LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — We are just days away from the Heisman Trophy being given to an outstanding player in college football. Many know the name behind the trophy, but John Heisman has a legendary local connection.
Someone is helping people understand the heart of that story.
There's a story dating back more than a century involving two cities about 250 miles apart. Some consider the story legendary, a defining moment in sports. For others, that's where Sam Hatcher comes in.
"Often, I speak with people who aren't familiar with this story," Hatcher smiled. "The story itself is so good."
He's board chairman at Cumberland University in Lebanon, where this story began 107 years ago. It was a tough time for Cumberland University. This was 1916, not long before the U.S. involvement in World War I. Attendance and enrollment were at a low. Facing financial strains, Cumberland University eliminated their football program that spring, meaning they wouldn't play their fall schedule.
"Coach John Heisman at Georgia Tech said 'No, we're not going to accept that,'" Hatcher said. "You're going to have to come to Atlanta and play this game or we're going to file a lawsuit from damages on default of the contract. Cumberland couldn't face those monetary damages."
Fourteen members were rounded up from Kappa Sigma, a fraternity still with a presence at Cumberland.
"Some had never played football," Hatcher said. "They agree to get on a train and go to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech."
How did the game go?
"The game had no first downs cause every time Georgia Tech got the ball, they scored," Hatcher continued. "One of the players was sitting on the Georgia Tech bench with a blanket over his head. John Heisman says, 'Son, you're a Cumberland player. You're on the wrong bench.' Student looked back up and said, 'If they put me back on right side, they're going to put me back in this game.'"
The final score?
"222 to nothing," Hatcher said. "It's broken all collegiate records, as you know. A number of newspapers across the country carried the story. A lot of the sports writers who were mostly in the northeast looked to the south and said, 'Wow, they must be playing some really good football in the south.'"
Hatcher said he wrote the book "Heisman's First Trophy" to ensure people know the full story behind that wild score.
"I think the essential part of this is to tell the story as it really is," he said. "It's really a heartwarming story of a group of 14 college kids who get on a train to save their university, keep it from financial failure."
We could only touch on a small part of the story, but there's a background to Heisman's rivalry with Cumberland University that takes us to the baseball field. If you want to learn more about that story and a whole lot more, Sam Hatcher's book is called "Heisman's First Trophy."
There are a lot of great schools in our area. Congratulations to four schools in the mid-state that were awarded National Blue Ribbons for Academic Execellence. The were among six in Tennessee to receive that honor. They were among 356 schools across the United States to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education!
-Lelan Statom
