Timothy P. Brown joins us to discuss a significant historical football game that took place on Thanksgiving in 1932, focusing on the remarkable achievements of Colgate University during that season.
The discussion is based on Tim's Tidbit titled: The 1932 Colgate-Brown Thanksgiving Game for the Rose Bowl
The Greatest Team That Wasn't Invited: Colgate's Unscored-Upon 1932 Season
For many, Thanksgiving means turkey and football. But in 1932, it meant a historic, high-stakes showdown that cemented one team's place in college football lore. This was the scene for the Thanksgiving Day game between the undefeated Colgate Red Raiders and the equally unbeaten Brown Bears, a story recently shared by football historian Timothy P. Brown on the Pigskin Daily History Dispatch podcast.
The game pitted two Eastern powerhouses against each other in a deeply rooted rivalry game. Going into the matchup, Coach Andy Kerr’s Colgate squad boasted an immaculate 8-0 record, having dominated their opponents with a staggering 243-0 cumulative score. Brown was also 8-0, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated East Coast battles of the decade. Kerr, a notable disciple of coaching legend Pop Warner (he was even sent to coach Stanford for two years in Warner's place), employed a highly effective, pass-oriented double-wing offense that consistently produced high scores.
21 Points of Perfection
The national press built the game up as a Rose Bowl elimination contest, with the winner thought to be the most deserving contender. Colgate, fueled by the desire to cap an already legendary season, needed one specific number to secure another national title: the scoring crown. They needed 21 points against Brown to surpass West Liberty and claim the national scoring title.
In a feat of near-perfect offensive execution, Colgate won the game 21-0. The win not only ensured they finished the year a national scoring leader, but more impressively, it completed the most dominant season in modern college football history.
The Uninvited Legend
Colgate’s final record was 9-0, undefeated, untied, and unscored upon. Yet, when the invitations were handed out, the famous line was coined: The 1932 Red Raiders were “undefeated, untied, unscored upon, and uninvited.”
The Pacific Coast Conference ultimately chose Pitt to play in the Rose Bowl, a team that subsequently lost to USC 35-0. While the Rose Bowl passed them over, Colgate secured a far more exclusive and permanent title: they remain the last major college football team to finish a season unscored upon. Coach Andy Kerr’s legacy extends beyond the 1932 team; in a four-year stretch, his teams averaged nearly 33 points a game while only allowing two, an incredible combination that defines one of football’s most enduring mysteries.
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