Oberlin College Athletics

Just one of five football teams in school history to go undefeated, the 1921 Yeomen squad finished 7-0-1. The team allowed just 25 points and shut out four opponents along the way.
 
The 1921 team is best remembered for being the last team from the state of Ohio to beat The Ohio State University. Before the turn of the 20th century, Ohio State and Oberlin were comparative in size, but by 1921, Ohio State’s enrollment grew to over four times the size of Oberlin’s student body.
 
As the gap in class sizes began to grow wider, so did the talent on the gridiron. In the three previous meetings prior to 1921, Ohio State scored a total of 211 points against Oberlin, while the Yeomen failed to score a single point against the Buckeyes.
 
In 1921, the teams met again as Ohio State came off a Rose Bowl appearance and a conference championship the previous year. The Buckeyes gained the lead in the first five minutes of the game after they scooped up a blocked Yeomen punt and scored. The Buckeye score would be the last time Ohio State crossed Oberlin’s goal line.
 
In the third quarter, the Yeomen put together an 85-yard drive that ended with a touchdown. Oberlin’s kicker completed the point after, which proved to be all the lead the Yeomen would need to seal the victory.
 
The win over Ohio State was a memorable one, to say the least. However, it was just one of the team’s seven wins in its undefeated 1921 season. The year marked the second undefeated season in Oberlin history and came 29 years after the 1892 team finished 7-0.
 
The Yeomen, coached by Thomas Metcalf, featured 16 lettermen and were led by captains Udell Stallings and Reese Rickards.