Editor’s Note: Welcome back to yet another homecoming game at WKU! For those of you returning to campus for the first time this year, the changes are abundant with one of the most obvious changes being at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. As we celebrate the 90th season of football on the Hill and the beginning of a new chapter in Hilltopper Football History with the move to the Football Bowl Subdivision we felt this would be the appropriate time to take a look back almost 84 years to the day of the first homecoming game ever played at WKU. The Toppers (then known as the Pedagogues) earned a hard-fought 7-6 win over the University of Louisville on Nov. 5, 1927. One of the unique aspects of the game: WKU did not make a single substitution...oh how times have changed! Below is an account of that game from the College Heights Herald. And again, to those of you returning to the Hill, welcome back and Happy Homecoming!
Western’s Strong Rival Has Warm Reception Here Nov. 5; Louisville Loses Hard Game
Determination and Spirit of Pedagogues Wins Big Classic
College Heights Herald, November 1927 issue p. 6
Before the largest crowd of the season, composed of hundreds of former students, locals, and large delegations from surrounding towns all dressed in new fall regalia, Western repulsed Tom Kin and his thorobred warriors on Saturday, November 5.
With a chilling wind blowing across the field and low gray clouds scudding across the sky the crowd at first huddled in their seats, but as the game commenced the fans were on their toes with their blood tingling as thrill after thrill came from the field. An airplane circled the field a few times and dropped the ball which was recovered by “Hog” Harrison, and the game was on after a few words by Dr. Cherry, Mr.
Cuthbertson, and coaches Diddle and King.
Williams kicked over the line and the ball was brought out twenty yards. U. of L. could not gain, and Koster was forced to punt. U. of L. completed a long pass, Drewry to Koster, and put the ball on our five-yard line, but we held for eight downs. Winky intercepted a pass on the goal line and returned it fifteen yards from where Cy punted out of danger. The quarter ended with little more than a few punts by both teams.
At the beginning of the second quarter Louisville was pushed back to their own twenty-yard line, where a bad pass from center rolled over the goal line and was recovered by Throgmorton for a touchdown. Cy kicked the point which later proved to be our margin of victory. The half ended 7 to 0 in Western’s favor.
With the wind favoring him, Koster out-punted Williams, and the ball was in our territory all the time. A bad punt by Cy, and a twenty-five yard pass, Koster to Blackerby, put the ball on our four-yard line, from where Drewry carried it over the first play of the last quarter. U. of L. tried a pass for the point but Taylor was offside and a U. of L. man was discovered holding in the line; therefore the point did not count. Koster tried to kick but Big Tom Ellis broke through and blocked it with his chin. Western completely out-played Louisville in the last quarter and almost scored another touchdown, but Reynolds fell over the embankment just as the ball tipped his hands. Just before the game ended “Throg” intercepted a pass and put the ball on the two-yard line.
U.of L. tried thirteen passes and completed three for a gain of sixty-five yards, and had six intercepted. They suffered five yards in penalties and were out-rushed from scrimmage. Western tried seven passes, completed two for small gains, had two intercepted, and were also penalized twenty yards.
There were no stars as their were twenty-two men who played super ball the whole sixty minutes of play. The ones that stood out, however, were Winky, Cy, and Throg for WKTC; while Koster and Fishback were the stars of stars for U. of L.
