A Depression-Era Map Showing the Robust State of College Football in 1938 (from Slate.com's The Vault)

By: mybrisum on September 16, 2015, 11:23 AM | 28 comments

interesting to see how the conferences were aligned in the 1930s and teams that existed then that don't now. it's a great piece for those interested in the history of college football. here's the Link

here's a little sneak peak:

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Comments

NickVT10's picture NickVT10 | 10 years 9 months #

Furman Purple Hurricane. Not a bad move to go to Paladins

Ole Miss was the actual nickname of U of Mississippi, not the Rebels

Oregon Webfeet before they were the ducks

The best though, Connecticut St. Nutmeggers.

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders via Ricky Bobby

smittyvt32949's picture smittyvt32949
📡VT RESEARCH📲
| 10 years 9 months # ^

Connecticut St. Nutmeggers

via GIPHY

Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

Hokie_x3_Hi's picture Hokie_x3_Hi | 10 years 9 months # ^

People from Connecticut are called Nutmeggers since it is the Nutmeg State

HightyTighty's picture HightyTighty
| 10 years 9 months # ^

I read it as the Connecticut (UCONN) Saint Nutmeggers. Maybe that's the confusion the other person had too?

VT_Fencer's picture VT_Fencer | 10 years 9 months #

Apparently Logan and Provo switched places sometime between then and now.

The Orange and Maroon you see, that's fighting on to victory.

mogwaiaredangerous's picture mogwaiaredangerous | 10 years 9 months #

Go Gobblers

Alum07's picture Alum07
🦃 LEG KING 🦃
| 10 years 9 months #

Back when Wake Forest was actually in Wake Forest

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

vtnerf's picture vtnerf
🏌️‍♂️⛳🍀🍺
| 10 years 9 months # ^

You mean before tobacco built them and entire campus...not a bad deal on the schools part.

And UMD was pinned in Assateague. Virginia. At least there are turtles there...

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
@VTnerf on insta, @BuryHokie on twitter, #ThanksFrank

VTJ12's picture VTJ12
| 10 years 9 months #

This is a really awesome map. It's interesting to note that, before the SEC and ACC were created, what is now today's SoCon was probably the most awesome college football conference ever.

From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Conference

Talks of a new conference for southern athletics had started as early as fall of 1920. The conference was formed on February 25, 1921 in Atlanta as fourteen member institutions split from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Southern Conference charter members were Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Washington & Lee. In 1922, six more universities – Florida, LSU, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tulane, and Vanderbilt joined the conference. The first year of competition for the conference was in 1922, effective January 1. The new rules banned freshman play. Later additions included Sewanee (1923), Virginia Military Institute (1924), and Duke (1929).

It's so interesting to see how the landscape has changed over the years. Basically, all the non-Ivy League schools in the northeast were independents before the Big East unified those schools. Penn State was rejected by the Big East, which ultimately led to them going to the Big Ten. Really nice find.

8300A_Hokie'12's picture 8300A_Hokie'12
🏝NO BAD DAYS🏖🤙
| 10 years 9 months #

Im shocked there was a time where there was only one football school in florida

"The Big Ten is always using excuses to cancel games with us. First Wisconsin. Then Wisconsin. After that, Wisconsin. The subsequent cancellation with Wisconsin comes to mind too. Now Penn State. What's next? Wisconsin?" -HorseOnATreadmill

Alum07's picture Alum07
🦃 LEG KING 🦃
| 10 years 9 months # ^

I think I saw recently that Miami really didn't even exist until the area was used as a training ground for WWII, and people just kind of stayed afterwards.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

VTJ12's picture VTJ12
| 10 years 9 months # ^

Also, during this era, FSU was Florida State College for Women.

hokie07ME's picture hokie07ME | 10 years 9 months # ^

Not so different from today. It's just Florida State College (where it's not safe) for Women

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

Hokie Fireman's picture Hokie Fireman
🚨 🚒 🔥
| 10 years 9 months # ^

What do you mean

Was

, isn't it still?

Wet stuff on the red stuff.

Join us in the Key Players Club

Alum07's picture Alum07
🦃 LEG KING 🦃
| 10 years 9 months # ^

I mean, lets be honest, FSU isn't exactly a save haven for women anymore with that football team they have down there.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

hokie07ME's picture hokie07ME | 10 years 9 months #

those St. Louis University Billikins will get after ya

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

MPHOKIE's picture MPHOKIE | 10 years 9 months #

That was beautiful

8300A_Hokie'12's picture 8300A_Hokie'12
🏝NO BAD DAYS🏖🤙
| 10 years 9 months #

Guys! Take a look at this quote from one of the links within the link for the map (emphasis mine)

hen the football player sees his college gather in a million dollars in one year in gate receipts and considers how hard he has been worked to achieve that result, he is strongly inclined to feel that he is entitled to some of the swag.

"Swag" hes been used since at least the 1930's! Mind. Blown.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1932/9/29/carnegie-foundation-head-hit...

"The Big Ten is always using excuses to cancel games with us. First Wisconsin. Then Wisconsin. After that, Wisconsin. The subsequent cancellation with Wisconsin comes to mind too. Now Penn State. What's next? Wisconsin?" -HorseOnATreadmill

HightyTighty's picture HightyTighty
| 10 years 9 months # ^

Yeah, its an acronym for stolen wares and goods. Then just kind of lost the criminal tint to mean simply "stuff." Not the same as it's often used today, which is as a shortened version of swagger.

8300A_Hokie'12's picture 8300A_Hokie'12
🏝NO BAD DAYS🏖🤙
| 10 years 9 months # ^

"The Big Ten is always using excuses to cancel games with us. First Wisconsin. Then Wisconsin. After that, Wisconsin. The subsequent cancellation with Wisconsin comes to mind too. Now Penn State. What's next? Wisconsin?" -HorseOnATreadmill

HightyTighty's picture HightyTighty
| 10 years 9 months # ^

Random, generally useless trivia is a specialty of mine. Really came in handy at Sharkey's. Think I only ever paid real money for drinks twice.

NickVT10's picture NickVT10 | 10 years 9 months # ^

we use it all the time at work. Shitty Wild Ass Guess

"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders via Ricky Bobby

PhotonWrangler's picture PhotonWrangler | 10 years 9 months #

I love this kind of random history. Thanks for sharing. It's funny how dense the northeast was back then with college football teams. Now there are, what, 4 FBS teams in the NY/New England area? (I can only think of Buffalo, Syracuse, BC, and UConn.) Awesome stuff.

MPHOKIE's picture MPHOKIE | 10 years 9 months # ^

Army also. Great point you make.

PhotonWrangler's picture PhotonWrangler | 10 years 9 months # ^

Oh yeah. Totally forgot Army was FBS. Given the way they've played over the last decade, it's easy to forget that. ;-) Great point.

Hokie_x3_Hi's picture Hokie_x3_Hi | 10 years 9 months # ^

Also UMass.

bluehokie2006's picture bluehokie2006 | 10 years 9 months #

So that's where Furman is.