University College of Emporia Football stadium Schaffner Field Nickname Fighting Presbies | Location Emporia, Kansas Basketball arena Mason Gymnasium Colors Red and White | |
Mascot College of Emporia Presbie Pete Conference Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Association National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics | ||
The College of Emporia Football Team was a college football team at the College of Emporia in Emporia, Kansas. The team competed from 1893 until the college closed in 1972 and was known for its high quality play for the size of the school as well as its early adoption of modern football methods.
Contents
- Innovative play
- Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
- Championships
- Bowl games
- Notable players
- References
The final coach of the program was Dan Taylor.
Innovative play
The team was one of the earliest schools to regularly call the forward pass and the option pass under head coach Bill Hargiss and quarterback Arthur Schabinger. The school was using the forward pass as a regular play three years before Knute Rockne and Notre Dame Football.
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
The team competed in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference from 1933 until 1970. The program was known for success among the small colleges which included three consecutive undefeated regular seasons (1953–1955) under head coach Wayne J. McConnell and two back-to-back undefeated seasons (1962–1963) under coach Bill Schnebel. Both coaches were recognized as Little All-American Coach of the Year.
Championships
Table data source
Bowl games
The school also played in the 1954 Mineral Water Bowl, losing 20-14 to Hastings College, and then returned in 1959 to defeat Austin College by a score of 21-20.
Notable players
Two players from the College of Emporia played professional sports. Jim Jacquith played professional baseball in 1926. Lem Harkey was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955 and ended up playing for the San Francisco 49ers for one year.