The Controversial 1912 Clash Between Ohio State and Penn State

In November 1912, the first-ever football encounter between Penn State and Ohio State unfolded on the gridiron, resulting in a tumultuous event more reminiscent of an MTV Celebrity Deathmatch than a traditional college football game. The game was held at Ohio Field, and its official conclusion left the Nittany Lions victorious with a rare 1-0 score. This outcome stemmed from a decision by Ohio State's coach, John R. Richards, to withdraw his players from the field with 9 minutes and 6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, as his team was trailing 37-0. Richards cited player safety as the primary reason for this controversial action.At the time, Ohio State's football schedule primarily featured matchups against other Ohio-based schools, with Michigan being the notable exception. Interestingly, the media of the era seldom referred to Ohio State as the Buckeyes. In fact, in 1912, the Columbus Dispatch even applied the "Buckeyes" moniker to Mount Union and Denison's football teams but not to Ohio State.However, mounting pressure led Ohio State to venture beyond Ohio for more challenging opponents. The 1912 schedule included notable matchups against Michigan, Penn State, and the inaugural game against Michigan Agricultural College (later known as Michigan State). This was also the year Ohio State became a part of the Western Conference, which later evolved into the Big Ten. They commenced playing a Western Conference schedule in 1913.Conversely, Penn State faced a schedule primarily comprised of Keystone State schools, with Penn being recognized as a powerhouse program in college football at the time. The Nittany Lions also regularly engaged strong out-of-state teams like Cornell and Colgate. In this era, Eastern football held a prestigious reputation, and Penn State actively participated in this competitive landscape. In contrast, Ohio State had limited exposure to Eastern football, with notable losses to the renowned Carlisle Indians in 1904 and Syracuse in 1911.To prepare Ohio State for its transition into the future Big Ten Conference, Wisconsin alumnus John R. Richards was appointed as the athletic director and football coach. When Ohio State faced Penn State, Richards' team had secured a 5-1 record, marked by impressive victories over Otterbein, Denison, Cincinnati, Case, and Oberlin, with their sole loss to Michigan by a score of 14-0. Notably, despite some of the players on the roster earning distinction as some of the finest to ever don Scarlet and Gray jerseys, their names and unforgettable nicknames have faded from collective memory. Tackle Arthur "Bugs" Raymond, guard Irving "Geissy" Geissman, halfback Maurice "Windy" Briggs, fullback Campbell "Honus" Graf, and end Boyd "Smash" Cherry were among those selected to Ohio State's all-time team that spanned the first quarter-century of OSU football. Boyd "Smash" Cherry, in particular, received the honor of becoming the first OSU player named an All-American.Penn State, under the guidance of former All-American fullback Bill Hollenback, experienced a significant transformation. Before Hollenback's arrival, the Nittany Lions were not considered an elite Eastern program. However, Penn State thrived under his leadership, accumulating an 18-2-4 record in his initial three seasons. The 1912 squad held an undefeated 6-0 record and had yielded only six points before their game in Columbus. The team featured three players who would later be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: fullback James "Pete" Mauthe, end Dexter Very, and quarterback Eugene "Shorty" Miller.Various accounts suggest that Hollenback believed his team was disrespected by the Columbus media. In an effort to motivate his players, he incorporated press clippings that belittled the Nittany Lions into his pregame speech.Accounts differ on the precise source of the ensuing discord. An article in the October 1956 Ohio State Monthly magazine proposed that extracurricular activities may have been sparked by a comment made by Miller, who stood at a diminutive 5'5" and 145 pounds, directed at Ohio State fan favorite, "Bugs" Raymond:"According to legend... 'Shorty' Miller, the diminutive Lion play-caller, walked up to the big guard and said, 'Well Mr. Pride of Ohio, Mr. Mauthe is coming right through you.' On the next play, Miller sent 'Pete' Mauthe... crashing into Raymond, and he went all the way to paydirt."Following this incident, the game devolved into what the Dispatch described as "hand-to-hand combat." The Lantern, a publication of the time, contended that the primary issue was the umpire, Clark F. Hinman, suggesting that if he had promptly expelled troublemakers, the subsequent "bad blood" and "little fights" could have been averted. Hinman, in response to his critics, expressed his dismay in a letter to the Dispatch.Penn State and their coach insisted that they were merely engaging in hard-nosed Eastern football. Still, the recollection of Ohio State's backup center, Earl Maxwell, who played the second half with a broken nose, depicted a more chaotic picture of the game:"The slugging in the middle of the Penn State line toward the close of the game was something awful. Guard [James] Bebout played opposite of me part of the time. He not only kept playing on my damaged nose every play, but used foul language as well. It was the roughest football game that I was ever in."Richards faced criticism for his decision to withdraw his team, but he justified it as a measure to safeguard his players from injury. He asserted that teaching pugilism would be necessary to win games when such tactics were employed.In an op-ed featured in The Lantern under the headline "SPORTSMANSHIP VS. MUCKERISM WAS CONTEST," Richards defended his actions, briefly emphasizing the significance of sportsmanship and educational and ethical ideals. He also launched a vigorous critique of gamblers and decried the influence of gambling on the integrity of sports. It was suggested that certain factions within the gambling community were irate because bets related to the spread were invalidated due to the game's official 1-0 score.The afternoon's most ignominious incident for OSU officials occurred when a freshman set fire to white and navy bunting that had been attached to one of the goalposts as a gesture of welcome to their guests. Ohio State administrators were especially dismayed because among the PSU entourage's guests was Penn State's president, Edward E. Sparks, who was an Ohio State graduate. A committee representing Ohio State extended formal apologies to Sparks at his hotel, and the freshman responsible for the incident was instructed to personally apologize to Sparks at Union Station.The 1912 season concluded with Ohio State finishing with a 6-3 record, and Richards resigned abruptly. Lynn St. John was subsequently promoted to replace Richards as athletic director, and John Wilce was appointed as the head football coach.Curiously, Ohio State and Penn State did not face each other on the football field again until 1956, marking a 44-year hiatus in their gridiron meetings.