1934 Central Eagles football team
# 1934 Central Eagles football team

The 1934 Central Eagles football team represented Central College (now known as Central Methodist University) as a member of the Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU) during the 1934 college football season. Led by coach C. A. Clingenpeel in his 13th year, the Eagles compiled an overall record of 6–1–2 with a mark of 3–0 in conference play, winning the conference championship for the third and final time under Clingenpeel's tenure and ending the championship streak of William Jewell, who had won it the prior three years.

## Season summary

Central began the season with a night game against rival Missouri Valley on September 28. The game was notable for featuring altered rules developed by Missouri Valley coach Henri Godfriaux. Rather than quarters being based on time (15 minutes was the standard), they were based on the amount of plays, with the quarter changing each time 30 plays had been run. Additionally, the play clock was set to 30 seconds and a forward pass was able to be thrown from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage rather than only from five yards behind it, the latter being a rule now used in the present.

With the field covered in mud, Central ended up winning 2–0 through a safety scored in the fourth quarter. The game was timed at two and a half hours, although several said that it would have been longer if played under the standard time due to the field conditions and amount of penalties.

Following Central's away game against Missouri Valley, they returned home and played the Warrensburg Mules to a scoreless tie, while outgaining them 125 yards to 86 in a non-conference match. Central afterwards defeated Principia 13–0, including a touchdown pass as time expired on October 12. The next week the Eagles made their conference debut, tying Tarkio 7–7. Gale Earp scored Central's only touchdown with Ricketts making the conversion; near the end, they had a chance to score but failed on downs at the Tarkio three-yard line.

After Tarkio, Central played Culver–Stockton at home. They greatly outplayed Culver–Stockton, outgaining them 189 yards to 41 and making 14 first downs to 2, but were only able to score once, with Jack Oliver running in for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth. The Eagles subsequently traveled to Kansas City, to play the Rockhurst Hawks. On a rain-soaked field, they lost 12–8 in their only defeat of the season.

Central then tied Wentworth Military Academy and College, champion of the Missouri Junior College Union, in a night game 20–20, in what was described as "the most thrilling game" at Wentworth's field in years. The Eagles won their next game at William Jewell, the defending champion, 16–13, taking the lead of the Missouri College Athletic Union. They closed out the season with an 18–6 victory over Missouri Valley, clinching the conference championship for the first time since 1930 and taking the crown from William Jewell, who had won it the prior three seasons.

Central also had a reserve team known as the Rinkeydinks. The Ragout, Central's yearbook, wrote that "If we overlook the Rinke[y]dinks when writing up a Championship team, we have failed to give credit to a group of individuals who deserve no small amount of praise for their part in the success of the season. These men worked hard throughout the year and in the seasons to come will develop into first string players for another Central Championship team."

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| - | - | - | - |
| September 28 | at Missouri Valley | Marshall, MO | W 2–0 |
| October 5 | Warrensburg* | Fayette, MO | T 0–0 |
| October 12 | Principia* | Fayette, MO | W 13–0 |
| October 19 | at Tarkio | Tarkio, MO | T 7–7 |
| October 26 | Culver–Stockton | Fayette, MO | W 6–0 |
| November 2 | at Rockhurst* | Kansas City, MO | L 8–12 |
| November 9 | at Wentworth* | Lexington, MO | T 20–20 |
| November 16 | at William Jewell | Liberty, MO | W 16–13 |
| November 29 | Missouri Valley | Fayette, MO | W 18–6 |
| *Non-conference game |||||

## Roster

The 17 player roster, with notes about each per The Ragout:

* Doug Bourner
* Gus Schoene
* Raymond Groves
* Fanny Hurst
* Bart Randolph
* Hank Bogart
* Joe Wommack
* Boone Guyton
* Gale Earp
* Leland Schaperkotter
* Norman Adair
* George Smith
* Bill Kilpatrick
* Syl Albano
* Jack Oliver
* Ricketts
* Tom Todd
