Return to the 1899 season page

The Oak Ridge team had been the marquee Thanksgiving Day game on the A&M football schedule since the very beginning of the football season, and had long been anticipated by both sides. The Oak Ridge Military Institute, located in Guilford County, was consistently one of the strongest sports teams in the state of North Carolina, having dominated baseball for several years and gaining a strong presence in the local footballl arena, frequently defeating or tying every North Carolina school they played against save the Tar Heels in a single football season (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, September 22nd, 1899, p. 5; Webster's Weekly, December 8th, 1898, p. 3; The Asheville Daily Citizen, May 3rd, 1899, p. 3).

The game was looked upon with excitement by more than just the players, though: one paper wrote several months in advance that the game would likely be "the event of the season in football in North Carolina this year," claiming that "one or the other of these two teams will be likely to hold the championship of schools and colleges in North Carolina this year." Notwithstanding the absence of "Universities" from that claim, the title was a prestigious one, and one that the A&M boys likely wanted badly. The full argument for the rights to wear the title "State champion" were a little murky, as A&M had tied UNC (whom Oak Ridge had lost to 0-16), while A&M had been defeated by a Davidson team that Oak Ridge beat 6-2. As the Telegram conceded, "It is conceded that Oak Ridge can beat anything in the state except the University and the A. & M. College, and if it wins over the latter Thursday, it retains the position it held last year of standing next to the University. On the other hand, should A. & M. win, the championship of schools and colleges goes to her." Oak Ridge still planned to make that claim despite playing only 2 games to that point in 1899, writing "several of the teams with which she had games scheduled wired them off" (Charlotte Daily Observer, October 10th, 1899, p. 2; Greensboro Evening Telegram, November 28th, 1899, p. 4; News and Observer, November 20th, 1899, p. 5).

As the day of Thanksgiving neared, the local football "rooters" and "cranks" mounted their anticipation of the game. While Wake Forest and Trinity were hosting their second annual Thanksgiving Day debate (organized in direct opposition to the brutality of football), the Red and White and the Blue and Red of Oak Ridge were training for their final game of the season. A letter to the editor in a local Raleigh paper implored the city to "give all its interest" to the game, writing "the stand taken by them in inter-collegiate contests is steadily advanceing" and "the best in their history." The Oak Ridge team was described as "strong," while the Raleigh boys had "gotten together the best team possible" (The Times-Visitor, November 28th, 1899, p. 1; The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 29th, 1899, p. 7).

Oak Ridge's team was reportedly in tip-top shape. A paper from nearby-Greensboro described the team as follows: "Capt. Joyner will play the game of his life at half-back. Ross, the other half-back, is a great ground gainer, and Bennett, the full back, is at home wherever he hangs his hat. Kirkpatrick, at centre, has done fine work all the year and is steady and sure. Hester and Hamer give him good support as guards." The article went on to describe the styding for the game of Prof. Wright, former Tar Heel team captain and current Oak Ridge Professor, and finally "Thomas at left tackle, is an engine of war." The A&M team was not so fortunate. Despite the long break since their last games, the Red and White were in a rough shape, with two of the team's best players--Caserley and Paschal--being unable to play due to injuries. Caserley was reportedly the fastest runner on the team, while Paschal's "lameness" was predicted to "make the line much less effective in aggressive work, if indeed it does not weaken it as a defense" (Greensboro Evening Telegram, November 28th, 1899, p. 4; News and Observer, November 20th, 1899, p. 5).

A notable feature of both lineups is that both teams had non-students in play: Wright, of Oak Ridge, and McKee, the A&M team's coach.

Though the game was intended to start at 3:30 PM, the game was delayed by 20 minutes for unmentioned reasons. A&M won the toss, and McKee kicked the ball 45 yards into Cadet territory, where it was returned 10-15 yards by one of the Bennett brothers. Through slow and steady rushes by Howard, Bennett, and Joyner, the ball was gradually advanced over 80 yards down the field, with the Oak Ridge team only losing yardage once, when Howard was tackled for a loss of 2 yards by Person. The Oak Ridge boys never lost the ball on downs, and were never called for a foul. Though Person "did the best interference for the farmers," the Red and White could not stop the momentum of the advancing Cadets. After a long, 15-minute drive, either Howard or Bennett (reports differ on who earned the goal) was "shoved" across the goal line to make the 2-yard gain, earning the Blue and Red the first touchdown of the game and 5 points. After that, either Joyner or Bennett missed the kick after goal, leaving the score as 0-5, Cadets. I believe it was Howard who scored the goal and Joyner who missed the kick, as the News and Observer report which gives those names is much more complete, but the Morning Post did claim both were by Bennett.

McKee kicked off a second time for the Farmers, again delivering a long kick of 40 yards. Bennett returned the ball 20 yards to set up "one of the prettiest plays of the game." As the News and Observer described the play, "The ball was snapped to left tackle who threw to Bennett who threw to Bennett who was beyond the opponents [sic] interference on right. He carried the ball 14 yards before he was downed." The gains of Bennett were squandered, however, on the next play, when the Blue and Red lost the ball "by the quarter carrying it forward." Then, the Farmers got their first opportunity of the game to score, getting the ball at exactly midfield. Aided by more "beautiful interference" by Person, Saddler, McKee, and Person carried the ball "to the goal of the Oak Ridge team by a succession of fast plays around the ends and through the centre." Turner also helped move the ball forward during this drive, in which the Farmers never were reported as losing yardage until the end. With the ball 10 yards from Oak Ridge's goal line, Person carried the ball 5 yards forward, followed by a 2-1/2 yard gain by Turner. On the following play, Person brought the ball "within 6 inches of the goal line." After that play, "the crowd surged in a black ring of yelling and jesticulating humanity around the players." On the very next play, Person was "shoved" over the line, but in a moment papers described as "a heart-breaking episode," dropped the ball before the ball could be placed down to earn the goal; an Oak Ridge player landed on the ball, giving the Oak Ridge team a touchback. Oak Ridge kicked the ball off from their own 25 yard line, and after "Another kick and a couple of good runs by A. and M." the first of two planned 30-minute halves ended with the ball on Oak Ridge's 45-yard line.

To start the second half, Bennett kicked off 45 yards to Saddler, who returned the ball 15-18 yards. After a "pretty gain" by Newton of 10-15 yards, McKee, Newton, and Person rushed for around 7 yards, at which point the Red and White fumbled; fortunately, Morson recovered the ball "in one of the prettiest plays of the game." After about 20 more yards of gain, the Farmers were stopped before they could get a new set of downs, and the ball went over to the Cadets. "With the ball well beyond the centre of the field Oak Ridge carried it for good gains to the 50 yard line." During that series of runs by Oak Ridge, the Farmers subbed out Lougee to replace McKee and Nichols in the place of Saddler. After that, Oak Ridge gained 10 more yards, but Joyner was hurt, delaying the game slightly. Thankfully, the crowd furnished some entertainment: "During the wait two youths among the spectators enlivened the tedium with a fight." Once play resumed, the Cadets drove the ball all the way to the 2 yard line, "but there the A. and M. braced and held them for downs." That stop was particularly impressive because during the rest of the match the Farmers had only been reported as stopping Oak Ridge's advance for no gain just once.

Upon getting the ball, A&M kicked the ball 40 yards downfield, where Bennett attempted to recover the ball but fumbled. "When half the men on the two teams had tried to pick up the ball and failed he secured it and made a pretty gain of 10 yards." After that play, Oak Ridge made about a dozen yards in short gains, leaving the Blue and Red about 35 yards from the Farmer goal line. At that point, Bennett "made the star play... of the season on the local gridiron." The ball was snapped to Howard, who "started around right but stumbled and fell." Before Howard fell, however, "Quick as a flash Bennett passed by" and ran the ball the remaining 35-40 yards down the field "absolutely without interference," reportedly "shaking off his opponents" as he ran. Again, reports vary as to whether Joyner or Bennett attempted the kick, but the result was the same: the kick missed, leaving the Cadets up 10-0.

Person kicked off a final time for the game, kicking the ball 40 yards. Howard and Joyner combine for a few dozen yards of gains, but time is called at 5:30 PM on account of darkness before the entirity of the second half could be played. Despite their loss, "the A. and M. generously congratulated their rivals" on their title of State champion, and local papers wrote that the game was "honorably lost," noting the "clean" and "sportsmanlike" ball both teams had played not only that game but throughout the season. What was described as the best play of the Farmers came at an unspecified point in the game, but the play involved Newton running "a wild sprint" and "jumping over two opponents." The run, which earned the Red and White 20 yards, was easily their best of the day, but I was unable to estimate its point in the descriptions of the game (News and Observer, December 1st, 1899, p. 5; The (Raleigh) Morning Post, December 1st, 1899, p. 5.

The Oak Ridge student body was overjoyed by their victory, with the entire student body, along with the Oak Ridge Instutute Band, meeting the team "at the outskirts of the village." The members of the team made rousing speeches, with Wright giving a detailed description of the game, and Bennett making a humorous speech where he jokingly quoted school Principal H. H. Holt's speech he gave as the team left. Holt had quoted "the Spartan mother, 'Come home with your shield or on it,' he said, holding up his nose guard, 'Ma, here is my shield'" (News and Observer, December 3rd, 1899, p. 10; Charlotte Daily Observer, December 2nd, 1899, p. 2).

The game was also anthologized in a lengthy topical song parodying What Are The Wild Waves Saying that was inserted into a local play later that week. After dwelling on issues of importance ranging from womens' hats to the cleanliness of Walnut Creek, the author, J. Earley Hughes, closed the epic by turning his attention to A&M's football team:

The A. & M. College can hardly play ball,
Now that's what the wild waves are saying,
Perhaps they'll do better again next fall,
Now that's what the wild waves are saying.
The game they played Oak Ridge wasn't up to scratch,
The College should get up a corn shucking match,
Then maybe the farmers the prize could snatch,
Now that's what the wild waves are saying.

(News and Observer, December 3rd, 1899, p. 14)