This week in 1924, the Big Red football team started off its campaign with a dominant 56-0 win over St. Bonaventure. In front of the largest opening day crowd of over 7,000 fans, the varsity squad used brute strength to will its way past an overmatched opponent. Coming off the heels of the school’s fourth national championship the year before – its third in a row – the team only returned three starters. In this way, a new group of Cornell players ushered in the next era of Big Red football in convincing fashion.
On that day, Cornell received strong offensive performances from Walter Whetstone at quarterback, Fredrick Wester at right halfback, and Henry Wade at fullback. This offensive juggernaut tallied up eight touchdowns on the day. By jumping out to a quick 30-0 lead by halftime, Coach Gil Dobie was able to make several substitutions, as the game was already out of reach. This offensive intensity was matched by the team’s defense, with St. Bonaventure threatening to score on only two occasions, one of which resulted in a blocked kick.
Despite building on three previous undefeated seasons and a blowout win, the Big Red would not be able to sustain the incredible performance over the course of the season, as the team finished at 4-4 overall.
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