1917 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team

1917 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football
National champion (Billingsley, Helms, Houlgate, NCF)
SIAA champion
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record9–0 (4–0 SIAA)
Head coach
Offensive schemeJump shift
CaptainWalker Carpenter
Home stadiumGrant Field
Uniform
1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Georgia Tech $ 4 0 09 0 0
Auburn 5 1 06 2 1
Clemson 5 1 06 2 0
Centre 1 0 07 1 0
Mississippi A&M 3 1 06 1 0
Alabama 3 1 15 2 1
Sewanee 4 2 15 2 1
Tulane 2 1 05 3 0
Vanderbilt 3 2 05 3 0
LSU 2 3 03 5 0
South Carolina 2 3 03 5 0
Wofford 1 2 05 4 0
Furman 1 3 03 5 0
Florida 1 3 02 4 0
Ole Miss 1 4 01 4 1
Howard (AL) 0 2 13 3 1
The Citadel 0 2 03 3 0
Mississippi College 0 4 00 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
  • There were several SIAA schools that did not field a team due to World War I.

The 1917 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly known as Georgia Tech) in American football during the 1917 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Golden Tornado, coached by John Heisman in his 14th year as head coach, compiled a 9–0 record (4–0 SIAA) and outscored opponents 491 to 17 on the way to its first national championship. Heisman considered the 1917 team his best, and for many years it was considered "the greatest football team the South had ever produced". The team was later named national champion by the Billingsley Report, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, and National Championship Foundation.

The backfield of Albert Hill, Everett Strupper, Joe Guyon, and Judy Harlan led the Golden Tornado, and all four rushed for more than 100 yards in a 48–0 victory over Tulane. During the regular season Georgia Tech defeated strong opponents by large margins, and its 41–0 victory over eastern power Penn shocked many. Davidson, with Buck Flowers (a future Tech star), was defeated 32–10. Tech's 83–0 victory over Vanderbilt is the worst loss in Vanderbilt history, and its 63–0 defeat of Washington and Lee was the worst loss in W&L history at the time. Tech finished the season by defeating Auburn 68–7, clinching the conference title. Davidson and Auburn were the only teams to score points against Georgia Tech.