1912

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1912 in Clemson History

Events that occurred in 1912:


  • 1911-1912: In the inaugural year of Clemson basketball, Coach Frank Dobson guides the Tigers to their only undefeated roundball season with a 4-0 record.
  • Last year that Clemson cadets worship in the Chapel adjacent to the Main Building (now Tillman Hall). From 1913 onward, the students will attend church with local congregations.
  • February 9: Clemson defeats Furman in Greenville in the Tigers' first basketball game, 46-12. In second game, also in Greenville, Clemson beats the Butler Guards, 78-6.
  • February 10: The Clemson basketball team plays third game, beating Wofford in road game, 34-23.
  • March 9: In a rematch, the Tiger hoops team again defeats Wofford, 56-13, for undefeated four-game inaugural season.
  • April 14: Shortly before midnight, this date, the White Star liner RMS Titanic, four days into her maiden voyage, strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic, sinks 2 hours, 40 minutes later. Of the 2,223 aboard, 1,517 die, making this the worst peacetime maritime disaster ever.
  • May: President Walter Merritt Riggs brings to light more than fifteen years of embezzlement from the college mess hall by steward August "Shorty" Schilletter, hiring a private detective out of his own pocket so that no there will be no school financial records involved.
  • June: President Riggs informs Senator and Trustee Benjamin Tillman that Schilletter "must have knocked down between five and eight thousand dollars a year". At this time, Riggs' salary is $3,500 per annum.
  • June 23: Acting in the best interest of the school, Riggs does not publicize the matter through prosecution but allows the generally well-liked Schilletter to continue as an employee, and informs him on this date that he will now be managing only the kitchen, with no access to the supply cycle or cashbox. Riggs is so successful at keeping the scandal from going public and bringing unwanted scrutiny of the college that Schilletter dining hall on east campus will later be named for the reprieved scoundrel.
  • July: Riggs assures Tillman that he will ask for Schilletter's resignation if Shorty attempts to go back to his old tricks or attempts to stir up indignation on campus after Riggs' putting the kibosh on his profitable little scam. Riggs will eventually ease Schilletter out of the school in 1919.
  • July 11: Colonel Richard W. Simpson, the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees, dies in hospital in Atlanta.
  • July 12: Colonel Richard W. Simpson is interred in the family cemetery in Pendleton, South Carolina.
  • September: "Pat" Murphy, a former University of Pennsylvania tackle, joins Coach Frank Dobson as an assistant coach. He guides the guards and tackles, while Dobson handles backs and ends.
  • September 10: Barracks open for occupancy for the fall session.
  • September 15: Final students arrive on campus for the fall term.
  • September 21: Senior class holds first meeting of the fall session.
  • September 22: Junior class holds first meeting of the fall session.
  • September 25: Sophomore class holds first meeting of the fall term.
  • October 1: The Tiger publishes a cartoon (Volume VIII, Number 1) showing an upperclassman offering a Rat a ticket to admit him to the student body - only $2!
  • October 5: For third straight year, Clemson shuts out the Howard Baptists (later Samford), 59-0, in road game in Birmingham. Tigers lead series 3-0.
  • October 12: Clemson blanks Riverside, 26-0, on Bowman Field in only meeting with this team. Series is 1-0-0, Tigers. The Senior Dancing Club holds an informal dance in honor of the Clemson and Riverside football teams, 8-11:30 p.m.
  • October 19: Clemson is defeated by Alabama Polytechnic College (later Auburn), 6-27, in a road trip to Alabama. Auburn leads series, 3-5.
  • October 26: The Tigers beat The Citadel for fourth straight time, 52-14, on Bowman Field. Tigers own series, 4-0. The Calhoun Literary Society holds a political debate with members representing Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt, and "Bill" Taft, in a political meeting. (What - no Eugene V. Debs?)
  • October 31: The Tigers lose to the Gamecocks in Columbia, 7-22. Clemson leads series, 7-3.
  • November 6-November 8: Sixteenth Annual Conference of the South Carolina DAR held at the Clemson College, hosted by the Andrew Pickens Chapter.
  • November 7: Clemson suffers identical losing score as the Auburn game, 6-27, when Georgia defeats the Tigers in a match played in Augusta, Georgia. Georgia closes series gap to one game, 8-7-1.
  • November 16: The Tigers defeat Mercer, 21-13, in a road game at Macon, Georgia. Series now stands at 1-2 in Mercer's favor. Sophomore dance held in the Gymnasium (ground floor of the future Sikes Hall).
  • November 28: Georgia Tech hands the Tigers another loss, 0-20, in Atlanta, concluding Clemson's 4-4 season. With this win, Tech ties the series with Clemson, 6-6-1. Following the Georgia Tech game "Hop" Gandy is elected Captain of next year's team by the squad.



1911 The 1910's 1913