Billy Teas dismissed

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GSOJacket

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It was late October 1954, a couple of days before the Tech-Duke game in Durham. Duke was ranked #16; we were unranked at 4W, 3L. Our star was halfback Billy Teas, a likely All American with a 7.9 yards per carry average to that point in the season. On Thursday before the game Coach Dodd kicked Teas off the team for missing curfew. Dodd said he didn't have many rules but those he had he expected to be followed - no exceptions. On Saturday I was a sick teenager, listening to the game on the Duke radio network from my sickbed in Charlotte. For almost three quarters Tech's sophomore backfield ran wild, building up a 20 - 0 lead. Then we ran out of gas and momentum and lost 21 - 20. Terrible loss, but this game saw the emergence of one of the great Tech backfields. Tech went on to win their last three games over Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, and beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.
 
GSOJacket said:
It was late October 1954, a couple of days before the Tech-Duke game in Durham. Duke was ranked #16; we were unranked at 4W, 3L. Our star was halfback Billy Teas, a likely All American with a 7.9 yards per carry average to that point in the season. On Thursday before the game Coach Dodd kicked Teas off the team for missing curfew. Dodd said he didn't have many rules but those he had he expected to be followed - no exceptions. On Saturday I was a sick teenager, listening to the game on the Duke radio network from my sickbed in Charlotte. For almost three quarters Tech's sophomore backfield ran wild, building up a 20 - 0 lead. Then we ran out of gas and momentum and lost 21 - 20. Terrible loss, but this game saw the emergence of one of the great Tech backfields. Tech went on to win their last three games over Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, and beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.
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Awesome story! Thanks for reminding us all that you never know what might happen.
 
What kind of alternate universe is this where we lose to a #16 Duke and then beat Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.
 
Akinji07 said:
What kind of alternate universe is this where we lose to a #16 Duke and then beat Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.
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Because the reality was that Duke in those days was habitually one of the top teams in the country pretty much every year. Weird, I know, but that's the way it was. Conversely, Alabama was terrible in those days before the Bear. They were coached by a guy named "Ears" Whitworth. Probably not not in the hall of fame at the Capstone.
 
GSOJacket said:
It was late October 1954, a couple of days before the Tech-Duke game in Durham. Duke was ranked #16; we were unranked at 4W, 3L. Our star was halfback Billy Teas, a likely All American with a 7.9 yards per carry average to that point in the season. On Thursday before the game Coach Dodd kicked Teas off the team for missing curfew. Dodd said he didn't have many rules but those he had he expected to be followed - no exceptions. On Saturday I was a sick teenager, listening to the game on the Duke radio network from my sickbed in Charlotte. For almost three quarters Tech's sophomore backfield ran wild, building up a 20 - 0 lead. Then we ran out of gas and momentum and lost 21 - 20. Terrible loss, but this game saw the emergence of one of the great Tech backfields. Tech went on to win their last three games over Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, and beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.
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That was about the only low time during the 1951-56 run of greatness
 
GT 1950 said:
Because the reality was that Duke in those days was habitually one of the top teams in the country pretty much every year. Weird, I know, but that's the way it was. Conversely, Alabama was terrible in those days before the Bear. They were coached by a guy named "Ears" Whitworth. Probably not not in the hall of fame at the Capstone.
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Actually Alabama was somewhat hot and cold. They were coached by Red Drew through 1954. They were top 20 in 1950 and 1953. Their '52 team, which we beat 7 - 3 in an epic game, was top 10 and beat Syracuse 61 - 6 in the Orange Bowl, where Bart Starr made a significant contribution as a freshman. (Back in those days final ranking was determined prior to bowl games.)
 
GSOJacket said:
Actually Alabama was somewhat hot and cold. They were coached by Red Drew through 1954. They were top 20 in 1950 and 1953. Their '52 team, which we beat 7 - 3 in an epic game, was top 10 and beat Syracuse 61 - 6 in the Orange Bowl, where Bart Starr made a significant contribution as a freshman. (Back in those days final ranking was determined prior to bowl games.)
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You are correct it was later in the 1950s that prompted the administration to call the Bear back home from Texas A&M. That 1952 Tech team beat Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl but Dodd wanted to go to the Orange Bowl to play Syracuse because he knew it would be an easy game.
 
GT 1950 said:
You are correct it was later in the 1950s that prompted the administration to call the Bear back home from Texas A&M. That 1952 Tech team beat Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl but Dodd wanted to go to the Orange Bowl to play Syracuse because he knew it would be an easy game.
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The defense that Dodd's teams of the 50s (even the ones of the later 50's) was ridiculously good. No one in the history of the game understood, and played, defense, field position and the kicking game better.
 
donsue said:
The defense that Dodd's teams of the 50s (even the ones of the later 50's) was ridiculously good. No one in the history of the game understood, and played, defense, field position and the kicking game better.
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The NCAA mandated one platoon football for 11 years beginning with the 1953 season. Dodd's philosophy was to favor a player's defensive abilities over his offensive ability and to play very conservatively (e.g., punt on third down from deep in own side of field). following the great 1956 team, however, we really weren't very good. Records beginning with '57 team: 4-4-2, 5-4-1, 6-5, 5-5, 7-4. In the two 11 game seasons we lost both times in the Gator Bowl. (I was a student 1958 - 62.)
 
GSOJacket said:
The NCAA mandated one platoon football for 11 years beginning with the 1953 season. Dodd's philosophy was to favor a player's defensive abilities over his offensive ability and to play very conservatively (e.g., punt on third down from deep in own side of field). following the great 1956 team, however, we really weren't very good. Records beginning with '57 team: 4-4-2, 5-4-1, 6-5, 5-5, 7-4. In the two 11 game seasons we lost both times in the Gator Bowl. (I was a student 1958 - 62.)
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No doubt, there was dropoff after 1956. But if you go back and look at the teams like the 1959 and 1960 ones, one year they lost 5 games by a total of 11 points. The 1962 team was very good, and should have had an undefeated regular season. The 1962 Bama game had as much talent on both sides of the field as anyone would see then.

But you are right in the sense that it was becoming harder for Dodd to recruit the depth he needed as time went by.
 
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