C. W. Savage, Michigan, and Ohio State
Ohio State-Michigan is among the top rivalries in college football, but little ol' Oberlin College claims to have beaten both, and C. W. Savage played an indirect role in one of those wins and a direct role in the other.
Savage played halfback for Oberlin in 1891 and 1892, the latter being John Heisman's first year as a head coach.
A November 1892 game at Ann Arbor, during which Savage had a 100-yard touchdown run, ended in dispute with Oberlin leading 24 to 22. The dispute centered on an agreement to finish the game in time for Oberlin to catch the train home. Oberlin argued the time had passed, while Michigan thought otherwise. After Oberlin left the field, Michigan ran another play for their claimed 26-24 victory.
Savage later became a professor at his alma mater and its athletic director from 1906 to 1935. A proponent of strict amateurism, he was a long-time NCAA Football Rules Committee member.
During his tenure as Athletic Director, he oversaw two pivotal games in Oberlin's relationship with Ohio State. The first came in 1916 after hiring the former Chicago All-American, Paul Des Jardien, as football coach. Although Oberlin was competitive at its level, Ohio State had begun to move up in the football world, so when a fraternity incident led to the expulsion of much of Oberlin's team, things did not look good for the Yeomen. They looked even worse by the end of the game since they were the poundees in a 128-0 pounding administered by the Buckeyes.
While that loss was severely disappointing, Savage had hired former Oberlin player T. N. Metcalf as coach for the 1913 team, only to see him lured away by Columbia the following year. After three years in New York, Metcalf returned to Oberlin for a three-year stint, including the 1921 season when his Yeoman cracked the Buckeyes, beating them 7-6 in a hard-fought game. App State beating Michigan was a mild surprise compared to Oberlin topping the returning Big Ten champion Ohio State, but the Oberliners walked away with the big win.
Oberlin's win remains notable today since it is the last time a college football team from Ohio beat the Buckeyes.
Unfortunately for Oberlin and Savage, Coach Metcalf left after the 1921 season to become the AD at Iowa State. He then moved to Chicago in 1933 to take over the AD duties after Amos Alonzo Stagg's departure. Metcalf helmed the athletic department when Chicago dropped football and later left the Big Ten to pursue amateurism over commercialism. He remained there until 1955.
Sometimes, the apple does not fall far from the coaching tree.
It’s never too early to start your holiday shopping or gift list. Give or get a gift subscription to Football Archaeology or acquire one of my books here.
Subscribe for free for limited content or gain full access with a paid subscription.
The real question is, in three years how did Oberlin pull off that 129-point swing against the Buckeyes?