Carnegie Mellon Tartans football
Carnegie Mellon Tartans football | |
---|---|
First season | 1906 |
Head coach | Ryan Larsen 3rd season, 25–2 (.926) |
Stadium | Gesling Stadium (capacity: 3,900) |
Year built | 1990 |
Field surface | FieldTurf |
Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
NCAA division | Division III |
Conference | Presidents' Athletic Conference |
Past conferences | University Athletic Association (1990–2017) Presidents' Athletic Conference (1968–1989) Independent (1906-1967) |
All-time record | 582–377–27 (.604) |
Conference titles | 17 |
Rivalries | Case Western Reserve Spartans (rivalry) Westminster Titans |
Consensus All-Americans | 61 |
Colors | Crimson and gray[1] |
Mascot | Scottie Dog |
Marching band | Kiltie Band |
Website | athletics.cmu.edu |
The Carnegie Mellon Tartans football team represents Carnegie Mellon University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III competition.[2][3]
History
[edit]The Carnegie Tech Tartan football team was founded ahead of the 1906 football season, where they competed as independents. In their first year of football, the Tartans claimed a modest record of 2-3-2. The Carnegie Tech football program continued to have an unconvincing start, as they accumulated a 4-15 record across the 1907 and 1908 seasons. This negative trend reversed, however, in 1909 as the Tartans posted their first ever winning record by finishing 5-3-1 under first year head coach Edwin N. Snitjer.
The 1910s were a decade of mediocrity, with the Tartans regularly finishing close to the .500 mark; however, by the 1920s, Carnegie Tech had become a national contender and regional powerhouse, posting a record of 34-20-4 in the decade. This includes a 1928 season, in which the Tartans finished the season ranked number 6 in nation by the AP poll.
On November 28, 1926, the 6–2 Carnegie Tech football team shut out Knute Rockne's undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish 19–0 at Forbes Field.[4] It was the only loss for the Irish that season and only the second time they allowed a touchdown.[5] The game was ranked the fourth-greatest upset in college football history by ESPN.[6]
Bowl game and AP rankings
[edit]In the 1930s, Carnegie Tech (as it was known then) was among the top college football programs in the country. In 1938 and 1939, the team achieved national rankings in the AP Poll. Ranked sixth at the end of the 1938 regular season, the Tartans earned a January bowl game invitation,[7] but lost 15–7 to top-ranked TCU in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.[8][9]
Carnegie Tech's AP ranking history:
- #13 – October 17, 1938
- #16 – October 24, 1938
- #19 – October 31, 1938
- #6 – November 7, 1938
- #6 – November 14, 1938
- #7 – November 21, 1938
- #6 – November 28, 1938
- #6 – December 5, 1938 (Final)
- #15 – October 16, 1939
Decline and resurgence
[edit]The team lost 26 straight games from 1942 through 1948 (the 1944 and 1945 seasons were cancelled due to World War II). In the last game of the 1948 season, the team beat Grove City, 7–0, on a 51-yard touchdown run by freshman halfback John Luchok. The team improved over the next six years, culminating in the first undefeated season in school history in 1954. That team was led by quarterback Guy Carricato, halfback Eddy Miller and end Chuck Luchok, John Luchok's younger brother.
Modern achievements
[edit]In 2006, the varsity football team was offered a bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs, and became one of the first teams in school history (the first team to win a Division III playoff game was in 1977, when Carnegie Mellon beat Dayton) and University Athletic Association (UAA) conference history to win an NCAA playoff game with a 21–0 shutout of Millsaps College of the SCAC conference.[10] In addition to winning a playoff game, several team members were elected to the All American and All Region Squads. The 2006 team won 11 games in a single season, which is tied for the most in school history. The team was previously coached by Rich Lackner, who is also a graduate of Carnegie Mellon and who was the head coach from 1986 to 2021. In 2022, Ryan Larsen, took over as Head Football Coach. The Tartans went 11-1 in 2022, which included going 10-0 in the regular season, winning the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship, and going to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. The 11 wins in 2022 ties the 2006 team for most wins in a season.
In 2015, runningback Sam Benger lead all of college football with 2,092 yards on the season. Second place was 504 yards behind him. He was just the twenty-first player in Division 3 football history to exceed 2,000 yards. In 2017, Benger was inducted into the national football foundation hall of fame.
In 2019, Carnegie Mellon linebacker and long snapper Brian Khoury was signed to the DC Defenders of the XFL. Khoury went on to have an NFL career with the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.
Playoff appearances
[edit]NCAA Division III
[edit]The Tartans have appeared in the Division III playoffs eight times, with an overall record of 4–7.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Dayton Baldwin-Wallace |
W, 24–21 L, 6–31 |
1979 | Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Minnesota–Morris Ithaca |
W, 31–25 L, 6–15 |
1983 | Quarterfinals | Salisbury State | L, 14–16 |
1985 | First Round | Salisbury State | L, 22–35 |
1990 | First Round | Lycoming | L, 7–17 |
2006 | First Round Second Round |
Millsaps Wesley |
W, 21–0 L, 0–37 |
2021 | First Round | North Central (IL) | No Contest |
2022 | First Round Second Round |
DePauw North Central (IL) |
W, 45–14 L, 7–28 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Web Standards-Marketing & Communications - Colors". Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ "Carnegie Mellon Football".
- ^ "Remember the Tartans | Sports | SPORTS & OUTDOORS". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
- ^ Hughes, Robert W. (November 28, 1926). "Carnegie Tech springs greatest surprise of football season by beating Notre Dame". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1.
- ^ "Tech's Greatest Victory". carnegiemellontoday.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ "Upset special: With Rockne gone, Irish took a Michigan-like tumble". ESPN. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
- ^ Smith, Chester L. (January 1, 1939). "Tartans primed for Sugar Bowl victory over TCU". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sports.
- ^ Smith, Chester L. (January 3, 1939). "'Too much O'Brien,' story of Tech's downfall". Pittsburgh Press. p. 22.
- ^ "52,000 see T.C.U. beat Tech, 15-7". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 3, 1939. p. 1.
- ^ "Carnegie Mellon football tramples Majors". thetartan.org. Retrieved April 11, 2008.