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Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football
First season	1919
Last season	1972
Stadium	Butler Stadium
Year built	c. 1923
Location	Quantico, Virginia
All-time record	339–134–15 (.710)
Bowl record	4–2 (.667)
Claimed national titles	5 (National Service champions: 1921, 1922, 1953, 1959, 1963)
Colors	Scarlet and Gold

The Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football team represented the Quantico Marine Base in the sport of American football, playing 51 seasons between 1919 and 1972. Composed of United States Marine Corps personnel, many of whom had college football experience, the team competed primarily against other military teams and college teams, along with an annual game against the Baltimore City Fire Department from 1929 to 1942. The Devil Dogs registered wins against college programs such as Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Rutgers, and Villanova, and were the only team to score a touchdown against the undefeated 1923 Michigan Wolverines.

History

The "Devil Dogs" football program began after World War I, encouraged by Marine Corps General Smedley Butler, for whom the team's stadium was later named. Head coach Lt. John Beckett led the team to back-to-back undefeated seasons in 1921 and 1922. Before a crowd of 16,000 in Baltimore in 1921, the Marines defeated the Third Army Corps, who were coached by Major Dwight D. Eisenhower, by a score of 20–0. Frank Goettge was the backfield star of the 1921 team. Walter Camp, after seeing Goettge play against the Third Army Corps one year, wrote: "Today, for today at least, I saw my greatest all-time football player; for today at least greater than Jim Thorpe on a good day. The big fellow's name is Frank Goettge. He is a young Marine Lieutenant from Ohio." Goettge, who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, would die on Guadalcanal in 1942. The major highlights of the 1922 season were a 9–6 victory over Georgetown, an Eastern power at the time, and a 13–12 victory over Third Army Corps. The game with Third Army Corps was held in Baltimore before 50,000 fans including 12,000 Marines, the Secretaries of War and the Navy, Governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia and 100 members of Congress.

The Marines saw their winning streak end with a 6–0 loss to VMI in the 1923 season opener. Quantico would only lose one other game during the season, a 26–6 defeat at Michigan. "Support for the team reached an all-time high during a game against the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, during the Corps’ anniversary in 1923. Thousands of Marines and fans traveled from Quantico on special trains to attend the game. Many of the Marines spent their entire month's paycheck and more just to pay for the venture." A "mixup in the official timekeeper's record" resulted in the first quarter lasting 33 minutes, thus the first half was 48 minutes long rather than a regulation 30 minutes. Despite the two losses, the 1923 team shutout six teams during the season, including a 39–0 victory over Villanova.

The Marines improved in 1924, winning each of their games except for a 13–13 tie with Vanderbilt. This would prove to be Beckett's last year coaching the Marines. In four seasons, they were 30–2–2 for a .912 winning percentage. Tom Keady took over the head coaching duties for the 1925 season, but Quantico didn't fare as well, finishing with a 6–3–1 record. But Keady would return the Marines to the ranks of the undefeated, coaching the team to a 10–0 record in 1927. Keady compiled a 45–12–3 record (.775 winning percentage) as head coach from 1925 to 1930.

From 1931 through 1942, the team had multiple head coaches, with only Bill Beatty serving as head coach for more than a single season, in 1935 and 1936. Statistically, the best season of this era was 1934, when the team was 7–1, losing only to the Sewanee Athletic Club. Due to World War II, no team was fielded during 1943–1945. When competition resumed in 1946, the team went 3–8 while playing mainly against other military teams. In 1947, the team improved to 12–1 while again playing mostly against military teams, losing only to Washington and Lee in the first game of the season.

The Marines had another undefeated season in 1948 (13–0), including shutouts over eight teams. A 27-game winning streak would end in 1949, with a 29–7 loss to Xavier. Xavier would win a 34–13 rematch in 1950, but one highlight of the season was a 61–21 win over the VPI Gobblers (now known as the Virginia Tech Hokies) with the Devil Dogs led by Eddie LeBaron at quarterback. The 1956 squad would not only beat Xavier (27–13), but also Boston College (20–6), en route to a 9–3 record. The 1958 Marines pulled off an upset of 9–0 Rutgers (ranked No. 19), 13–12. Coach Capt. Will Overgaard led the Marines to an 11–0 record in 1959, the last undefeated season for Quantico. The 1962 season would see five games canceled because of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and two games were canceled in 1963 because of the assassination of President Kennedy. In the 1965 season finale at Butler Stadium, Quantico (a two-touchdown underdog) pulled off an upset of Memphis State, 20–14.

In 1972, Quantico would play their last season of football, under head coach Ron Eckert. The Marines beat Akron (24–0) late in the season, and Xavier (34–0) in the season finale to finish with an 8–4 record. The program was discontinued by General Robert E. Cushman, Commandant of the Marine Corps, who stated that "continued personnel and financial support for football could not be justified" due to rising costs.

Yearly records

Source:

Military titles

Source:

Military bowl games

The Devil Dogs are known to have participated in six military bowl games, with a record of 4–2.

Notable personnel

Multiple players and coaches with the team ultimately became general officers in the Marine Corps, including:

• Chester R. Allen (tackle 1930)
• Caleb Bailey (center 1923–1926; assistant coach 1928–1929)
• Joseph C. Burger (tackle 1925–1926, 1931; assistant coach 1928, 1931–1932)
• William S. Fellers (back 1922–1923)
• Mike Giddings (guard 1955)
• Harry B. Liversedge (end 1920; tackle 1921–1924; assistant coach 1925–1926, 1929)
• J. D. Roberts (guard 1955, assistant coach 1956)
• George R. E. Shell (end 1932; athletic officer 1937)
• Austin Shofner (head coach 1946)
• William J. Whaling (end 1922–1923)
• Frederick L. Wieseman (assistant coach 1936)

Source:

Notes

1. Apparently 1924, per a January 1935 newspaper account.
2. Contemporary news reports estimate the crowd at 40,000 and noted in attendance John W. Weeks (Secretary of War), Edwin Denby (Secretary of the Navy), Elbert Lee Trinkle (Governor of Virginia), and Albert Ritchie (Governor of Maryland).
3. Reported as 40–0 in contemporary newspapers.

References

1. "Quantico Marines Looking To Future". The Baltimore Sun. February 26, 1923. p. 9. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
2. ^ "Quantico Football 1918 thru 1942 ROSTERS" (PDF). jarheadjocks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
3. Schmidt, Hans (1987). Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 129–143. ISBN 0-8131-0957-4. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via Google Books.
4. "Distinguished Assemblage Will See Army-Marine Tilt". The Baltimore Sun. November 17, 1921. p. 11. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
5. "Quantico Marines Win From Third Army, 20-0". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. AP. December 4, 1921. p. 19. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
6. Doyle, Leo (December 9, 1921). "Goettge May Play Tomorrow Against Washington Pros". The Evening Sun. Baltimore. p. 31. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
7. "Captain Goettge Appointed Coach". The Honolulu Advertiser. January 13, 1935. p. 11. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
8. Russell, Fred (September 18, 1942). "Remember Frank Goettge?". Nashville Banner. p. 30. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
9. "Quantico Marines Win From Georgetown, 9 to 6". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh. AP. October 29, 1922. p. 27. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
10. "Quantico Marines Defeat Army Corps". Wilmington Morning Star. Wilmington, North Carolina. December 3, 1922. p. 8. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
11. "Quantico Marines Down Army Team". The Arizona Republican. December 3, 1922. p. 13. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
12. "V. M. I. Takes First Game of Football Season from Quantico Marines, 6 to 0". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. September 23, 1923. p. 13. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Yost's Team Scampers to 26-6 Victory". The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. November 11, 1923. p. 35. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
14. "Base Football Dominant in Its Heyday".
15. "Yesterday's Football Results". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh. November 4, 1923. p. 28. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
16. "Quantico Marines Tie Vanderbilt". Miami Herald. AP. October 12, 1924. p. 31. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
17. "Keady Will Coach Quantico Marines". Miami Tribune. April 8, 1925. p. 12. Retrieved February 7, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
18. "Consistent Football". The Times. Munster, Indiana. December 30, 1927. p. 20. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
19. ^ "Quantico Football 1943 thru 1963" (PDF). jarheadjocks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
20. "W.&L. Eleven Beats Quantico Marines, 13-0". The Baltimore Sun. AP. September 21, 1947. p. 31. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
21. "Xavier Ends Quantico Mark". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. AP. October 3, 1949. p. 15. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
22. "Quantico Marines Halted By Xavier". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. INS. September 18, 1950. p. 10. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
23. "Leathernecks Trounce VPI; LeBaron Star". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. AP. October 1, 1950. p. 55. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
24. Ford, Bill (October 21, 1956). "Quantico Too Strong For Xavier, 27-13". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 64. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
25. "Quantico Marines Trounce Boston College By 20-6". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. UP. November 11, 1956. p. 85. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
26. "Quantico Marines Defeat Rutgers". The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. AP. November 16, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
27. "Quantico Marines Upset Favored Memphis State". Anderson Herald. Anderson, Indiana. UPI. November 28, 1965. p. 29. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
28. "Akron Coach Stepping Down". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. AP. November 12, 1972. p. 4-D. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
29. "Quantico Marines Capture Their Final Outing, 34-0". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. November 24, 1972. p. 3C. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
30. Minot Jr., George (1972-11-16). "Taps About to Sound for Quantico Football". The New York Times. p. D1.
31. ^ "QUANTICO FOOTBALL 1964 thru 1972" (PDF). jarheadjocks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
32. "Poinsettia Bowl Games". cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
33. "Shrimp Bowl Games". cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
34. ^ "Missile Bowl Games". cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
35. "Quantico Marines Win Bowl Tilt". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. AP. December 12, 1960. p. 23. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
36. Jones, Elwood R. (September 1956). "Football Forecast". Leatherneck.

• Quantico Marines Devil Dogs football
• American football teams established in 1919
• American football teams disestablished in 1972
• 1919 establishments in Virginia
• 1972 disestablishments in Virginia