1917 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team

The 1917 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team represented the Great Lakes Naval Station, the United States Navy's boot camp located near North Chicago, Illinois, during the 1917 college football season. Led by head coach, Lieutenant E. D. Angell, the team compiled a 4–3 record.

1917 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football
Conference	Independent
1917 record	4–3
Head coach	Lt. E. D. Angell (1st season)

1917 military service football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Mare Island Marines			–					8	–	0	–	0
Mineola Aviation Station			–					3	–	0	–	0
Camp Dix			–					2	–	0	–	0
Camp Jackson			–					2	–	0	–	1
Allentown Ambulance Corps			–					5	–	1	–	0
Camp Custer			–					5	–	1	–	0
Camp Gordon			–					5	–	1	–	0
Charlestown Navy Yard			–					3	–	1	–	0
Camp Funston			–					7	–	3	–	0
Camp Lewis			–					5	–	2	–	1
Newport Naval Reserves			–					5	–	2	–	1
Camp Grant			–					3	–	1	–	0
Camp Taylor			–					2	–	1	–	0
Great Lakes Navy			–					4	–	3	–	0
Camp Devens			–					1	–	2	–	2
Camp Meade			–					1	–	2	–	0
League Island Marines			–					1	–	3	–	0
Camp Upton			–					0	–	1	–	0

Several former Michigan Wolverines played for the Great Lakes team, including fullback Cedric "Pat" Smith, guards Albert Benbrook and Alvin Loucks, and halfback Philip Raymond.[1] Minnesota native Hal Erickson also starred at halfback for Great Lakes.[2]

John Philip Sousa was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Navy in 1917 and assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Station where he led the Great Lakes Band. Prior to kickoff of the Thanksgiving Day game at Stagg Field, Sousa led the band of 400 men in renditions of Sousa's "El Capitan" march and "The Star-Spangled Banner". At halftime, the band followed with "America, Here's My Boy" and "Joan of Arc". When the crowd called out for "Over There", the band complied, and the Great Lakes sailors responded with a snake dance on the field. At the end of the game, a 27–0 victory for Great Lakes, the band played "Chopin's Funeral March" for the Fort Sheridan team.[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 29	at Marquette	Milwaukee	L 7–14		[3]
October 20	vs. Camp Custer	Navin Field Detroit	L 0–7		[4][5]
October 25	Haskell	Station athletic field Lake Bluff, IL	W 20–16	10,000	[6]
November 3	at Iowa	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 23–14		[7]
November 17	at Camp Grant	Kishwaukee Park Rockford, IL	W 9–6		[8]
November 24	vs. Camp Funston	Association Park Kansas City, MO	L 0–7	15,000	[9]
November 29	vs. Fort Sheridan	Stagg Field Chicago	W 27–0	10,00	[1][2]

References

1. E. O. Phillips (November 30, 1917). "Army Eleven Repulsed by Jackies, 27-0". Chicago Tribune. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Walter Eckersall (November 30, 1917). "Pat Smith and Erickson Star in Jackies' Victory". Chicago Tribune. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Jackies Beaten by Marquette". Chicago Tribune. September 30, 1917. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Camp Custer Eleven Defeats Jackies, 7-0". Chicago Tribune. October 21, 1917. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Army Beats Navy Eleven in Fine Game". Detroit Free Press. October 21, 1917. pp. 19, 21 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Walter Eckersall (October 26, 1917). "Great Lakes Eleven Beats Haskell, 20-16, in Warm Grid Battle". Chicago Tribune. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Great Lakes Eleven Comes From Behind, Beating Iowa, 23-14". Chicago Tribune. November 4, 1917. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Parke Brown (November 18, 1917). "Jackies Defeat Camp Grant Men on Gridiron, 9-6". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Funston Beats Great Lakes, 7-0, in Great Scrap". Chicago Tribune. November 25, 1917. p. II-3 – via Newspapers.com.