October 7, 1916, Georgia Tech Beat Cumberland College 222-0

It seems impossible in this day and age to think that a football team could score 222 points in one game but it happened on October 7, 1916 as Georgia Tech beat Cumberland College of Lebanon, Tennessee 222-0. It all started in the spring of 1915 during a baseball game.

Cumberland College’s baseball team had professional baseball players on its roster and beat Georgia Tech 22-0. John Heisman, the same Heisman the trophy is named after, was the football coach of Georgia Tech and was some kind of mad after the baseball team took the whipping. He got his revenge when Georgia Tech played Cumberland College in football on October 7, 1916 by beating them in the most lopsided score in college football history.

Even though Cumberland College wanted to forfeit the game as the score got higher, Heisman insisted the game go on or Cumberland would have to pay a forfeit fee of $3,000, big money in 1916. At halftime the score was 126-0 and in the second half Heisman agreed to make it a 15 minute half but the score still went higher. Georgia Tech score every time they had the ball on either the first, second or third play and Cumberland’s only play that was positive was a 10 yard pass on a 4^th and 22.

 Cumberland had -42 yards rushing and only 14 yards passing with 6 interceptions. Georgia Tech passed for 0 yards, not attempting a pass in the game, but had 978 yards rushing.

 Nytimes.com