160
Lincoln (IL)151251
Blackburn040170
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – McKendree finished the season 5–0–1 in conference play, but forfeited a tie with Illinois College and a win over Eastern Illinois.
    † – St. Viator finished the season 2–1 in conference play, but forfeited a win over Illinois Wesleyan.
1924 Indiana Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Notre Dame $1001000
Butler400450
Indiana State410520
Franklin420530
Earlham420530
Oakland City420420
Wabash320540
Indiana Central320420
Evansville230340
Rose Poly230360
Hanover340440
DePauw130260
Ball State130130
Manchester010010
Vincennes020020
Central Normal060160
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Iowa Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Simpson $701801
Parsons501611
Buena Vista300512
Penn (IA)520620
Morningside210250
St. Ambrose220421
Upper Iowa231241
Central (IA)120241
Iowa Wesleyan140370
Ellsworth140250
Des Moines140260
Iowa State Teachers150250
Luther011431
Western Union030151
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Pittsburg Teachers $501701
College of Emporia610610
Sterling621621
Fairmount521621
Kansas Wesleyan530530
Bethany (KS)432432
Emporia Teachers332342
Southwestern (KS)222422
Friends341341
Hays Teachers340340
McPherson351351
Baker350450
St. Mary's (KS)240340
Ottawa261261
Bethel (KS)140140
Washburn160270
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Hillsdale $500611
Albion410630
Alma320350
Michigan State Normal230251
Olivet140260
Kalamazoo050260
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Midwest Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Cornell (IA) +301601
Knox +300710
Lawrence +101411
Coe220341
Ripon111232
Carleton120520
Beloit131331
Millikin010440
Monmouth (IL)010541
Hamline020150
  • + – Conference co-champions
1924 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Carleton $400520
St. Thomas (MN)300520
St. Olaf320421
Gustavus Adolphus221241
Concordia (MN)120231
Macalester122132
Hamline130150
Saint John's (MN)041141
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Missouri College Athletic Union football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Westminster (MO) $700900
Missouri Wesleyan510620
William Jewell321431
Missouri Mines110360
Missouri Valley231331
Drury230340
Culver–Stockton130440
Tarkio040260
Central (MO)040080
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Maryville (MO) +310611
Kirksville +202621
Warrensburg211441
Cape Girardeau130332
Springfield (MO)031422
  • + – Conference co-champions
1924 Nebraska College Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Peru Normal $600800
Hastings401512
Chadron Normal510810
Grand Island510511
Midland311332
York (NE)530630
Kearney Normal341341
Cotner240350
Doane161161
Wayne Normal160161
Omaha030060
Nebraska Central060060
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Oberlin $800800
Wittenberg610710
Ohio Wesleyan410720
Case621621
Wooster521622
Akron320530
Western Reserve322522
Heidelberg322332
Mount Union431541
Ohio Northern331431
St. Xavier111251
Kenyon341441
Denison340341
Ohio240440
Otterbein250250
Muskingum250260
Cincinnati140261
Baldwin–Wallace140170
Miami (OH)150260
Hiram070170
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Columbus (SD) $600620
Augustana (SD)610620
South Dakota Mines510620
Yankton510521
Dakota Wesleyan310440
Northern Normal330430
Eastern Normal240250
Sioux Falls150150
Spearfish040160
Southern Normal050261
Huron060060
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Southern California Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Pomona $500520
Occidental410440
Whittier320430
Redlands131152
Caltech140360
Southern Branch041053
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Centre +100511
Oglethorpe +500631
Mississippi College201251
Newberry410820
Mercer411532
Sewanee*210640
The Citadel420640
Louisville210341
Millsaps110351
Georgetown (KY)110140
Transylvania120620
Furman120550
Wofford240370
Howard (AL)130351
Presbyterian130161
Vanderbilt*010631
Louisiana College010010
Western Kentucky020460
Erskine040170
Chattanooga050171
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • * – co-member of SoCon
1924 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Paul Quinn $302603
Prairie View311511
Wiley230440
Bishop??????
Samuel Huston??????
Texas College??????
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Howard Payne $500720
North Texas State Teachers411531
Southwest Texas State420530
Rice210440
Southwestern (TX)320450
Austin221731
West Texas State220540
Daniel Baker241361
Trinity (TX)242272
Simmons (TX)240260
Abilene Christian130342
East Texas State130351
Sam Houston State131251
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Tri-State Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Geneva +201342
Thiel +201351
Westminster (PA)120460
Bethany (WV)010171
Duquesne020242
  • + – Conference co-champions
1925 Western Interstate Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Columbia (IA) $311521
La Crosse State111322
Luther110431
Valparaiso111432
DePaul010331
St. Viator011152
  • $ – Conference champion
1924 Wisconsin Normal Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
River Falls Normal $400700
Whitewater Normal210610
Milwaukee Normal210420
La Crosse Normal210322
Oshkosh Normal320530
Eau Claire Normal220520
Superior Normal220350
Stout Normal120331
Platteville Normal140152
Stevens Point Normal150250
  • $ – Conference champion

Awards and honors

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All-Americans

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The consensus All-America team included:

PositionNameHeightWeight (lbs.)ClassHometownTeam
QBHarry Stuhldreher5'7"151Sr.Massillon, OhioNotre Dame
HBRed Grange5'11"175Jr.Wheaton, IllinoisIllinois
HBJim Crowley5'11"162Sr.Green Bay, WisconsinNotre Dame
FBElmer Layden6'0"162Sr.Davenport, IowaNotre Dame
EJim Lawson5'11"190Sr.Long Beach, CaliforniaStanford
EHek Wakefield5'10"180Sr.Petersburg, TennesseeVanderbilt
TEd Weir6'0"190Jr.Superior, NebraskaNebraska
GCarl Diehl6'1"205Jr.Chicago, IllinoisDartmouth
CEdwin C. Horrell6'2"185Sr.Pasadena, CaliforniaCalifornia
GJoe PondelikSr.Chicago
TEd McGinley5'11"185Sr.Swarthmore, PennsylvaniaPenn
ERichard LumanSr.Pinedale, WyomingYale

Statistical leaders

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  • Player scoring most points: Heinie Benkert, Rutgers, 100 (16 touchdowns and four extra points)[6]
  • Total offense leader: Red Grange, Illinois, 1176

References

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  1. ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2015). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. p. 108. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  2. ^ 1924 Centre College football scores Archived 2000-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Alabama football scores
  4. ^ "Four Horsemen Win Thriller 27 to 10," Lincoln State Journal, January 2, 1925, p10
  5. ^ "Illini Fourth in Dickinson's National Rank", The Urbana (IL) Daily Courier, October 17, 1925, p.6 ("Prof. Frank G. Dickinson broadcast his 1924 national championship football ratings out of Chicago last night. He was invited to talk at the "WHT" radio station... Notre Dame, generally accepted as the national champion following its all-conquering season, proved to be the leading eleven in Dickinson's method.")
  6. ^ "Benkert, Rutgers Star, Holds Lead in Scoring Race", Reading Times, December 1, 1924. Accessed January 17, 2018. "He was unablr, however, to overtake Heinie Benkert, and the Rutgers backfield marvel leads the final list with an even 100, the only player to reach the three-figure class."