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First Round: (Friday, February 25, 1927)
Game 1: Vanderbilt 44, Washington & Lee 32
Game 2: South Carolina 32, North Carolina State 26
Game 3: North Carolina 32, Tennessee 17
Game 4: Auburn 38, Virginia Tech 33
Game 5: Georgia 36, Virginia Military 14
Game 6: Georgia Tech 40, Mississippi A.&M. 24
Byes: Maryland, Mississippi
Quarterfinals: (Saturday, February 26, 1927)
Game 7: Vanderbilt 32, Mississippi 20
Game 8: North Carolina 28, Auburn 15
Game 9: Georgia 27, Maryland 22
Game 10: South Carolina 32, Georgia Tech 18
Semifinals: (Monday, February 28, 1927)
Finals: (Tuesday, March 1, 1927)
Game 13: Vanderbilt 46, Georgia 44
Despite the moves the previous year to set the tournament field at 16 teams, only 14 teams were entered into the 1927 tournament. Alabama and Tulane were expected to enter the tournament field, but neither did. No teams had their applications rejected.
Selections of pairing were done by Al Doonan, H.J. Stegeman and W.A. Alexander of Georgia Tech. Originally they considered seeding the top four teams in opposing brackets, however after discussing the merits of each team they determined that 13 of the 14 teams could be considered for this preferred position. At this point, they decided to perform a blind draw to determine the entire field, concluding that however the draw came out, it would be equitable. Maryland and Ole Miss received byes in the first round of games.
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In order to maintain a level playing field, the raised court at the City Auditorium was kept off-limits from practice so that all teams would be handicapped similarly. Instead, the courts at the Atlanta Athletic Club were opened for scheduled practice by the teams.
The club itself had opened a new $1.25 million facility in the spring of 1926 at the corner of Carnegie Way and Cone Street, and was considered to be one of the finest facilities of its kind in the country.
Referee Tom Thorp, who worked the 1925 tournament, was originally scheduled to work the 1927 tournament, however for the second year in a row, he was not able to make it. This left Stanley Sutton and Paul Menton to work the entire tournament by themselves, the first time since the inaugural 1921 tournament that only two officials worked the entire tournament.
Coach Josh Cody had announced prior to the basketball season that he was going to leave Vanderbilt at the end of the season. He ended up at Clemson.
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Friday, February 25, 1927 - First Round
Game 1: Vanderbilt 44, Washington & Lee 32
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"Bridges, lanky forward of the Volunteer squad, made one of the feature tosses of the first afternoon when he dropped a backhand toss without so much as a glimpse of the basket. His performance was followed closely the play which every basketball star hopes to make but few do so. Stuart, center for the Vanderbilt, tipped the ball for a field goal from the foul line later in the game.
"This same Stuart was the best point scorer of the afternoon with a total of 21 counters, and he will be a dangerous man against any team on the list. His floor work was fully as good as his accuracy in shooting." - ("Tourney Favorites All Weather Storm of Initial Battles," by Dick Hawkins, Atlanta Constitution, February 26, 1927.)
"One of the finest players in the tourney who is sure to be a strong candidate for all-southern if his team survives to the semifinals is Stuart of Vanderbilt. Here, boys, is a worthy and lineal descendant of old man John H . Basket Ball himself. Stuart works so easily and skillfully that he reminds one of Cartwright Carmichael, a great North Carolina star of past years." - ("Auburn and Other Teams Favored Pull Out Wins," by Morgan Blake, Atlanta Journal, February 26, 1927.)
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Game 2: South Carolina 32, North Carolina State 26
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"One of the most capable back guards in the tournament Friday was Captain Seideman, of South Carolina. He is big as a skinned mule, yet moves about fast and takes them off the boards with great skill." - ("An Ear to the Ground," by Ed Danforth, Atlanta Georgian, February 26, 1927.)
"Brown, for State, played the best one-handed game seen on the court Friday afternoon. That is, the husky center for the Staters dropped three field goals and all of them were made via the one-hand route. He missed several other shots by inches and nearly all of them were guided by only one hand." - ("Tourney Favorites All Weather Storm of Initial Battles," by Dick Hawkins, Atlanta Constitution, February 26, 1927.)
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Game 3: North Carolina 32, Tennessee 17
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"Butcher, a regular Tarzan who played center for the Volunteers, was a queer combination. He was a good field goal shooter and a poor free throw artist. He had six free tries and missed all but one of them, but he tossed four field goals before he was banned from the game on fouls in the last few minutes of play." - ("Tourney Favorites All Weather Storm of Initial Battles," by Dick Hawkins, Atlanta Constitution, February 26, 1927.)
"Bunn Hackney and his diminutive contemporary Mr. Morris of the Tarheels, played the most beautiful game of guarding seen on the floor Friday afternoon. Tennessee was so closely guarded by the two little fellows that they failed to get more than three or four crip shots in the entire game." - ("Tourney Favorites All Weather Storm of Initial Battles," by Dick Hawkins, Atlanta Constitution, February 26, 1927.)
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"When Southern conference basketball teams enter the conference tournament here February 25 in their annual attempt to oust the University of North Carolina from the championship, Miss Dorothy Jewellyne Hackney, aged five months, will enter into the equation.
"Miss Hackney is the daughter of Bunn Hackney, captain of the Tar Heels. With Mrs. Hackney, the youngster is expected to occupy a sideline seat at the tournament, for not only is Daddy the captain of the team, but "Uncle Rufus" Hackney, Bunn's younger brother, is a forward and one of the team's leading scorers." - ("Tarheel Leader to Bring Baby Girl to Tournament," Atlanta Constitution, Febrary 10, 1927.
Game 4: Auburn 38, Virginia Tech 33
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"The Auburn-V.P.I. game which opened the festivities in the evening on Friday was featured by the fact that the James brothers (who, like the famous Mike and Ike, bear a very close resemblance to each other) were playing the two guard positions for the Tigers and the fact that they bore different numbers saved the scorers from committing suicide or engaging some other gentle sport out of sheer desperation.
"The brothers are named Ebb and Fob, but the way they pilfered shots from the hands of perfectly good forwards leads one to remark that they should be named Jesse and Frank, or perhaps Ebb and Flow, but that later would be a pun and we are 'deat so agin sech'.
"Dear, flashy forward of the V.P.I. squad, was the outstanding forward of the Friday play. That youth could handle the ball with an uncanny precision and nearly every one of his 18 points was he result of a spectacular goal made from some remote corner of the court or shot from an impossible position." - ("Tourney Favorites All Weather Storm of Initial Battles," by Dick Hawkins, Atlanta Constitution, February 26, 1927.)
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"In the second half V.M.I. made but two field goals and one of these came about in the strangest manner possible. Frain, of Georgia, was holding the ball under the Squadron basket and Harner, of V.M.I., slapped the ball out of his hands. The sphere hit the floor with sufficient force to bounce it into the hoop for a field goal. The least that can be said of the play is that V.M.I. did not intend do do such a thing." - ("Tourney Favorites All Weather Storm of Initial Battles," by Dick Hawkins, Atlanta Constitution, February 26, 1927.)
Game 6: Georgia Tech 40, Mississippi A. & M. 24
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"It was hard luck that caused A. and M. to be put in the same bracket with Georgia Tech. This outfit from Atlanta had a basketball team in the form of one man, "Tiny" Hearn. He weighs about 220 pounds and is 6 feet, 9 inches tall. According to Atlanta, A. and M. couldn't beat Tech if Hearn is right. Hearn happened to be right. Although guarded at every turn by Jones and Hartness, he used his height to such an advantage that accounted for 24 points, which was as many as the whole A. and M. team could make; so the game ended 40 to 24. No fault could be found with the playing of the A. and M. men, and Jones, Bryant and Sylvester, even in defeat, ended their careers in a blaze of glory. " - The Reveille (Mississippi A.&M. yearbook), 1927.
"Nick George, of the Tornado, made the longest field goal of the day with a counter sunk from more than half the length of the court. It was one of those baskets which one sees very few times in a long lifetime. It did not even touch the hoop." - ("Tourney Favorites All Weather Storm of Initial Battles," by Dick Hawkins, Atlanta Constitution, February 26, 1927.)
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Saturday, February 26, 1927 - Quarterfinals
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Game 8: North Carolina 28, Auburn 15
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Game 9: Georgia 27, Maryland 22
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Seated (l to r): Snyder, Stevens, Boyd, Dean, Faber Standing: Head Coach Shipley, Hale, Linkous, Adams, Zann, Crosthwaite, Manager Henry Yost |
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Game 10: South Carolina 32, Georgia Tech 18
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Monday, February 28, 1927 - Semifinals
Game 11: Vanderbilt 31, South Carolina 25
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"The Vanderbilt-South Carolina game was almost equal to the Bulldog-Tarheels battle in excitement and thrills. It was only in the closing moments that Vandy got a comfortable lead. In fact the lead was so uncomfortable through most of the second half, that Ralph McGill, the husky sporting editor from Nashville, could not stand the strain and fled in utter confusion from the hall. Out in the lobby Mr. McGill stood pop-eyed and praying fervently. When the game was over and he learned that Vandy had won, Mr. McGill came back, his face pale, black streaks under his eyes and his voice quavering.
"'It was a great game,' somebody told Ralph. 'I understand it was,' replied Mr. McGill." - ("Reign of North Carolina Broken by Bulldogs, 23-20," by Morgan Blake, Atlanta Journal, March 1, 1927.)
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Game 12: Georgia 23, North Carolina 20
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"Georgia furnished the biggest kick of the tournament Monday night when, after trailing the North Carolina Tarheels up to the last few minutes, the Bulldogs made a brilliant spurt that carried them out in front and to final victory, 23 to 20.
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"For sheer speed of every participant we believe that Tarheel-Bulldog scrap was the fastest we have ever witnessed. It seemed unbelievable that the human lungs could stand up under the fury of the pace traveled by those youngsters. The Tarheels came into that scrap with the idea of rushing they Athenians off their feet. But they met speed for speed and determination for determination. Both teams were certainly employing a five-man defense and offense and following the ball like bloodhounds on the trail." - ("Reign of North Carolina Broken by Bulldogs, 23-20," by Morgan Blake, Atlanta Journal, March 1, 1927.)
"When the last lugubrious blast of the timer's pistol announced to the Tarheels that their reign was over, they exhibited the most touching spirit of sportsmanship probably ever seen here. "They knew that this year there would be no words, 'Southern Conference Champions,' engraved on their gold basket balls; they knew that they would return home to be confronted with the question a thousand times, 'What was the matter against Georgia?' They knew that they would not return to Atlanta next year marching with the proud tread of champion - envied, admired and respected by all opposition. . . . the vanquished warriors from our neighboring state smiled. And they fought their way through the throngs which had gathered to pay homage to the conquering Bulldogs. And still smiling, they wrung their hands, hugged and felicitated 'em with all the warmth that true sportsmen's hearts can evince. "It took more courage to do that than to win a thousand games. "And vividly were the thousands of spectators impressed by the very heart-rending scene - the fallen champions greeting their masters. All hail the Tarheels! Gallant in combat! Modest in victory! Noble in defeat! Could more be said?" - ("Tarheels Noble in Defeat - Sportsmanship Thrills Fans," by W.C. Munday Jr., Atlanta Journal, March 1, 1927.) |
Tuesday, March 1, 1927 - Finals
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"Vanderbilt University is the basketball champion of the Southern Conference. The University of Georgia is runner-up. The tournament committee has paid all expenses and has money in the bank for the first time in the history of the classic.
"All this after the most exciting series of games ever staged here and the most melodramatic finish ever put on by two finalist quintettes.
"Vanderbilt defeated Georgia, 46 to 44, Tuesday night in a game that outranks even the classic Kentucky-Georgia battle in 1921." - ("Georgia Falls Two Points Short," by Ed Danforth, Atlanta Georgian, March 2, 1927.)
"Last night was my humble idea of a basket ball game. These closely-guarded affairs that result in a total count of under 50 points - the Georgia-Tarheels game, for example - may be scientific and thrilling, to the experts. But to me they look too much like a girls' basket ball battle of 10 years ago, when nobody could hit the basket and the score was 8 to 6. . . . "The final game of the tournament resulted in a score of 46-44, or 90 points, where the celebrated Georgia-North Carolina game, with both teams pretty well concentrated on defense, was 23-20, or 43 points; less than half the counting of the last combat." |
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Front Row (l to r): Baker, forward; Stuart, center; Moss, guard; McCall, guard; Bridges, forward. Back Row: Benjamin, manager; A. Sharp, forward; V. Sharp, center; Martin, forward, Josh Cody, Head Coach |
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First Team
Paul Dear - Virginia Tech
Walter Forbes - Georgia
George Keen - Georgia
John McCall - Vanderbilt
James Stuart - Vanderbilt
Second Team
Heinie Fair - South Carolina
George Florence - Georgia
Bunn Hackney - North Carolina
Cecil Jamison - Georgia Tech
John Purser - North Carolina
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A few days back the Vanderbilt Athletic association presented Josh Cody a silver service as a farewell gift before the big fellow left to assume his duties as Clemson coach.
"'One good turn deserves another,' said Josh Tuesday night as he presented his Alma Mater with the Southern Conference basket ball championship. Cody's gallant Commodores achieved this well merited distinction by defeating the University of Georgia in the finals by the score of 46 to 44." - ("Vandy's Rally Beats Out Georgia for Championship," by Morgan Blake, Atlanta Journal, March 2, 1927.)
After the tournament, chairman of the tournament committee Al Doonan declared it a success, noting that although he didn't have official numbers available, the attendance was considered to be better than all previous tournaments, save the 1923 when Georgia Tech and Georgia met.
| Sidenote: The same day as the tournament semi-finals on Monday February 28th, the movie Stark Love was released. This was the love story about a young couple living in the mountains of North Carolina during pioneer days. The stars were a young stage actress by the name of Helen Mundy and a non-professional Forrest "Fob" James, the star of the Auburn team which had been beaten two days earlier in the tournament.
James was discovered in a Nashville hotel lobby while he was with the Auburn baseball team the previous spring. Originally James didn't take the offer seriously, but after the baseball coach (Dave Morey) heard the team joking about it during the team dinner, Morey followed up and James ended up with a six-week offer. James ended up travelling to Paramount Picture's location in Robbinsville, North Carolina later that summer where he passed the screen test and then proceeded to film in the area over six weeks, with many of the actors for the film coming from the local population. The film was met with positive critical reception, however the film was thought lost for many decades until a copy turned up in the Czechoslovakian film archives in 1968. In 2009 the film was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The film is currently available on Youtube.
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