One of the projects the Sickos Committee on Substack will explore during this off-season is one where we will do a dive into the internet archives to find out the seemingly lost history of College Football teams who we used to have playing on Saturdays in the fall. We will explore universities and colleges who used to have football but then decided for whatever reason to end their football program. Then we will highlight their Best Season of all time in our however many part series called the Best Season of All Time for Schools Who Stopped Having A Football Team also known as the BSOATFSWSHAFT (it’s a complicated series but no one understands it like the Committee,BSOATFSWSHAFT). 

I’ll give you some background on the program if I can find it. Basically, it'll provide you with some basic history about the team, including when they started playing, when/why they stopped playing, and, in my opinion, their best season. Also, I’ll see if I can find a football helmet with the logo to show it to you here.

Now for the next team I wish to explore in this series.

The Detroit Titans 

Why did I choose this team?

Detroit Mercy has been having a nightmare of a basketball season, but they just got their first win on Valentine’s Day. One person stormed the court, or really just walked onto the court to cheer. We had a tweet go semi-viral from the Sickos CBB account too (the tweet). So why not talk about their former football team now to celebrate their first win and only win of the basketball season? 

History of the team 

I am going to just start with an excerpt from the university archives about the history of the Detroit Titans football program. It’s pretty funny and interesting how they explained the founding of the football teams. A short three paragraphs. 

“The first football season for the college was that of 1896. Prior to this, there had been any number of "scrub" teams, whose personnel was not necessarily restricted to college boys. They would play such teams as the CorkTown Tigers or the Car Shop A.C. However, in 1896, there seems to have been considerable football talent in the college, and Professor William F. Robison, S.J., was no mean player himself in his college days, determined to make the best of it. His chief obstacle, once he got accepted by the Jesuit faculty, was the parents of the boys, who saw but a tissue-paper-thin difference between "Rugby" and going to war. With rules somewhat vague, with playing fields little more than open meadows at times, with uniforms none too protective, and with "tandem" and "flying wedge" formations to contend with, one can see why some of the games resembled a Donnybrook Fair. Many years later, Federal Court Judge Ernest O'Brien, captain of the team in 1896 and 1897, told the Varsity News that he "emerged from every game with a black eye." There were no face masks! He also mentioned that all football candidates were compelled to buy their own uniforms. Baseball suits and spikes were worn during practice sessions. It would not be until 1917 that the college, already a university, supplied all the equipment and, at the same time, secured a regular practice field. For the regular games, red and white striped turtleneck sweaters, modeled after Princeton's, and purchased by Doctor W.E. Keane at cost price, served to identify the "Red and White Tigers." When Ed Ryan, D.A.C. athletic instructor, became the first layman to coach the team in 1900, he received the grand salary of $100.00 a season."-

That year, the Detroit College team lost two games, tied one, and won one, the win coming against the Alumni. The big game of the season played on Thanksgiving Day was with St. Ignatius College (Loyola University) of Chicago. And if the Chicagoans were too big for the Detroit Collegians and won an easy victory, it was still a great day. Conveyances bedecked with the red and white colors first chosen in 1892 carried the various classes to the game. The crowd was large enough to pay for all expenses and some to spare! After the game, several generous ladies prepared a fine Thanksgiving dinner for both teams. The Chicago team left Detroit by train that evening. We are told that they made a "splendid impression on all who saw and met them." In the autumn of 1897, the Detroit team won one game and lost two. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the team those first two years was its coach, Professor William F. Robison, S.J. who had achieved fame and fame as a player with the St. Louis University team some years earlier. Unfortunately, Prof. Robison forgot his age and broke his collarbone while practicing with his team at the beginning of the 1897 season.

The 1898 Football team, coached by Professor Patrick J. Burke, S.J., claimed the pretentious title of Champions of Detroit and Vicinity. Their record was as follows: Detroit 31, Detroit School for Boys 0; Detroit 5, Irvings 0; Detroit 22, Alumni 0; Detroit 21, Orchard Lake Cadets 6; Detroit 12, Mt. Clemens 0. We are told that the only reason the Cadets scored was that it was so dark, nobody knew where the ball was! There were but sixty-five men to draw from in the collegiate division in 1898; since there were only fourteen men on the squad, practically everybody played the full game. The College was represented only briefly by a football team in 1905. Exactly what happened is not clear; even the Diary gives us no clue.” All sourced from Detroit Titans Football History

After the program got off the ground in an interesting fashion, as read above, they were Independent for the majority of their history. They joined the Missouri Valley Conference at the end of 1948. 

In their first year, the football team finished 4-0 in conference (5-4 overall) and won the MVC Conference title. They were MVC Conference Co-Champions in 1953 (below) and 1955, but then went winless in 1956 and left the conference to be Independent again. It was a really weird fit in that conference; they shared the league at times with Oklahoma State, Houston, Tulsa, Wichita State, Drake, Bradley, & St. Louis.Their program had one really special season, but we will get to that later.

The program finished with an overall record of 308–204–24 (.597).

This would put the program in some really solid CFB program territory. 

This is just a weird promotional photo I threw in here. 

Why did the team get shut down? 

Just want to thank Detroit Mercy for having all this information up and readily accessible.

“On Monday, November 30, 1964, the student body and many of the alumni were shocked by the announcement that the University would no longer field a varsity football team. In his special release to the press, Father Britt pointed out that the President and Trustees did not act hastily in this matter. Rather, "mindful of the university's long and honorable tradition in football," the administration was reluctant to make the final decision and postponed doing so until "all reasonable efforts had been made..." to test the football program's ability to survive and prosper as an integral part of the institution's total educational program." Father Britt pointed out that the deficit for 1964 would be "well in excess of $65,000." He noted that the average home attendance that year was only 11,290 in a stadium that seated twenty thousand. The story had been much the same for the six previous years. Even the Navy game in 1961 drew only 25,864, thereby merely meeting expenses instead of helping the program. Hence, in view of other commitments such as "continued improvements of faculty salaries, expansion of university libraries and laboratories, further enrichment of academic programs, substantial expansion of our scholarship and student aid programs, expansion of major facilities on campus, expansion of the university's research and community service programs, and substantial improvement of our intramural program for all students," the administration felt it could no longer "be justified in gambling substantial funds" on football. In view of the limited resources at hand, a choice had to be made.” Detroit Titans Football History

So poor attendance, and they were $65,000 in the hole. 

Why does football have to cost so much money? 

The 1928 Detroit Titans

In the post I did about the Best Season of All Time for Gonzaga Football (Best Season of All Time for Gonzaga), I noted that their coach at the time was Gus Dorais. Gonzaga kept Dorais’ services for their best season of all time in 1924 by nearly doubling his salary.

“Dorais earned $4,000 per year at Gonzaga and was kept for a fifth season in 1924 when boosters helped raise his salary to $7,000 to prevent him from leaving for Detroit. (He left next year for Detroit anyway."

Gus started 5-4 in 1925, 3-6-1 in 1926, and 7-2 in 1927, which set the stage for the best season of all time for Detroit Titans football in 1928.

The school does an amazing job with their records. Here is the link I used to obtain all the information. 1928 Detroit Titans Football

To the Schedule:

They started the year with a 39-0 crushing victory over DePaul. The yearbook did so much trash talking about DePaul here too.

“De Paul was weak” or “Served mostly as a scrub game”

I'm dying at the description of what I think we could call a near Thicc Six or Big Man touchdown. “He had a bad charlie horse and seemed to be running uphill,” and “he took 15 seconds to cover the 65-yard distance, and he looked like a slow motion character.”

Their second game was on the road against Tulsa.

The Titans fell behind early in the 90-degree heat and high humidity, along with being tired from a 1,000-mile train ride. The Titans battled back to score the decisive touchdown with a few minutes left before the field was completely dark.

After another 1,000-mile train ride home, they faced Louisville next week.

They clobbered the Cards 46-0, and Dorias only used his starters in the first and third quarters. There is so much excellent trash talking by the yearbook.

Their next game was against Loyola of Louisiana. The Yearbook called it Detroit’s first real test of the year. I mean, didn’t they just barely scrape by Tulsa? Ok, whatever you say, Detroit Yearbook.

The Titans rolled 27-0, and this warranted national recognition, as Loyola barely lost to Notre Dame a few weeks earlier.

Detroit then traveled to Dayton to face the formidable Flyers.

The Titans scored early and hung on for another road game one possession win. The yearbooks decided the Titans were beat up from the previous games, which caused the low-scoring affair.

The next game, they returned home to Dinan Field to face Saint Louis. The Titans supposedly had their work cut out for them on defense and aimed to stop a guy named HUNK Anderson.

The Titans were all over Hunk; maybe the ladies of the Roaring 20s were too? I don’t know. This was all Detroit in an easy 38-0 win and their sixth straight over St. Louis.

Next week, they welcomed Sparty to Detroit.

The Titans apparently caused a nautical disaster on the Michigan State Lines, according to the yearbook. Was this foreshadowing the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck? Who knows. A decisive 39-0 in a before-and-after halftime demolition.

The next week, they traveled to the New York Polo Grounds to take on the Fordham Rams. Wikipedia says they only won this one 7-0, but the yearbook says otherwise. If anyone knows how to update Wikipedia, let me know; we have to have the correct score for the 1928 Titans wiki!

Apparently, the New York media was ready to write off the Titans, but a decisive 19-0 victory shut up the media and forced them to sing the praises of Detroit. Take that 1920s Skip Bayless!

In their final game of the year, the Titans welcomed the Hoyas of Georgetown.

The Titans crushed the Hoyas 33-13 after a halftime barrage of points.

What a 1920s form tackle!

Their season-ending home victory over Georgetown attracted 30,000 fans in year four under Gus Dorais. His pass-happy halfback, Lloyd Brazil, set an NCAA record for passing yardage in a season with 997 in 1928 and led the country in rushing the next.

Yes, the NCAA Passing record in 1928 was less than 1,000 yards.

Here’s the progression of the passing yardage record before 1937. Brazil’s record stood for 5 years until another Titan broke it in 1933. Then Slingin’ Sammy arrived.

Detroit Coach Dorais himself held the single-game passing mark, which he set in 1913. Then someone more than doubled it in 1926.

Back to the 1928 Titans team. There seemed to be a snub of the Titans. Detroit was seemingly denied a National Title shot or Bowl Game.

Ah yes, College football is the same as it ever was. 

Georgia Tech was invited to face Cal in the 1929 Rose Bowl. The Titans were seemingly snubbed. The Yellow Jackets defeated Cal 8-7 to win the Rose Bowl and finished 9-0 thanks to an infamous Cal play. Cal's Roy Riegels, who played center, picked up a fumble by Tech's Stumpy Thomason. Just 30 yards away from the Yellow Jackets' end zone, Riegels was somehow turned around and ran 65 yards in the wrong direction.

Roy Riegels' wrong way run.

Teammate and quarterback Benny Lom chased Riegels, screaming at him to stop. Known for his speed, Lom finally caught up with Riegels at California's 3-yard line and tried to turn him around, but he was immediately hit by a wave of Tech players and tackled back to the 1-yard line. The Bears chose to punt rather than risk a play so close to their own end zone, but Tech's Vance Maree blocked Lom's punt for a safety, giving Georgia Tech a 2–0 lead.

Riegels was so distraught that he had to be talked into returning to the game for the second half. Lom passed for a touchdown and kicked the extra point, and Riegels blocked a Tech punt in the second half, but Tech would win the game—and their second national championship—by a final score of 8–7.

The Yearbook remained upset that Detroit should be National Champions if not for Georgia Tech and this wrong way run.

Well, guess what?

The 1934 edition of Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide contains the chapter National Champion Foot Ball Teams, 1869–1933. The list is marked as being "Compiled by Parke H. Davis".

The official NCAA records book credits Davis with retroactive selections for the years 1869–1932, and with a contemporary selection of co-champions for the just-completed 1933 season. He is the only major selector indicated as using historic research for his selections rather than a poll or mathematical system. (although Bill Schroeder of the Helms Athletic Foundation did as well).

Critics have faulted his work for having a heavy Eastern bias, with little regard for the South and the West Coast. OH! NO! EAST COAST BIAS.

Davis credited the 1928 Detroit Titans with the National Championship, along with Georgia Tech.

Now, do you think Detroit claims this National Title?

Hell yeah, they do.

The Best Season of All Time for Detroit Titans Football, the 1928 National Champions!

(along with Georgia Tech)

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