Every member of the Georgia Tech football team was poised to decimate their opponents on that crisp October afternoon in 1916. Their coach had instructed them to show no mercy, and the players followed his instructions with relish. When the whistle finally blew, ending the game, the score stood at 222 to 0. Normally a coach who would allow such a massacre would become a pariah to the game. In this case, however, he became a national hero.
The high-scoring game was played between Georgia Tech and Cumberland College. No one really expected Cumberland to win, but neither did they expect such a rout. From the very first, Georgia's running backs scored at will. By half time, Georgia had scored 19 touchdowns and led by 126 points.
Both teams went to their respective locker rooms to plan their strategies for the second half. The record is silent about what transpired in the Cumberland shower room, but the Georgia coach's admonition to his players is well known.
Leading 126 to 0, he said, "Men, we might be in front, but you never know what those Cumberland players have up their sleeves." He went on to urge them to continue fighting as if they were behind in the game. "Show them no mercy," he intoned. The Georgia players stormed back on the field and ran up another 96 points in the second half.
It had been a bruising embarrassment for the Cumberland players and one should have sent the Georgia coach home, hanging his head in shame. The Georgia running backs rolled up 528 rushing yards, 220 on kickoff returns, and another on punt returns. Not a single pass was thrown by Georgia.
One would have thought that the Georgia coach would have been vilified, but the contrary proved to be the case. In spite of the unconscionable drubbing his team gave Cumberland, he went on to become a football hero, and as such, he left such an impact on the game that his name has become a household word.
The fact that football games are divided into four quarters can be traced directly to the Georgia Tech coach. He invented the center snap to the quarterback and came up with the "T" and "I" formations. Then in 1935, his name was immortalized.
Football officials decided that an annual trophy should be given to the most outstanding collegiate player in the country. In time it became the most prestigious award in football. They named it the Heisman Trophy after Coach John Heisman , that same Georgia Tech coach who once shut the gates of mercy on little Cumberland College. Apparently in this case, "might did make right."
