Today in History, 1937: Bison blanked 33-0 by George Washington University in muddy D.C. slugfest

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On this day in 1937, North Dakota Agricultural College's Bison football team ended its season with a 33-0 loss to George Washington University on a muddy field in Washington, D.C.

Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:

Colonial Defeat Bison Gridders, 33 to 0

HERD ROUTED IN SEASON FINALE

NDAC Staves Off First Half Threats, Over-Powered In Second PASS ATTACK FAILS Muddy Field Handicaps North Dakotans In Washington Game By Eugene Fitzgerald Sports Editor of The Fargo Forum Washington, Nov. 13.—George Washington university's Colonials smashed their way to a 33-0 victory over the North Dakota Agricultural college Bison here today in the Washington team's annual homecoming game.

It was the final game of the season for the Bison, who won five of their nine contests.

The Colonials virtually routed the Bison in the second half after the Herd had staved off threats in the first half, in which the Colonials gained a lead of 6 to 0.

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• Nov 14, 1937
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• PLAY ON MUDDY FIELD

Playing on a gridiron in which 30 yards of the field at the east end was a quagmire, the Bison had little opportunity to show their offense in the first half as the Colonials backed them into the hole repeatedly.

The statistics tell better than anything else how completely the Colonials took charge of the situation. The Herd made only two first downs, both in the second half, gaining only 39 yards from scrimmage against 19 first downs for the Colonials who picked up 323 yards by running.

The Bison attempted 18 passes, completing 3 for 27 yards, while the Colonials completed 5 of 18 for 57 yards by the same method. Only one department showed the Bison superior, Ernie Wheeler, who again distinguished himself with some fine play, having an average of 41 yards for his 11 punts, while the Colonials had an average of 39 yards on 7 attempts. However, this was offset by longer returns by the Colonials, who averaged 16 yards to 10 for the Bison.

BISON NEVER THREATEN

The Bison never made a serious scoring threat. The closest they came was on the final play of the third period, when Bernie Berman recovered a GW fumble on the Colonials' 16.

The Bison made both of their first downs in the third period, both from Wheeler to Wes Phillips, whose defense in the secondary was one of the features of Bison play.

Not until Wheeler returned his big 43 after the Colonials scored their second touchdown, in the third period, were the Bison in position to show their offense. Here Carl Rorvig, classy runner and southpaw passer, went into the game in an effort to perk up the offensive but the Bison were unable to make any appreciable headway. Their passes were incomplete or intercepted.

EARLY STAND STRONG

The Bison earned a lot of respect by their early stands on the goal line, but when the Colonials shifted their offense into high gear, the Bison could do little about stopping it.

The Herd forwards were consistently outcharged by the Colonials' numerous starters and replacements, but the play of Elmer Holt at guard and Cecil Schrank at tackle stood out.

The Bison were unable to check the fancy capers of Vic Sampson, a classy back, who took the Colonials out of several holes with his spectacular running. In the second half a sophomore pony back, Billy Richardson, was a standout in the running attack.

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Despite the fact they scored only once in the second period, the Colonials made their greatest advance in this quarter, gaining 139 yards, 60 of which was on Sampson's run for the initial touchdown.

The Bison really were in the game until the final period, but how badly they were outplayed shows in the yards gained by periods, with the Colonials making 77 to 13 in the initial quarter, 139 to only 3 for the Herd in the second, 44 to 6 in the third, and 63 to 17 in the final quarter.

The Bison staved off two scoring threats in the first period, though handicapped by the loss of Chuck Pollock, right tackle, who was removed because of a leg injury.

Sampson made his 60 yard touchdown dash early in the second quarter after Sonny Jones had blocked Wheeler's punt on the Bison 17. The Bison regained possession after Sampson's pass was caught out of the end zone, and Wheeler punted out on the Colonials' 40. On the first play Sampson faked a reverse, spun to his right and paralleled the side line on a dash in which only Capt. Forrest Stephens gave chase, being considerably outrun.

Early in the third quarter, Bob Nowaskey returned Wheeler's punt to the Bison 38. Nine plays, three in three successive series, gave the Colonials three successive first downs, the final one on the Bison 6. On the second play of the next series, Nowaskey cracked center to score. Nowaskey plunged for the extra point, giving George Washington a 13-0 lead.

Early in the final period, the Colonials took the ball on the Bison 23 after Berman recovered a GW fumble. Kaufman broke away on the first play, a spread formation one of a number the Colonials employed during the game, and took GW out of the hole as he got up to his own 34.

Here the Colonials were forced to punt, and Don Eberle recovered for GW after Wheeler had attempted to scoop up the ball. Kaufman passed to Leon Morrison on second down after the Colonials had made a first down on the Bison 8, Bob Canning squirming through on a pass from Kaufman. The extra point failed.

Bill Olson had returned the kickoff to his 28 when GW was penalized to the Bison 43 for a substitute talking to teammates. Here Howard Tihila plucked a pass which bounced from Phillips' fingertips and raced 55 yards to score. Canning passed to Morrison for the extra point, giving GW a lead of 26 to 0.

The Colonials scored their final touchdown only 45 seconds before the finish. Crawford Carrier intercepted Ted Whalen's pass and downed on the Bison 40. Richardson ran to the Bison 28 for a first down on the succeeding play and followed with a 28-yard run on the next play. Wilbur Saeger booted the point from placement.

Whalen ran back the kickoff to the Bison 26 and the Herd ran one more play before the game ended. The Bison left here at 8:50 p.m. and arrive in Fargo Monday morning.

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• Kate Almquist

Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at [email protected].

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