Colorado State University Athletics
Memorable Moments: Aggies’ Beat Teachers for 1934 Title
9/5/2024 2:00:00 PM | Football
Rams have never lost to the Bears
This week, Colorado State and Northern Colorado face off in one of three in-state rivalry games CSU will play in 2024. While CSU and Northern Colorado have not played many games since 1893, the one thing that has not happened is the Rams have never lost to the Bears. A forfeit over the rules in 1900, which does not count in the record and a tied game the previous year are the only times the Bears have ever come close to a win. In 1934, the Aggies win over the Teachers would prove to set the stage for one of the wildest finishes in Colorado sports history.
On a rare Friday night game in Greeley at Jackson Field, the Colorado State Aggies took on the Colorado State Teachers to open the 1934 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season. The Aggies were expected to have another good team in 1934, with most of the 1933 co-championship team returning. The only exception was that Glenn Morris had used up his eligibility to play football and as a senior, took the place of backs coach Joe Ryan as Harry Hughes' second assistant. Morris added assistant coach to his resume of student body president and future Olympic legend.
The game against Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (renamed earlier that year) and Colorado State College of Education, as they were known at the time, was a 10-0 lopsided contest in which the Aggies came out winners. However, the Teachers had a tough team under their legendary head coach John Hancock. Hancock's team fought off some of the toughest opponents in the RMAC, including a surprising win over CU.
When the Teachers, a program considered to be a lesser caliber sports team, beat CU and found themselves tied among the top teams in the league, it created friction. The league was getting too big, and to have lower caliber schools beat upper caliber schools was an embarrassment to the Aggies or Buffs for that matter.
After the Aggies lost to CU and tied the Utah Aggies, it set up a tie among four teams in the league, including the Colorado Teachers. With CU, Utah State, the Teachers and Colorado Aggies all tied going into the Thanksgiving Day finale, it was judgement day in the Rocky Mountains.
The Colorado Aggies handed Colorado College a lopsided 40-6 win and were guaranteed a tie for the championship for the second time in as many years. The CU team barely squeaked by DU to remain tied with the Teachers and Aggies, but as fate would have it, Utah beat Utah State to take the Utags out of the race. The 1934 RMAC season ended with a three-way tie between CU, CSU and UNC, the first time three schools from Colorado would tie for the conference championship.
The importance of the Colorado Aggies beating the Teachers in the season opener was it preserved their last conference championship under legendary coach Harry Hughes, his eighth in 20 seasons. However, the so-called "Big Seven" schools created a two-tier level in 1934 in the RMAC leaving four smaller schools behind and unavailable to compete against larger schools. This eventually led to these larger schools leaving the RMAC in1938 to form the Mountain States Conference. It could be said, the 1934 season, with UNC winning a co-championship with CU and CSU caused this eventual split.
As the Rams take on the Bears on Ag Day, it is only fitting we look back at one of the strangest seasons of football in the Aggie era, when one win made a big difference for a conference championship, and eventually a split in the conference.
On a rare Friday night game in Greeley at Jackson Field, the Colorado State Aggies took on the Colorado State Teachers to open the 1934 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season. The Aggies were expected to have another good team in 1934, with most of the 1933 co-championship team returning. The only exception was that Glenn Morris had used up his eligibility to play football and as a senior, took the place of backs coach Joe Ryan as Harry Hughes' second assistant. Morris added assistant coach to his resume of student body president and future Olympic legend.
The game against Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (renamed earlier that year) and Colorado State College of Education, as they were known at the time, was a 10-0 lopsided contest in which the Aggies came out winners. However, the Teachers had a tough team under their legendary head coach John Hancock. Hancock's team fought off some of the toughest opponents in the RMAC, including a surprising win over CU.
When the Teachers, a program considered to be a lesser caliber sports team, beat CU and found themselves tied among the top teams in the league, it created friction. The league was getting too big, and to have lower caliber schools beat upper caliber schools was an embarrassment to the Aggies or Buffs for that matter.
After the Aggies lost to CU and tied the Utah Aggies, it set up a tie among four teams in the league, including the Colorado Teachers. With CU, Utah State, the Teachers and Colorado Aggies all tied going into the Thanksgiving Day finale, it was judgement day in the Rocky Mountains.
The Colorado Aggies handed Colorado College a lopsided 40-6 win and were guaranteed a tie for the championship for the second time in as many years. The CU team barely squeaked by DU to remain tied with the Teachers and Aggies, but as fate would have it, Utah beat Utah State to take the Utags out of the race. The 1934 RMAC season ended with a three-way tie between CU, CSU and UNC, the first time three schools from Colorado would tie for the conference championship.
The importance of the Colorado Aggies beating the Teachers in the season opener was it preserved their last conference championship under legendary coach Harry Hughes, his eighth in 20 seasons. However, the so-called "Big Seven" schools created a two-tier level in 1934 in the RMAC leaving four smaller schools behind and unavailable to compete against larger schools. This eventually led to these larger schools leaving the RMAC in1938 to form the Mountain States Conference. It could be said, the 1934 season, with UNC winning a co-championship with CU and CSU caused this eventual split.
As the Rams take on the Bears on Ag Day, it is only fitting we look back at one of the strangest seasons of football in the Aggie era, when one win made a big difference for a conference championship, and eventually a split in the conference.
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