Oberlin College Football: A History of Yeomen Gridiron Glory and Grit
The Oberlin Yeomen football program has a long and storied history, representing Oberlin College in the world of college football at the NCAA Division III level. From its early days as a Midwestern powerhouse to its more recent struggles and resurgence, the program has woven itself into the fabric of the college's identity.
Founding and Early Success
Oberlin's football program emerged in the late 19th century, a time when the sport was rapidly gaining popularity across the United States. In 1892, a pivotal moment arrived with the hiring of John Heisman as head coach. Heisman, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a football innovator, brought instant credibility to the program. The faculty had not approved football as a sport prior to 1891, but it agreed to hire Heisman as head coach for the '92 season because he was recommended by Walter Camp.
Under Heisman's guidance, the "O" Men, as they were then known, achieved their first undefeated season in 1892, boasting a perfect 7-0-0 record. They dominated their opponents, averaging a remarkable 37-4 score per game. This dominant run included two victories over Ohio State and one over Michigan, solidifying Oberlin's place among the leading teams in the Midwest. To this day, the Wolverines still claim they won the contest but all agree that both sides played the game as it should have been played (without any slugging.)
Heisman's impact extended beyond wins and losses. He is credited with pioneering innovative football techniques such as formation shifts, centering the ball, and forward passing, shaping the game into what it is today. His contribution to Oberlin was in proving that an intelligent coach was an integral part of the sport. Even today, the Heisman name remains synonymous with excellence in college football, recognized through the prestigious Heisman Trophy awarded to the most outstanding player each year.
The Contentious Clash with Michigan in 1892
A memorable and controversial game against the University of Michigan in November 1892 epitomizes the passion and drama of early Oberlin football. The game in Ann Arbor was close all the way. Oberlin's team took the field in Ann Arbor against a heavily favored Michigan squad which had trounced them handily the year before. Notable among the Oberlin visitors was their new player-coach John Heisman, who had been hired away from the University of Pennsylvania by the Oberlin Athletic Association (a student-run enterprise in those days) and who brought an undefeated team with him to Ann Arbor. The team's fastest running back was Charles Savage, who a few years later would become Oberlin's director of athletics and, like Heisman, a nationally prominent figure. Oberlin's best lineman was theology student John Henry Wise, half-German, half-Hawaiian, who after graduation returned to his island home and joined a nationalist drive to overthrow the Hawaiian government. He was sent to prison for three years charged with treason.
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Michigan led 22-18 at halftime. With less than two minutes remaining, Michigan drove to the 5-yard line before Oberlin stopped them and took over on downs. Two plays later Oberlin made its final touchdown. Score: Oberlin 24, Michigan 22, with less than a minute to go. According to some accounts, time had expired, and the Oberlin squad trotted off the field to catch the train. However, the umpire, a Michigan man, controversially ruled that four minutes remained on the game clock, citing unrecorded timeouts. Michigan then walked the ball over the goal line for an uncontested touchdown and was declared the winner, 26 to 24.
The game's outcome remains a subject of debate, with conflicting reports in newspapers. By that time the Oberlinians were headed home clutching their own victory, 24 to 22.
Early 20th Century and Conference Affiliations
During the early part of the 20th century, Oberlin enjoyed a wide range of success. Oberlin is a charter member of the NCAA and was one of the founding members of the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1902, along with Western Reserve University, Kenyon College, Ohio State University, Ohio Wesleyan University and Case School of Applied Science. The league commonly was known as the "Big Six." This marked a period of stability and competition within a structured conference. However, the landscape of college athletics was evolving.
In 1913, Ohio State left the league to join Michigan in the Big Ten, signifying the widening athletic distance between liberal arts schools like Oberlin and major universities. Ohio State's all-time highest margin of victory was a 128-0 thrashing of Oberlin in 1916, however Oberlin is also the last in-state school to defeat Ohio State.
Decline and the "Losingest Team" Era
Since 1929, Oberlin has been unable to duplicate the success of its early years in college football. As a result of The Great Depression and World War II many young men were enlisting in the armed forces instead of attending college and playing football. The college, as a private institution, began focusing on the liberal arts aspect of Oberlin's education, forgoing aggressive expansion like former rivals Michigan and Ohio State. During these years Oberlin experienced up and down seasons, though they would lose more often than win. The late 20th century brought a period of significant struggle for the Oberlin football program.
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In 1985 Oberlin helped found the North Coast Athletic Conference, based on the principle of gender equality in athletics. From 1990 through 2001 the Oberlin College football team lost more games than any other team in college football, winning only 4 games and nursing two separate streaks of 40 or more losses. The teams of 1994 to 2000 have been rated the fifth worst college football team of all time by ESPN.com's Page 2. In 1994, Oberlin lost all nine games of its season scoring only ten points and giving up 358 points. In 1995, the Yeomen were outscored 469 to 72. In August 1996, Sports Illustrated featured Oberlin in its annual College Football Preview as the worst team in Division III.
The team's struggles became a national story, with some even labeling Oberlin as the "losingest team" in college football. After losing 56-0 to Allegheny in one 1992 game, the Yeoman had so few players they had to forfeit their next game against Wittenberg- and the forfeit turned out to be one of their finest outings. "Nobody got hurt," one school official told Sports Illustrated. "And a forfeit shows up as a 6-0 loss in the books, which was better than most of our scores." After four winless seasons from 1993 to 1996, Oberlin opened its 1997 season with an 18-17 victory over Thiel College, sparking post-game jubilation with fans rushing the field. The victory garnered national attention as ESPN featured it on SportsCenter. Oberlin would not win another game for almost four years. Swarthmore College and Oberlin scheduled a 1999 matchup, with both schools nursing long losing streaks, just so one of them could end their streak. Despite the notoriety, the players and coaches persevered, maintaining their commitment to the sport and the college.
Recent History and Program Rebuilding
Since the 2002 season, Oberlin has recovered from its years of college football futility. Aided in part by consistent coaching, and improvements to the athletic facilities under the guidance of the administration. 2007 may have been the most successful season in the early 2000s. The team went 5-5 overall and finished third in the North Coast Athletic Conference, breaking multiple offensive team records along the way. The group was also successful as individuals. Of the players on the 2007 roster, 6 hold multiple school records, 16 made the All-NCAC team, and 2 were named All-Americans. The 2007 squad boasts the school's all-time passer, receiver, kick-returner, rusher, and all-time leading scorer.
On November 16, 2013, Oberlin broke ground on the new Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex while playing its final game at Savage Stadium. Less than a month later, on December 6, 2013, it was announced that head coach Jeff Ramsey would be leaving the program. In February 2014 it was announced that interim head coach Jay Anderson would take over for Ramsey. The beginning of the 2014 season also saw the dedication of the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex and Dick Bailey Field, which replaced the outdated Savage Football Stadium and features an all-weather, multipurpose field with artificial turf and lights, suitable for multi-sport use. It serves as the home for the Yeomen football team, field hockey team, and men's and women's lacrosse teams. The complex includes a state-of-the-art press box, grandstands for home and visiting spectators, a support facility with home and visitor locker rooms, and innovative meeting and social spaces for the campus community. The complex is the result of an $8 million gift from the Austin E.
Steve Opgenorth took over as head coach of the program in 2020. In 2020 Steve Opgenorth announced the hiring of Alex Hanna to the position of Assistant Conerbacks Coach and Director of Football Operations. Hanna is believed to be the first woman to coach the Oberlin Football team and one of a handful of women coaching men's college football as of 2021.
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Rivalries
Oberlin is a former rival of Ohio State, both having been members of the Ohio Athletic Conference. The two first played in 1892 and would compete 26 times over the next 30 seasons before Ohio State outpaced Oberlin's growth and left them behind to join the Big Ten. While it lasted, the rivalry was fairly even as Oberlin posted a 10-13-3 record against the Buckeyes including blowout wins of 50-0 and 40-0 and 128-0. As the gap in class sizes began to grow wider, so did the talent on the gridiron. In 1921, the teams met again as Ohio State came off a Rose Bowl appearance and a conference championship the previous year. The Buckeyes gained the lead in the first five minutes of the game after they scooped up a blocked Yeomen punt and scored. In the third quarter, the Yeomen put together an 85-yard drive that ended with a touchdown. Oberlin's kicker completed the point after, which proved to be all the lead the Yeomen would need to seal the victory.
Oberlin has been part of traditional rivalries with several other liberal arts colleges in Ohio. These include the four other Five Colleges of Ohio: Denison, Wooster, Kenyon, and Ohio Wesleyan; as well as local rival Case Western Reserve. Kenyon has traditionally been Oberlin's biggest rival. The rivalry, which began over 100 years ago, stems from the school's many similarities, most notably the level of academic prestige. Though all of the schools in the North Coast Athletic Conference are known for their academic standards, Kenyon and Oberlin are consistently recognized as the top two academic schools in the conference and top 25 in the country.[14] This, among other similarities, often leads to competitive recruiting of the same high school student-athletes. The rivalry on the field has been just as competitive.
Individual Records
Several players have left their mark on the Oberlin football program, setting records that stand as testaments to their athletic achievements:
- Most rushing attempts, game: 46, Ron Stevenson (1981 vs.)
- Most rushing yards, career: 2,505, R.V.
- Most rushing yards, season: 1,280, R.V.
- Most rushing yards, game: 336, R.V. Carroll (2006 vs.)
- Most rushing touchdowns, career: 39, R.V.
- Most rushing touchdowns, season: 16, R.V.
- Most rushing touchdowns, game: 5, R.V. Carroll (2006 vs.)
- Longest run from scrimmage: 94 yards, Fred Cummings (1987 vs.)
- Most passing attempts, game: 63, Josh Mandel (2011 vs.)
- Most passing completions, game: 40, James Parker (1997 vs.)
- Most passing yards, game: 506, Lucas Poggiali (2015 vs.)
- Most passing touchdowns, game: 6, Willie Martinez (1974 vs.)
- Longest pass completion: 89yds, Josh Mandel (2012 vs.)
- Highest completion percentage, game: .888, Kevney O’Connor (1949 vs.)
- Most receptions, game: 17, Felix Brooks-Church (1996 vs.)
- Most receiving yards, game: 242, Justin Cruz (2014 vs.)
- Most touchdown receptions, game: 4, Jay Greeley (1974 vs.)
- Longest pass reception: 89yds, Robin Witjes (2012 vs.)
- Most points, season: 98, R.V.
- Most points, game: 30, R.V. Carroll (2006 vs.)
- Most touchdowns, career: 40, R.V.
- Most touchdowns, season: 16, R.V.
- Most touchdowns, game: 5, R.V. Carroll (2006 vs.)
- Most PATs, game: 9, Zach Richard (2007 vs.)
- Most field goals, game: 4, Erickson Andrews (2012 vs.)
- Longest field goal: 56yds, _____ ______ (1994 vs.)
- Most kickoff return yards, game: 250, Malik Cavallo (1993 vs.)
- Most punt returns, game: 9, David Kalgren (2012 vs.)
- Most punt return yards, game: 95, Jon Davies (1969 vs.)
- Most tackles, game: 31, Keith LaDu (1985 vs.)
- Most tackles for loss, game: 8, Jon Ramsier (2003 vs.)
- Most interceptions, game: 3, George Parr (2000 vs.)
- Most interception yards, game: 110, Quammie Semper (2003 vs.)
- Most sacks, game: 5, Sam Hobi (2001 vs.)
- Average yards per punt, game: 52.9, Bryant Walker (2017 vs.)
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