# 1920 college football season

The 1920 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing California, Georgia, Harvard, Notre Dame, and Princeton as national champions. Only California and Princeton claim national championships for the 1920 season. Andy Smith's Pacific Coast Conference champion California "Wonder Team" was the first national champion from the Pacific Coast. Princeton and Harvard were undefeated and with one tie to each other. Notre Dame was led by its first Walter Camp All-American, George Gipp, who died before the year was over.
In the south, fans of either side in Georgia were happy. Georgia and Georgia Tech were both undefeated in Southern play. Georgia Tech lost to Pitt, which was undefeated with two ties. No team scored through Georgia's line, and its backfield was known as the "ten second backfield". Jimmy Leech of VMI's "Flying Squadron" led the nation in scoring. One writer claimed "he is one of the greatest broken field runners the country has ever seen."
The Southwest Conference saw an undefeated Texas team with the same 9-0 record as the champions cited above. Texas shut out six of the nine teams they faced and scored 282 points while allowing only 13. The final game of the year for Texas against Texas A&M was cited as the real beginning of the storied rivalry between the two schools, which dates back to 1894 and featured 118 contests, in which Texas won 75 and tied 5.
In the Rose Bowl, Cal defeated Ohio State 28–0. Brick Muller completed a 53-yard touchdown pass to Brodie Stephens after receiving a toss from Pesky Sprott, at the time thought impossible.

## Conference and program changes
### Conference establishments

* Two new conferences began play in 1920:
** Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – an active NCAA Division III conference

### Membership changes

| School | 1920 Conference | 1921 Conference |
| Indiana State Normal Fightin' Teachers | Program Re-Established | Independent |
| Kent State Normal Silver Foxes | Program Established | Independent |
| Oklahoma Sooners | Southwest | Missouri Valley |
| Phillips Haymakers | Independent | Southwest |
| UCLA Bruins | Independent | SCIAC |

## Bowl games

California defeated Ohio State, 28–0, in the 1921 Rose Bowl. The first and only Fort Worth Classic was held on January 1, 1921, with Centre defeating TCU.

## Conference standings
### Major conference standings

1920 Big Ten Conference football standings :
| 1920 Big Ten Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Ohio State $ 5 –0 –07 –1 –0 Wisconsin 4 –1 –06 –1 –0 Indiana 3 –1 –05 –2 –0 Illinois 4 –2 –05 –2 –0 Iowa 3 –2 –05 –2 –0 Michigan 2 –2 –05 –2 –0 Northwestern 2 –3 –03 –4 –0 Chicago 2 –4 –03 –4 –0 Purdue 0 –4 –02 –5 –0 Minnesota 0 –6 –01 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1920 Missouri Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Oklahoma $ 4 –0 –16 –0 –1 Missouri 5 –1 –07 –1 –0 Kansas 3 –2 –05 –2 –1 Iowa State 3 –2 –04 –4 –0 Drake 1 –3 –14 –5 –1 Washington University 1 –4 –04 –4 –0 Grinnell 0 –2 –13 –3 –1 Kansas State 0 –3 –13 –3 –3 $ – Conference champion | 1920 Northwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Washington State $ 3 –0 –05 –1 –0 Oregon 1 –0 –13 –2 –1 Whitman 2 –1 –03 –2 –0 Idaho 2 –2 –04 –2 –0 Oregon Agricultural 0 –1 –12 –2 –2 Willamette 0 –1 –03 –1 –1 Montana 0 –3 –04 –3 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1920 Pacific Coast Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T California $ 3 –0 –09 –0 –0 Stanford 2 –1 –04 –3 –0 Washington State 1 –1 –05 –1 –0 Oregon 1 –1 –13 –2 –1 Oregon Agricultural 1 –2 –12 –2 –2 Washington 0 –3 –01 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1920 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Colorado Agricultural $ 6 –0 –16 –1 –1 Colorado College 4 –1 –15 –1 –1 Colorado 3 –1 –24 –1 –2 Utah Agricultural 2 –1 –14 –2 –1 Denver 2 –4 –02 –4 –0 Utah 1 –2 –11 –5 –1 Wyoming 2 –5 –14 –5 –1 Colorado Mines 0 –6 –00 –6 –0 Montana State 0 –0 –14 –1 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1920 South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T VMI $ 5 –0 –09 –0 –0 Maryland 4 –0 –07 –2 –0 Washington and Lee 3 –0 –05 –3 –0 Georgetown 3 –1 –06 –4 –0 Virginia 3 –1 –05 –2 –2 NC State 4 –2 –07 –3 –0 Richmond 2 –2 –06 –2 –0 Davidson 2 –2 –05 –5 –0 VPI 2 –4 –04 –6 –0 Catholic University 1 –3 –03 –5 –0 George Washington 0 –1 –01 –6 –1 St. John's (MD) 0 –1 –00 –1 –0 Johns Hopkins 0 –2 –00 –3 –0 William & Mary 0 –4 –04 –5 –0 North Carolina 0 –5 –02 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1920 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Georgia + 7 –0 –08 –0 –1 Tulane + 5 –0 –06 –2 –1 Georgia Tech + 4 –0 –08 –1 –0 Alabama 6 –1 –010 –1 –0 Centre 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 Furman 3 –1 –09 –1 –0 South Carolina 3 –1 –05 –4 –0 Tennessee 5 –2 –07 –2 –0 Auburn 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Mississippi A&M 4 –2 –05 –3 –0 Sewanee 3 –3 –14 –3 –1 Vanderbilt 3 –3 –04 –3 –1 Transylvania 2 –2 –03 –4 –0 Howard (AL) 2 –3 –03 –5 –1 Mississippi College 2 –4 –03 –5 –0 Florida 1 –2 –06 –3 –0 Clemson 2 –6 –04 –6 –1 LSU 1 –3 –05 –3 –1 Chattanooga 1 –3 –03 –4 –1 The Citadel 1 –4 –02 –6 –0 Ole Miss 0 –2 –04 –3 –0 Kentucky 0 –3 –13 –4 –1 Georgetown (KY) 0 –2 –00 –3 –0 Millsaps 0 –3 –00 –3 –0 Mercer 0 –4 –02 –6 –0 Wofford 0 –4 –00 –8 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1920 Southwest Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Texas $ 5 –0 –09 –0 –0 Texas A&M 5 –1 –06 –1 –1 Arkansas 2 –0 –13 –2 –2 Rice 2 –2 –14 –2 –2 Baylor 1 –2 –14 –4 –1 SMU 0 –4 –13 –5 –2 Phillips 0 –3 –04 –4 –2 Oklahoma A&M 0 –3 –00 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion |

### Independents

1920 Eastern college football independents records :
| 1920 Eastern college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Boston College   –  8 –0 –0 Harvard   –  8 –0 –1 Princeton   –  6 –0 –1 Penn State   –  7 –0 –2 Pittsburgh   –  6 –0 –2 Army   –  7 –2 –0 Dartmouth   –  7 –2 –0 Cornell   –  6 –2 –0 Syracuse   –  6 –2 –1 Geneva   –  5 –2 –1 New Hampshire   –  5 –2 –1 Brown   –  6 –3 –0 Bucknell   –  6 –3 –0 Washington & Jefferson   –  6 –3 –1 Penn   –  6 –4 –0 Carnegie Tech   –  5 –3 –0 Lafayette   –  5 –3 –0 Holy Cross   –  5 –3 –0 Williams   –  5 –3 –0 Yale   –  5 –3 –0 Fordham   –  4 –3 –0 Franklin & Marshall   –  3 –2 –2 Boston University   –  4 –3 –1 Columbia   –  4 –4 –0 Duquesne   –  3 –3 –1 Vermont   –  3 –5 –0 NYU   –  2 –5 –1 Rhode Island State   –  0 –4 –4 Tufts   –  2 –6 –0 Rutgers   –  2 –7 –0 Buffalo   –  1 –4 –0 Colgate   –  1 –5 –2 Villanova   –  1 –5 –1 Drexel   –  0 –6 –0 | 1920 Midwestern college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Notre Dame   –  9 –0 –0 Michigan Mines   –  2 –0 –0 Butler   –  7 –1 –0 St. Xavier   –  7 –1 –0 Detroit   –  8 –2 –0 Marquette   –  7 –2 –0 Haskell   –  7 –2 –1 St. Ignatius (OH)   –  4 –2 –0 Iowa State Teachers   –  4 –2 –1 South Dakota State   –  4 –2 –1 Indiana State   –  3 –2 –0 Valparaiso   –  5 –3 –0 Nebraska   –  5 –3 –1 Central Michigan   –  4 –3 –1 Akron   –  4 –4 –0 Wabash   –  3 –4 –0 Western State Normal (MI)   –  3 –4 –0 North Dakota Agricultural   –  2 –3 –1 Michigan Agricultural   –  4 –6 –0 Earlham   –  2 –3 –0 Northern Illinois State   –  3 –5 –0 Dayton   –  2 –4 –0 Kent State   –  1 –2 –0 Saint Louis   –  3 –6 –0 Bowling Green   –  1 –4 –0 Toledo   –  0 –3 –0 | 1920 Southern college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Talladega   –  ? –0 –0 Trinity (NC)   –  4 –0 –1 Abilene Christian   –  4 –0 –1 North Texas State Normal   –  7 –1 –0 Presbyterian   –  5 –1 –1 Middle Tennessee State Normal   –  4 –1 –0 Navy   –  6 –2 –0 Spring Hill   –  6 –2 –0 Birmingham–Southern   –  6 –3 –0 Mississippi Normal   –  4 –2 –1 Southwest Texas State   –  4 –2 –1 East Tennessee State Normal   –  3 –2 –0 West Virginia   –  5 –4 –1 Oglethorpe   –  4 –4 –1 Delaware   –  3 –5 –1 Texas Mines   –  2 –4 –0 Marion   –  2 –5 –0 Wake Forest   –  2 –7 –0 Sam Houston Normal   –  1 –4 –2 Western Kentucky State Normal   –  0 –1 –0 West Tennessee State Normal   –  0 –5 –0 Marshall   –  0 –8 –0 |
| 1920 Western college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Nevada   –  7 –3 –1 USC   –  6 –0 –0 Arizona   –  6 –1 –0 Hawaii   –  6 –2 –0 New Mexico A&M   –  5 –1 –1 Santa Clara   –  5 –1 –0 Gonzaga   –  4 –3 –0 Chico State   –  3 –3 –0 New Mexico   –  3 –3 –0 University Farm   –  3 –4 –0 Pacific (CA)   –  1 –2 –1 Saint Mary's   –  0 –3 –0 |

### Minor conferences

| Conference | Champion(s) | Record |
| Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association | No champion | — |
| Inter-Normal Athletic Conference of Wisconsin | Oshkosh Normal | 4–0–1 |
| Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | Friends (KS) | — |
| Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Unknown | — |
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Albion | 4–0 |
| Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Hamline | 2–1–1 |
| Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference | Unknown | — |
| Ohio Athletic Conference | Wooster | 7–0 |
| Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference | Tulsa | 6–0–1 |
| Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Pomona | 5–0 |
| Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Morehouse | — |

### Minor conference standings

1920 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings :
| 1920 Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Howard 5 –0 –07 –0 –0 Virginia Union 1 –1 –06 –2 –0 Shaw 2 –2 –02 –2 –1 Hampton 2 –3 –04 –3 –1 Lincoln (PA) 1 –2 –03 –2 –0 Virginia Normal 0 –3 –03 –4 –0 | 1920 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Carthage 0 –4 –11 –5 –1 | 1920 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Washburn + 4 –0 –24 –2 –3 Friends + 7 –1 –07 –1 –0 College of Emporia 6 –1 –16 –1 –1 St. Mary's (KS) 4 –2 –06 –2 –0 Baker 4 –3 –05 –4 –0 Bethany (KS) 4 –3 –14 –3 –1 Fairmount 4 –3 –24 –3 –2 Pittsburg Normal 3 –3 –05 –4 –1 Kansas State Normal 2 –3 –12 –4 –2 Hays Normal 2 –3 –12 –5 –1 Southwestern (KS) 2 –5 –12 –5 –2 Ottawa 1 –6 –01 –6 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 0 –3 –20 –5 –3 Sterling 0 –7 –10 –7 –1 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1920 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Albion $ 4 –0 –14 –2 –2 Kalamazoo 3 –1 –05 –3 –1 Hillsdale 2 –1 –16 –1 –1 Michigan State Normal 1 –2 –06 –2 –0 Olivet 1 –2 –01 –5 –0 Alma 0 –5 –00 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1920 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Carleton 3 –1 –04 –1 –2 Hamline $ 2 –1 –14 –3 –1 Macalester 2 –1 –13 –2 –2 St. Olaf 3 –2 –05 –2 –0 St. Thomas (MN) 1 –3 –02 –5 –1 Gustavus Adolphus 0 –3 –01 –3 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1920 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Kirksville + 6 –0 –08 –0 –0 William Jewell + 5 –0 –25 –1 –2 Missouri Mines + 4 –0 –04 –4 –0 Missouri Wesleyan * 3 –1 –24 –2 –2 Warrensburg 4 –3 –05 –3 –1 Springfield (MO) 2 –4 –02 –6 –0 Tarkio 1 –2 –13 –3 –1 Missouri Valley 2 –4 –03 –4 –0 Drury † 1 –3 –01 –5 –0 Westminster (MO) 1 –4 –11 –4 –2 Central (MO) 1 –5 –01 –6 –0 Maryville (MO) 0 –2 –00 –3 –0 Cape Girardeau 0 –2 –00 –5 –0 + – Conference co-champions * – Missouri Wesleyan forfeited a win over Kirksville † – Drury forfeited wins over William Jewell and Missouri Mines |
| 1920 Nebraska Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Grand Island 6 –0 –16 –0 –2 Doane 5 –0 –15 –1 –1 Nebraska Wesleyan 4 –0 –16 –2 –2 Omaha 5 –0 –07 –1 –0 Hastings 5 –2 –15 –2 –1 Peru Normal 5 –4 –05 –4 –0 Midland 3 –6 –03 –6 –0 York (NE) 2 –5 –02 –5 –0 Wayne Normal 1 –3 –01 –4 –1 Cotner 1 –6 –01 –6 –0 Kearney Normal 1 –7 –01 –7 –0 Nebraska Central 0 –6 –00 –6 –0 Championship: Grand Island 0, Nebraska Wesleyan 0 | 1920 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wooster $ 7 –0 –09 –0 –0 Wittenberg 5 –0 –08 –0 –0 Ohio State 2 –0 –07 –1 –0 Denison 5 –1 –16 –1 –1 Oberlin 5 –2 –05 –2 –0 Heidelberg 3 –2 –07 –2 –0 Cincinnati 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 Miami (OH) 3 –2 –15 –2 –1 Mount Union 3 –3 –06 –3 –0 Ohio Wesleyan 3 –3 –04 –3 –0 Ohio Northern 2 –3 –03 –4 –0 Akron 2 –4 –04 –4 –0 Case 2 –5 –12 –8 –1 Ohio 1 –3 –04 –3 –0 Kenyon 1 –6 –12 –5 –1 Western Reserve 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 Hiram 0 –6 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1920 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Yankton $ 4 –0 –15 –1 –2 Dakota Wesleyan 3 –1 –04 –3 –0 Huron 2 –1 –12 –2 –1 Northern Normal 1 –1 –03 –2 –0 Sioux Falls 1 –2 –01 –3 –0 South Dakota Mines 0 –1 –05 –1 –0 Columbus (SD) 0 –5 –01 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1920 Southern California Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Pomona $ 5 –0 –06 –1 –0 Occidental 3 –2 –04 –3 –0 Whittier 3 –2 –03 –2 –0 Caltech 2 –2 –13 –3 –1 Redlands 1 –3 –12 –4 –1 Southern Branch 0 –5 –00 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1920 Spokane Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Spokane University $ 6 –1 –0 ? – ? – ? Cheney Normal 5 –2 –05 –2 –0 Spokane College 2 –4 –0 ? – ? – ? Whitworth 0 –6 –0 ? – ? – ? $ – Conference champion | 1920 Wisconsin Normal Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Oshkosh Normal $ 4 –0 –16 –1 –1 Eau Claire Normal 2 –0 –04 –0 –0 River Falls Normal 2 –1 –13 –1 –3 La Crosse Normal 3 –2 –04 –2 –1 Milwaukee Normal 2 –2 –03 –4 –1 Stevens Point Normal 1 –1 –13 –2 –1 Whitewater Normal 1 –3 –02 –4 –0 Platteville Normal 0 –3 –13 –4 –2 Superior Normal 0 –3 –01 –3 –0 Stout Institute 0 –0 –02 –2 –0 $ – Conference champion |

## Awards and honors
### All-Americans

The consensus All-America team included:
| Position | Name | Height | Weight (lbs.) | Class | Hometown | Team |
| QB | Donold Lourie | 5'11" | 164 | Sr. | Peru, Illinois | Princeton |
| HB | Gaylord Stinchcomb | 5'8" | 157 | Sr. | Sycamore, Ohio | Ohio State |
| HB | Charley Way | 5'8" | 144 | Sr. | Embreeville, Pennsylvania | Penn State |
| FB | George Gipp | 6'1" | 180 | Sr. | Laurium, Michigan | Notre Dame |
| E | Chuck Carney | 6'1" | 190 | Jr. | Chicago, Illinois | Illinois |
| E | Bill Fincher | 6'0" | 182 | Sr. | Atlanta, Georgia | Georgia Tech |
| T | Stan Keck | 5'11" | 206 | Jr. | Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Princeton |
| G | Tim Callahan | | | Sr. | Lawrence, Massachusetts | Yale |
| G | Tom Woods | | | Sr. | Boston, Massachusetts | Harvard |
| C | Herb Stein | 6'1" | 186 | Jr. | Warren, Ohio | Pittsburgh |
| G | Iolas Huffman | 5'11" | 228 | Jr. | Chandlersville, Ohio | Ohio State |
| T | Ralph Scott | 6'2" | 235 | Sr. | Dewey, Wisconsin | Wisconsin |
| E | Luke Urban | 5'8" | 165 | Sr. | Fall River, Massachusetts | Boston College |

### Statistical leaders

* Player scoring most points: Jimmy Leech, VMI, 210
* Player scoring most touchdowns, Jimmy Leech, 26
* Total offense leader: Jimmy Leech, 1771
* Rushing yards leader: Jimmy Leech, 1723
* Rushing avg leader: Buck Flowers, Georgia Tech, 10.2
* Receptions leader: Eddie Anderson, Notre Dame, 17
* Receiving yards leader: Eddie Anderson, 293