The 1923 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1923 college football season. In its ninth and final season under head coach Pop Warner, the team compiled a 5–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 83 to 45. The team played its home games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
Schedule
Preseason
The 1922 Pitt Panther football entourage returned from its victorious west coast trip and was feted at a gala banquet on January 10 with more than a thousand students and alumni in attendance. The lettermen received their "P" and All-American center Charles Bowser was elected captain for the 1923 season. On May 17 the Athletic Committee passed an amendment to the eligibility rules, "whereby an absolute three-year rule was made effective for all men in athletics at the local school. This ruling puts the Panthers on the highest possible plane of eligibility, all other sportsmanlike standards of play already being a part of the sports code of the local university." This rule prohibited Bowser, All-American guard Jack Sack and tackle Cullen Gourley from participating on the 1923 football squad. The lettermen called a special meeting and elected end Lloyd Jordan to be captain for the 1923 season. Lloyd also participated in basketball, baseball and track for the Panthers.
In December 1922 the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Council "appointed a committee to confer with Dr. John B. 'Jock' Sutherland, with a view to securing him as head coach when Glenn Warner leaves in 1924." On January 18 the Athletic Council of the University of Pittsburgh approved the contract with Dr. John B. Sutherland to coach the varsity football team for three years (1924-1926).
The Athletic Council announced in February that they secured property adjoining Trees Field for a probable stadium. In August they announced that they would erect a modern stadium seating at least 60,000. “The engineering plans are complete...The ordinance vacating unused portions of three streets was introduced in city council ...with expectation that it will be passed promptly, and it is now stated that immediately on receipt of this assurance from the city fathers the contract for grading will be awarded and work commenced. It is planned to complete all grading this year, so that the field will be in readiness for the erection of the huge steel and concrete stands as soon as the weather breaks next spring. 'The Pitt schedule for 1924 is being planned to be played in the new stadium.' declares Manager Davis.”
Graduate Manager Karl E. Davis booked a nine game schedule for 1923 that Coach Warner described "the hardest any football team in the country had ever attempted." The 1923 schedule was similar to the 1922 slate except for Carnegie Tech and Grove City replacing Geneva and Cincinnati. The Syracuse game was scheduled to be played in the new Yankee Stadium in New York City on October 20.
Pat Herron, after a one year stint as Indiana head coach, returned to Warner's staff as an assistant and Reginald French Boulton was appointed student manager for the 1923 season.
Coach Warner's last session at Camp Hamilton began on September 5 and ended on September 21 with 40 Panthers vying for a position on the 1923 roster. Only halfback William Flanagan and end Carl Sauer remained from the starting lineup in the 1922 Penn State game. Thus, the camp schedule was much harder than normal, "because Coach Warner had so many places to fill and it was necessary for him to ascertain right off the reel just what each of the candidates possessed in the way of ability." He admitted that: "The boys have all shown the proper spirit, have been eager to learn, have gone about their work with a fine display of spirit, and have learned rapidly. A lot of them are still green and it will take some games to knock the rough spots off of them."
On September 3 "after twelve years of faithful service to the University, Charles S. Miller, Director of Athletics has resigned. The news of his resignation came as a sad blow to the athletes and students of Pitt. Charles S. Miller was the sponsor of the 'one-year residence', 'the 'Degree' and the 'Three-year' rules, which have gone so far to give Pitt recognized standing throughout the country and have been adopted by the larger eastern schools."