The guys we’ll watch play today are tough, but let me tell you of some real tough guys, in fact they may well be the toughest football team in American history. - They came from the University of the South, in Sewannee Tennessee.
In the last six days of the season, they were scheduled to play five of the most powerful teams in the country. – They closed the season like this:
Game #1 was against Texas University, of they smashed 12-0.
The next day, with little rest, they trounced Texas A&M 32-0.
On the following day they played Tulane University, and won 23-0.
The fourth day was Sunday, the team rested and attended church service together.
Day five they faced undefeated Louisiana State University, winning 34-0.
On the sixth and last day, they played Mississippi State and won 12-0.
That’s a amazing record for any football team. – What adds to testimony of their might as a team is that these games were played in 1899, and none were home games because Sewannee didn’t have a football field.
There was no charter flights to get them to their next game. - They had to leave right after a game and travel by horseback and wagon all night long to get to their next challenge.
Add to that, there were only eleven Sewannee players on the team. - They had no substitutes. – I think today, to be a Christian we need to live with that same kind of tenacity.