Factoid 247 - College Football in 1915

In 1915 there were 86 teams playing Division 1 college football, the Rose Bowl was played, and three teams were selected as National Champions: Cornell; Oklahoma; and Pittsburgh. Cornell and Pittsburgh claim their championships, while Oklahoma does not; these were retroactive championships. The Southwest Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (later to be known as simply the Southwest Conference) began its first season of play.

The Cornell Big Red were coached by Albert Sharpe (4th year), played at Schoellkopf Field, and were an independent. They outscored their opponents 287 to 50. The Pittsburgh Panthers were coached by Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner, played at Forbes Field, and outscored their opponents 247-19.

Pittsburgh became a national power with the hiring of Pop Warner in 1914. His innovations of the game - the screen pass, single- and double-wing formations, and use of shoulder and thigh pads - brought them an undefeated 1915 season and a retroactive national championship.

National Champions

• Cornell 9–0 Albert Sharpe (HAF, HS, NCF, PD) *
• Oklahoma 10–0 (Bennie Owen BR) *
• Pittsburgh 8–0 (Glenn Warner PD) *

• Joseph E. Carberry set an altitude record of 11,690 feet (3,560 m) flying in a fixed-wing aircraft.
• The controversial film, The Birth of a Nation, directed by D. W. Griffith, premiered in Los Angeles, California. It was the highest-grossing film for around 25 years.
• Canadian soldier John McCrae wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields."