1923 COLLEGE FOOTBALL YEAR-IN-REVIEW

The 1923 Lincoln Presidents posted a 7-1 mark. Good, but not outstanding when Northern California went 10-0-0 and Bulein (who?) went 11-0-0. Heck even Texas Gulf Coast (9-0-0) had a better record. And that's not even mentioning the burgeoning reputation of St. Pancras (who also went 9-0-0) and St. Blane (9-1-0) whose backfield was deep and very, very good. But Lincoln had something going too - something that was going to thrill college football fans for the next three autumns, and then possibly save the professional version of the sport over the next few seasons after that. That "thing" was a shifty, explosive halfback named Urban Dane. Same say he was the greatest player in college football history and while some would disagree no one can dispute his impact on the sport, or the simple fact that he was - if not *the* greatest ever, certainly amongst the very few who could make that claim.

Dane was born in Peoria, IL, played for his local high school and that was where he caught the eye of German-born coach Dolph Zimmer. Coach Zimmer convinced Dane to play for the Presidents. Though he played only sparingly as a freshman, Dane's talent was evident from the first day he set foot on campus. In his sophomore campaign, with All-American senior guard Eddie Craft opening holes for him, Dane was a revelation. The only blemish on Lincoln's record in '23 came at the hands of Central Ohio. The Aviators keyed in on Dane (which almost everyone did) and had enough speed of their own to hem the shifty soph in most of the afternoon. He did tear off a 40-yard TD run, but that was the only score of the game for the Presidents, who fell 17-7. 

The other big story in '23 was the surprising play of Bulein College. The Bulein Hornets, playing in Greenville, SC, ran off a perfect season. Granted, they didn't play the type of opposition some of the bigger Southern programs did, but an 11-0-0 campaign is impressive nonetheless. Northern California's detractors pointed out (correctly) that their 10-0-0 mark included wins over an alumni team and the Olympic Athletic Club and that they were less than stellar in wins over Rainier College (24-12) and Redwood (28-21). In fact, the team that most pundits felt was the "true champion" of 1923 was St. Pancras. And truth be told, the 9-0-0 Lions were very impressive. All-American end Marty Greer was the team's star, and their slate of victories included an impressive 14-0 win over Pittsburgh State before a full house in New York's Bigsby Oval on October 20th and a 14-12 squeaker over a very good Alabama Baptist team the week before.

St. Blane was on the cusp of something special too. Coach George Menke, who had himself been a Second-Team All-American back in 1913 at St. Blane, now ran the program and like the former star back he was, he was excellent working with the offensive backfield. Three of his four backfield players in 1923, would be All-Americans in 1924 (can you guess who the other backfield All-American was in '24?).

Mott's All-American Team for 1923:

QB Seth Merritt (SR) Brunswick
HB Urban Dane (SO) Lincoln
HB Dudley Little (SR) Liberty College
FB Bert Dale (SR) George Fox
E Burl Seaton (JR) Bluegrass State
T Charlie Clements (SR) George Fox
G Harvey Pate (SR) Dickson
C Jackie Owens (SR) Commonwealth Catholic
G Eddie Craft (SR) Lincoln
T Paul Dodds (SR) Wisconsin State
E Marty Greer (SR) St. Pancras