A Brief History
On October 7, 1916, in the most lopsided college football game of all time, Georgia Tech beat Cumberland College 222-0. That is really, really creaming the other side! Back on August 22, 2014, we ran a list titled “10 Times One Side REALLY Creamed the Other Side (Lopsided Victories),” and here we list another 9. Last time some folks complained about the lack of examples from American football, so this follow-up list makes up for that. As always, feel free to mention your own examples of mismatched opponents in the comments section. Please note that YouTube videos are not available for many of the items on this list. So, instead we have videos of what it may have felt like to get creamed in the manner listed below. Enjoy!
Digging Deeper
9. Yale over Darmouth, 113-0, 1884.
Back when college football was still in its infancy, Yale pulled off history’s first 100-point game and also the first 100-point game that was also a shut-out. Apparently 1884 was a good year for one team annihilating the other because the following week, Princeton beat Lafayette 140-0.
8. Houston over Tulsa, 100-6, 1968.
This game is significant because it is the only 100-point game in the last 50 years in Division I college football. History and Headlines Trivia: The only decades without at least 1 college football team (of any division) scoring 100 points in a game were the 1970s, the 1990s and the 2010s (so far).
7. San Francisco 49ers over Denver Broncos, 55-10, 1990.
This score was the largest margin of victory (or defeat, if you prefer) in Super Bowl history. For those of you who want to know, it was Super Bowl XXIV. The loss was the 4th for the Broncos, which at the time tied them with the Minnesota Vikings for the record of Super Bowl futility.
6. Yale over Wesleyan, 1886, 1887, 1888.
In what must have been a hellish time period in college football for Wesleyan, they lost to Yale by scores of 136-0, 106-0, 105-0 in 3 consecutive years. It is understandable that Wesleyan came back after the first devastating defeat, but why bother showing up a third time?
5. Haven High School over Sylvia High School, 256-0, 1926.
These 2 Kansas high schools not only played the most lopsided game in football history at any level, but the 256 points scored are probably the most ever in any football game, even if you combine the scores of both teams. The game was a home game for Haven, giving them that home field advantage.
4. Rockford University over Trinity Bible College, 105-0, 2003.
This thrashing is, so far, the only 100 point game by a college football team in the 21st century.
3. Chicago Bears over Washington Redskins, 73-0, 1940.
The worst lambasting in the National Football League’s (NFL) history occurred during the league championship game in 1940. The Washington franchise should have changed their name in shame! Instead, now they are being pressured to do so from those who feel it is racist.
2. Cleveland Brown vs. All America Football Conference, 47-4-3, 1946-1949.
These were glory years for the Browns. They won the league championship in all 4 years of the existence of the All American Football Conference (AAFC). The quality of the AAFC was then further demonstrated when the Browns joined the NFL in 1950 and promptly won the NFL championship. History and Headlines Trivia: The Cleveland Rams won the NFL championship in 1945 and moved to Los Angeles the following year, leaving a pro football vacuum which was filled by the Browns. (Yes, these were the Rams that later went from Los Angeles to St. Louis.)
1. Georgia Tech over Cumberland College, 222-0, 1916.
If you are wondering why the Georgia Tech Engineers would pummel the Cumberland Bulldogs in such a humiliating manner, it might have been because in the previous year, the Cumberland baseball teach had defeated the Georgia Tech baseball team by 22-0, and John Heisman, the Georgia Tech baseball coach, was also the football coach! With a tiny roster of only 14 players, Cumberland went to the sacrificial altar, and Georgia Tech was able to score 32 touchdowns and made 30 of 32 extra points. Georgia Tech did not bother to throw a single pass but instead rushed 1,620 yards. Cumberland contributed to their own creaming with 9 fumbles and 6 possessions lost to interceptions. History and Headlines Trivia: In those days, sportswriters added up the total points a football team scored in a season to determine team rankings.
Question for students (and subscribers): Can you think of any recent lopsided victories or defeats? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Piascik, Andy. The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns—Pro Football’s Greatest Dynasty: The 1946-1955 Cleveland Browns. Taylor Trade Publishing, 2006.
Weinreb, Michael. Season of Saturdays: A History of College Football in 14 Games. Scribner, 2015.
