| 1915Washington State football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Northwest Conference co-champion Rose Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Northwest Conference |
| Record | 7–0 (4–0 Northwest) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | Single-wing |
| Captain | Asa Clark |
| Home stadium | Rogers Field |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State ^ + | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington + | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon Agricultural | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 0 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Whitman | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The1915 Washington State football team was anAmerican football team that represented Washington State College (now known asWashington State University) as a member of theNorthwest Conference (NWC) during the1915 college football season. In their first year under head coachWilliam Henry Dietz, the team compiled a perfect 7–0 record (4–0 in conference games), tied for the NWC championship, shut out five of seven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 204 to 10.[1][2] Defensively, the team was near perfect as the only touchdown allowed, byMontana, was scored on a blocked punt recovered in the end zone.[3]
Washington State represented the West Coast in the1916 Rose Bowl, defeating aBrown team featuring African-American starFritz Pollard.[4] Washington State dominated the Rose Bowl game, outscoring Brown 14–0, gaining 329 yards from scrimmage to 99 for Brown, and tallying 22 first downs to four.[5] The victory remains Washington State's only Rose Bowl win.
For the first of two consecutive years, Washington State did not play in-staterivalWashington, which also finished 7–0 and with claims to the NWC championship.[2]
The team played its home games atRogers Field inPullman, Washington.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 9 | Oregon | W 28–3 | [6] | ||
| October 16 | atOregon Agricultural | W 29–0 | [7] | ||
| October 30 | atIdaho | W 41–0 | [8][9][10] | ||
| November 6 | Montana* |
| W 27–7 | [3] | |
| November 16 | Whitman |
| W 17–0 | [11] | |
| November 25 | atGonzaga* | W 48–0 | [12][13] | ||
| January 1, 1916 | vs.Brown* | W 14–0 | 10,000 | [5] | |
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Four Washington State players received first-team honors on the all-conference team selected by George M. Varnell, conference referee, as the official selection for the Northwest Conference. The first-team honorees were:Benton Bangs at halfback; Alfred "Bull" Durham at quarterback; Alfred Langdon at center; and Clarence Zimmerman at end.Harry Applequist and Carl "Red" Dietz were named to the second teamm.[14]
The team was inducted as a group into the Washington State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.[15] In 2014,Washington State Senate Resolution 8715 recognized the 1915 Washington State football team as thenational champion.[16]
Coach Dietz had played college football at theCarlisle Indian School and later coached the1918 Mare Island Marines football team to a berth in the1919 Rose Bowl. He was charged in 1919 with having falsely claimed Native American heritage to avoid the draft duringWorld War I,[17][18] eventually being sentenced to 30 days in jail.[19] He later served as head coach of, among others, theHaskell Fighting Indians and theBoston Redskins. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
The following 17 players receivedvarsity letters for their participation on the 1915 football team:[20]
.Selecting a championship football team in the northwest this season, in view of the fact that the two undefeated teams, Washington State college and the University of Washington, do not meet on the gridiron, will be some job in itself. Which of the two teams really is deserving of the honor probably always will remain a question.