The 1928 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly known as Georgia Tech) during the 1928 Southern Conference football season. The team, which was a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon), was coached by William Alexander in his ninth year as head coach. Alexander compiled a record of 10–0 (7–0 SoCon) and outscored his opponents 213 to 40. Georgia Tech played its home games at Grant Field.
The team was selected national champion by Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, NCF, Poling, and Sagarin (ELO-Chess), while Parke Davis named them co-champion as shared with Detroit. Additionally, USC also earned recognition under the Dickinson System. USC declined the 1929 Rose Bowl invitation, resulting in a matchup of California and Georgia Tech. The game was decided by a safety, which was scored after Cal's Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels ran in the wrong direction.
Several Georgia Tech players received postseason honors. Captain and center Peter Pund was a consensus All-American. Coach Knute Rockne said of Tech's 13–0 defeat of Notre Dame, "I sat at Grant Field and saw a magnificent Notre Dame team suddenly recoil before the furious pounding of one man–Peter Pund". Tackle Frank Speer was also selected as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press.
Before the season
After the defeat of the Georgia Bulldogs' 1927 Dream and Wonder team, Georgia Tech returned all but one of its key players. Alabama coach Wallace Wade said Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Vanderbilt had the best chances of winning a southern title. Georgia Tech head coach William Alexander held daily scrimmages.
The Golden Tornado was led by center and senior captain Peter Pund, who was never penalized, and was a key player on defense. Halfback Warner Mizell headed a powerful backfield that also included Stumpy Thomason and Father Lumpkin.
Schedule
Game summaries
VMI
Sources:
Georgia Tech opened the season on October 6 with a 13–0 defeat of the VMI Keydets, in a game marred by fumbles in every quarter. Tech gained 307 yards and VMI 159. The Georgia Tech line "tore the V. M. I. line to shreds" and all members of the backfield played well. W. R. Tichenor was umpire. Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Holland (left end), Thrash (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback).
Tulane
Sources:
In the second week of play, Georgia Tech scored twice on forward passes to beat the Tulane Green Wave 12–0. The first one came in the second quarter; Warner Mizell threw a pass to Tom Jones. The second came in the fourth quarter on a pass from Dunlap to Stumpy Thomason. Georgia Tech started the second half of the game with a fierce drive down to the line when Randolph fumbled the ball away.
Notre Dame
Sources:
Georgia Tech next defeated coach Knute Rockne's Notre Dame Fighting Irish 13–0. Father Lumpkin intercepted two Irish passes, setting up the winning score by running the second interception down to the line. After the game, coach Rockne said, "I sat at Grant Field and saw a magnificent Notre Dame team suddenly recoil before the furious pounding of one man–Peter Pund ... Nobody could stop him. I counted 20 scoring plays that this man ruined". Rockne later also wrote of an attack on his coaching in the Atlanta Journal, "I am surprised that a paper of such fine, high standing [as yours] would allow a zipper to write in his particular vein ... the article by Fuzzy Woodruff was not called for".
Tech's backfield coach Don Miller was a former player of Rockne's, one of the "Four Horsemen". As coach Alexander explained, "Coach Miller knows the Notre Dame offense of Knute Rockne as well as any man alive. It's virtually the same offense that Kid Woodruff has at Georgia."
Georgia Tech's starting lineup was Holland (left end), Maree (left tackle), Westbrook (left guard), Pund (center), Drennon (right guard), Speer (right tackle), Waddey (right end), Durant (quarterback), Mizell (left halfback), Thomason (right halfback), and Randolph (fullback).
North Carolina
Sources:
The Golden Tornado then invaded North Carolina for the first time and beat the Tar Heels 20–7. Georgia Tech started the game with its second stringers, which seemed to perform sufficiently.