The 1927 Panthers are No. 4 on “The Top 10 Most Offensive Teams in Reitz Football History.” Overlooked by many, that year’s team went unscored upon in their first six games and only allowed nine points all season. Central was the only setback for the ’27 Panthers, beating them, 7-6.
While that win gave the Bears the city title, Reitz would win their first-ever conference championship. While the SIAC would not exist until 1935, the Panthers were members of the Tiny Ten Conference and took the title in the fall of ’27.
1927 Tiny Ten Standings | Conference | Overall | |||
W-L | Pct. | W-L | Pct. | ||
Evansville Reitz | 7-1 | 0.875 | 7-1 | 0.875 | |
Mount Carmel (Ill.) | 5-1-2 | 0.750 | 5-1-2 | 0.750 | |
Princeton | 6-3 | 0.667 | 6-3 | 0.667 | |
Evansville Bosse | 6-3-1 | 0.650 | 6-3-1 | 0.650 | |
Henderson Barret (Ky.) | 6-3-1 | 0.650 | 6-3-1 | 0.650 | |
Evansville Central | 4-4-1 | 0.500 | 4-4-1 | 0.500 | |
Carmi (Ill.) | 4-4-1 | 0.500 | 4-4-1 | 0.500 | |
Boonville | 4-4 | 0.500 | 4-4 | 0.500 | |
Evansville Memorial | 3-4 | 0.429 | 3-4 | 0.429 | |
Petersburg | 2-5 | 0.286 | 2-5 | 0.286 | |
Mount Vernon | 1-3 | 0.250 | 1-3 | 0.250 |
At the time, the 7-1 record was the young West Side school’s best to date. Reitz outscored her opponents 327-9 and averaged 40.88 points per game.
Elmer W. Weber’s 1927 squad featured several outstanding players, four of whom would be named all-city and all-Tiny Ten (Carver Browne, Bill Droll, Sr., Edgar Engel and Herman Korressel). Droll & Engel were both all-state.
Droll, described by the 1928 Ohihill Yearbook as the “galloping ghost of West High”, lead the 1927 team with 117 points (14.625/game) and is a member of the Reitz Football Hall of Fame.
Links of interest
2 comments
How about a Most Defensive Team series to compliment the offensive series?
Author
Great idea! It’s common knowledge for most Reitz fans that 1961 would top that list, but I think fans would be interested in the other top defensive teams, as well. Great suggestion!