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Centre Colonels football
First season1880; 144 years ago
Athletic directorBrad Fields
Head coachAndy Frye
27th season, 174–86 (.669)
StadiumAndy Frye Stadium
Field surfaceField Turf
LocationDanville, Kentucky
NCAA divisionDivision III
ConferenceSouthern Athletic Association
Past conferencesSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1924–1941)
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (1962–2011)
All-time record616–414–37 (.595)
Bowl record2–1 (.667)
Playoff appearances4
Playoff record2–4
Claimed national titles1 (1919)
Conference titles16 (11 SCAC, 3 SIAA, 2 SAA)
Consensus All-Americans2
ColorsBlack and Gold
   
Websitecentrecolonels.com/football

The Centre Colonels football team, historically also known as the Praying Colonels, represents Centre College in NCAA Division III competition. The Colonels currently play in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA), which was established in 2011. Before the establishment of the SAA, Centre played 50 seasons in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Despite the school's small size (2008 enrollment of 1,215), the football team has historically had success and possesses a strong tradition. At the end of the 2008 season, the school ranked as the 12th winningest school in Division III with an all-time record of 509–374–37.[1]

History

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On April 9, 1880, a Centre College team traveled to Lexington to play against Transylvania University in the first football game south of the Ohio River.[1] The Colonels lost that game, and a rematch at home later in the month, but it was the start of a long-running rivalry with their in-state opponent.[2] The first officially recognized game of Centre and the University of Kentucky took place in 1891. In that series, the Colonels compiled a 20–13–2 record before the Kentucky athletic council decided to permanently drop Centre from their schedule after the 1929 season.[3][4] From 1917 to 1924, Centre compiled a 57–8 record while playing against some of the best teams in the nation.[1] The team was retroactively selected by Jeff Sagarin as co-national champion for the 1919 season.[5] After the 1920 season, Centre faced Texas Christian (TCU) in the Fort Worth Classic. The Colonels convincingly routed them, 63–7.[6]

Members of the Centre College football team meeting with President Calvin Coolidge and Senator Richard P. Ernst in 1921.
Members of the Centre College football team meeting with President Calvin Coolidge and Senator Richard P. Ernst in 1921.

The 1921 Centre–Harvard game resulted in one of the most shocking upsets in college football, with the Colonels winning, 6–0.[7][8] The star of that game, back Alvin "Bo" McMillin, was twice named a consensus All-American, in 1919 and 1921. Center Red Weaver was named a consensus All-American alongside him in 1919.[9] The Colonels finished the 1921 season undefeated, outscoring their opponents, 314–6.[10] In the Dixie Classic, precursor to the modern Cotton Bowl Classic, Centre faced Texas A&M. Miscues contributed to the Colonels' defeat, 22–14.[11] This is also the game in which Texas A&M's 12th man tradition originated. In 1924 Centre defeated Georgia and Alabama and claims a southern title. As early as 1927, a writer noted that its glory days were short-lived as losses mounted and it fell out of the limelight.[12]

Centre again found success during the 1950s. In 1951, the Colonels finished the season with a 5–1 record and were invited to play Northern Illinois State in the Corn Bowl. The invitation, however, was rejected by the school administration who wished to de-emphasize football.[13] From 1954 to 1956, Centre compiled a sixteen-game winning streak. In 1955, the undefeated Colonels were again invited to a postseason game, the Tangerine Bowl, but once more declined.[1]

In recent years, Centre has secured eight SCAC championships between 1980 and 2003. Jack "Teel" Bruner, a safety from 1982 to 1985, became the second Centre Colonel inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[1] In 1984, he recorded five interceptions against Rose-Hulman, tying the all-time record.[14]

In 2011, the Colonels' final SCAC season, they finished second in the conference, but received an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament. The Colonels defeated Hampden–Sydney in the first round to earn their first Division III tournament win, and lost in the next round to traditional D-III powerhouse Mount Union.[15]

The Colonels' 2014 season was arguably their most successful in decades. They won their first SAA championship and finished the regular season 10–0, marking the team's first unbeaten regular season since 1955 and only the third in school history. The season ended in the first round of the Division III playoffs against John Carroll.[16]

Conference affiliations

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Postseason appearances

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NCAA Division III playoffs

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The Colonels have made four appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs, with a combined record of 2–4.

Year Round Opponent Result
2011 First Round
Second Round 		Hampden–Sydney
Mount Union 		W, 51–41
L, 10–30
2014 First Round John Carroll L, 28–63
2018 First Round
Second Round 		Washington & Jefferson
Mount Union 		W, 54–13
L, 23–51
2024 First Round Carnegie Mellon L, 15–24

Championships

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National championships

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Centre won its lone national championship in 1919.[17] Centre claims this championship.[18]

Season Coach Selector Record
1919 Charley Moran Sagarin 9–0

Independent Southern championships

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Year Coach Overall Record
1910 M. B. Banks 9–0
1919 Charles Moran 9–0
1921 Charles Moran 10–1

Conference championships

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Year Conference Coach Overall
record 		Conference
record
1924 Southern Intercollegiate Robert L. Myers 5–1–1 1–0
1968 Southern Collegiate Steele Harmon 5–3–1 3–1[19]
1969 6–4 4–0
1971 3–6 3–1
1980 Joe McDaniel 4–4–1 4–0–1
1983 5–3–1 4–1
1984 7–2 4–0
1985 6–3 3–1
1989 8–1 4–0
1990 8–2 3–1
1995 5–4–1 3–1[20]
2003 Andy Frye 8–2 5–1[21]
2014 Southern Athletic 10–1 6–0[22]
2018 10–2 7–1
2024 8–3 6–1[note 1][23]

Individual achievements

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Consensus All-Americans

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Centre has three consensus All-America selections.[24]

College Football Hall of Fame

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See also: College Football Hall of Fame

Two former Centre players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, located in Atlanta, Georgia.[25]

Name Pos. Tenure Inducted Ref.
Bo McMillin QB 1917–1921 1951 [26]
Teel Bruner DB 1982–1985 1999 [27]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e History and Records, Centre College, retrieved October 14, 2016.
  2. ^ "Centre College Football Record". library.centre.edu. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  3. ^ Centre vs. University of Kentucky Archived May 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, CentreCyclopedia, retrieved March 14, 2009.
  4. ^ "25 Oct 1929, Page 1 - The Advocate-Messenger at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  5. ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2015). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. p. 108. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  6. ^ Foldesy, Jody. "Bowls burgeon as big business", The Washington Times. December 21, 1997. Page A1.
  7. ^ ESPN ranks 1921 Centre-Harvard game among college football's greatest upsets Archived 2004-12-17 at the Wayback Machine, The Advocate-Messenger (Danville, Kentucky), June 26, 2006.
  8. ^ "Centre College Remembers Day When It Was King of the Gridiron". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  9. ^ Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book, National Collegiate Athletic Association, p. 218, 2007.
  10. ^ "1921 Season". Archived from the original on 2008-12-03.
  11. ^ Gene Schoor (1994). The Fightin' Texas Aggies: 100 Years of A&M Football. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company.
  12. ^ "Centre College Loses Sportlight After Flash of Football Fame". The Billings Gazette. December 11, 1927. p. 31. Retrieved April 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  13. ^ Football Bowls Archived May 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, CentreCyclopedia, retrieved March 13, 2009.
  14. ^ Teel Bruner, College Football Hall of Fame, retrieved March 13, 2009.
  15. ^ "Colonels finish 16th in final D3football.com Poll, 18th in AFCA" (Press release). Centre College. December 30, 2011. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  16. ^ "Centre Football History". Centre College Athletics. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  17. ^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. p. 111. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  18. ^ "Centre College to be inducted into Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame". January 1, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  19. ^ Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved March 13, 2009.
  20. ^ Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships Archived February 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved March 13, 2009.
  21. ^ 2003 Centre Colonels[permanent dead link‍], d3football.com, retrieved March 14, 2009.
  22. ^ "2014 Centre Colonels". d3football.com. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  23. ^ "Berry, Centre, Trinity Share SAA Football Title; Vikings earn AQ to NCAA's". Southern Athletic Association. November 17, 2024.
  24. ^ "Consensus All-Americans by School" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 19. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  25. ^ "College Football Hall of Fame Inductees". www.cfbhall.com. Atlanta Hall Management, Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  26. ^ "Inductee | Alvin Nugent McMillin 1951 | College Football Hall of Fame".
  27. ^ "Inductee | Jack Casteel Bruner II 1999 | College Football Hall of Fame".

Notes

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  1. ^ Shared with Trinity University and Berry College
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