1895 Georgia vs. North Carolina football game

The 1895 Georgia vs. North Carolina football game, played October 26, 1895, was a college football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and North Carolina Tar Heels. The game features what some claim is the first (legal or otherwise; the legal pass starts in 1906) forward pass. This was also the first season of the newly formed Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

1895 Georgia vs. North Carolina football game
Georgia Bulldogs North Carolina Tar Heels (1–0) (1–0) 0 6 Head coach:  Pop Warner Head coach:  Thomas Trenchard
1 2 Total Georgia 0 0 0 North Carolina 6 0 6
Date	October 26, 1895
Season	1895
Location	Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance	1,500

Game notes

Bob Quincy notes in his 1973 book They Made the Bell Tower Chime: "John Heisman, a noted historian, wrote 30 years later that, indeed, the Tar Heels had given birth to the forward pass against the Bulldogs (UGA). It was conceived to break a scoreless deadlock and give UNC a 6–0 win. The Carolinians were in a punting situation and a Georgia rush seemed destined to block the ball. The punter, with an impromptu dash to his right, tossed the ball and it was caught by George Stephens, who ran 70 yards for a touchdown." The ball was thrown out of desperation by back Joel Whitaker.[1] Georgia coach Pop Warner complained to the referee that the play was illegal, however, the referee let the play stand because he did not see the pass.[1] Only 4 minutes of game time had passed when Stephens scored.[2][3]

Aftermath

The teams played a second time and North Carolina won 10 to 6.

References

1. "Tar Heels Credited with Throwing First Forward Pass". Tar Heel Times. tarheeltimes.com. Archived from the original on 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
2. "An Exciting Game". The Daily Tar Heel. November 2, 1895. p. 1. Retrieved April 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "North Carolina Won". The Wilmington Morning Star. October 27, 1895. p. 1. Retrieved April 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.