Today's Tidbit... Football Can Be So Upsetting

The desire for and celebration of upsets is why March Madness is often magical, and the same happens occasionally in football. The 2024 season has already witnessed an upset or two, with Northern Illinois' takedown of Notre Dame being the most celebrated. Still, upsets occur at all levels. Every year, we see FCS teams beat FBS squads, DIII schools knock off DII, and so on.

The same scenarios occurred in the days when all colleges were created equal, when the NCAA had not yet stratified into divisions. Of course, just as kids playing T-ball know the score of games when the adults do not officially keep track, there were hierarchies among the football-playing schools that everyone understood. People recognized the hierarchies even without rankings, allowing them to acknowledge upsets when they occurred.

One such upset came in 1913 when the Colby Mules visited the Brown Bears and kicked the Ursas in the teeth. Brown is a member of the Ivy League today, and Colby plays in the DIII NESCAC, but the members of those leagues played one another more often before WWI. In 1913, Brown stood a notch below Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Pitt, Army, and Navy, while Colby hung with Williams, Amherst, and similar schools.

Still, when Colby's team boarded the train on Thursday for their Saturday season opener in Providence, only a few gave them a chance despite losing only 3-0 the year before. With a team numbering almost 40 men, 15 players made the trip for Colby, including five returning starters. The five returnees included both ends, both guards and the left halfback.

Only 13 players sat for Colby’s team picture in 1913. (1914 Colby yearbook)

Brown returned four starters from the previous season, with a few others missing due to academic problems. Nevertheless, Brown was Brown, and Colby was Colby, so most everyone anticipated a Bruin victory.