What Is 1914 Presbyterian Blue Hose football

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Last updated: April 14, 2026

Quick Answer: The 1914 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team represented Presbyterian College during the 1914 college football season, compiling a 2–3 record under first-year coach Walter A. Johnson. This season marked one of the earliest in the program’s history, with games against regional opponents in South Carolina.

Key Facts

The 1914 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team finished with a 2–3 overall record
Walter A. Johnson was the head coach in his first season at Presbyterian College
The team played all games against regional opponents in South Carolina
Presbyterian College was then located in Clinton, South Carolina
The Blue Hose nickname originated from the school's Scottish heritage

Overview

The 1914 Presbyterian Blue Hose football team represented Presbyterian College during the 1914 college football season. Competing as an independent, the team was led by first-year head coach Walter A. Johnson and played its home games in Clinton, South Carolina.

This season was part of the early development of collegiate football at Presbyterian, a small liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The team’s schedule consisted entirely of regional matchups, reflecting the limited travel and communication infrastructure of the era.

Record: The team finished the season with a 2–3 overall record, winning two games and losing three, marking modest progress in its early football history.
Coach:Walter A. Johnson served as head coach in his inaugural season, laying foundational strategies despite limited resources and experience.
Location: All games were played in Clinton, South Carolina, where the college has been based since its founding in 1880.
Opponents: The Blue Hose faced regional teams including Erskine College, Newberry College, and other small Southern schools.
Historical Context: The 1914 season occurred before the NCAA established formal divisions, and college football was still evolving in structure and popularity.

How It Works

The 1914 Presbyterian Blue Hose football season operated under early 20th-century collegiate football rules and organizational norms. Teams played short seasons, often with five or fewer games, and relied on local talent and minimal funding.

Season Structure: The team played a five-game schedule, typical for small colleges at the time, with no conference affiliations or postseason opportunities.
Game Rules: Football in 1914 used rules similar to modern play but lacked forward passing until 1906; by 1914, the forward pass was legal but rarely used.
Player Roles: Most players participated on both offense and defense, with minimal substitutions allowed under the rules of the era.
Recruitment: Rosters were filled locally, with no national scouting; players were typically students from South Carolina and nearby states.
Coaching: Head coach Walter A. Johnson had limited staff support, often relying on player-led drills and basic playbooks.
Facilities: Games were played on rudimentary fields without bleachers or lighting, and attendance records were not formally kept.

Comparison at a Glance

Comparing the 1914 Presbyterian Blue Hose to contemporary college teams highlights differences in scale, competition, and resources.

Team	Record (1914)	Coach	Games Played	Notable Fact
Presbyterian Blue Hose	2–3	Walter A. Johnson	5	Played all regional opponents in South Carolina
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	6–3	Knute Rockne (assistant)	9	Used innovative forward pass strategies
Princeton Tigers	7–1	Bill Roper	8	Played national schedule including Harvard
Georgia Tech Golden Tornado	9–0	John Heisman	9	Outscored opponents 591–0 in shutout victories
Harvard Crimson	2–2–3	Bo McMillin	7	Played in the Eastern football elite circuit

While larger programs like Georgia Tech dominated with powerful offenses and national recognition, Presbyterian competed at a regional level with limited visibility. The contrast underscores the disparity in resources and ambition between major and small-college football programs in 1914.

Why It Matters

The 1914 season is significant as part of Presbyterian College’s athletic heritage and the broader evolution of college football in the American South. It reflects how small institutions contributed to the sport’s grassroots growth.

Historical Foundation: The 1914 season helped establish a football tradition that continues today, now competing in the Division I FCS.
Regional Identity: Games against schools like Erskine and Newberry fostered local rivalries that lasted decades.
Educational Mission: Football supported student recruitment and school pride at a time when extracurriculars were expanding in small colleges.
Scottish Heritage: The "Blue Hose" nickname references Scottish Presbyterian history, linking athletics to institutional identity.
Coaching Legacy: Walter A. Johnson’s brief tenure paved the way for future coaches to build a more structured program.
Sports Evolution: The season illustrates how college football transitioned from informal play to organized competition in the early 20th century.

Though overshadowed by powerhouse teams of the era, the 1914 Presbyterian Blue Hose represent an important chapter in the democratization of American college sports, where even small schools embraced athletic competition as part of campus life.