Return to the 1902 season page

Though the Oak Ridge Institute and the A&M boys had been scheduled to have a game since as early as September 19th, the game fell through. Several papers reported on the scheduled game (including the Atlanta Constitution as late as November 10th), but it was canceled without explanation by Oak Ridge, who in other places reported their season to have ended on November 12th (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, September 19th, 1902, p. 5; The Atlanta Constitution, November 10th, 1902, p. 7; Charlotte Daily Observer, November 16th, 1902, p. 3).

The Cadets of Oak Ridge did not have a great year in 1902. Originally scheduled to open their season on September 24th against UNC, the team was not organized in time and the game was pushed back to October 4th. Instead, the team opened its season with a 5-28 loss to Davidson at Davidson, with their sole 5 points scored on a drop-kick by former Virginia Military Institute player and would-be President of VMI's graduating class of 1905 named John B. Glenn. Three days later, the Blue and Red went back north to Chapel Hill, where they met North Carolina and lost 35-0 in a game that lasted just 25 minutes total. Carolina scored her first touchdown in just 35 seconds.

The next scheduled game for Oak Ridge was to be against the Asheville School, in Asheville, on October 11th, but the Asheville team reportedly canceled at the last minute. The next game involving Oak Ridge's team I could find took place on October 21st. An event on the opening day of Greensboro's Central Carolina Fair, Oak Ridge bested the Danville Military Institute 11-0 at the Central Carolina Fairgrounds. Reportedly, Oak Ridge was in position to score a third touchdown but the Danville boys quit with the ball on the 5 yard line. Danville's team spent a great deal of time in Greensboro in 1902, having been defeated by Guilford on November 15th by a score of 41-0.

Following their first win over DMI, the Oak Ridge cadets lost to High Point's city team and lost 6-5 on November 1st. That loss was the last reported game I could find that took place involving Oak Ridge; an article in the November 12th copy of The Greensboro Patriot wrote that the Oak Ridge team's season was over, despite their outstanding dates in Raleigh against A&M and a match against the Robert Bingham School of Asheville scheduled for November 21st (The Greensboro Patriot, November 12th, 1902, p. 7).

Oak Ridge finished 1902 with a 1-3 record, though their losses mostly came against strong college teams. It is possible the team played additional games.