Best Football season in...123 years!

Photo courtesy of Guilford College.
(Do I spy a "Nathan the Quaker" mascot helmet sticker, for the season finale?)

Congrats to the 2015 Guilford College Quakers football team, for their best season since the founding of Guilford College football in 1892!  They won a hard-fought victory against the always pesky Emory & Henry College Wasps to close out our best season ever.

The fightin' Quakers achieved a school-record 9-1 and a 24th ranked spot on the American Football Coaches Association Division III Poll.  To further break that down, Division III is the largest of the NCAA divisions (450 teams), does NOT offer athletic scholarships, and mostly consists of private schools with an enrollment of 3,000 or less.  Our division doesn't get the TV coverage and glamour of the 130 teams in Division I, but has just as much heart....and talent.

Unfortunately, we've had an almost perfect season...but absolutely nowhere to go.
Like the Ivy League, the Pioneer and Patriot Conferences, our conference is academic-focused and does NOT allow post-season play.  (Bowl games and league championships interfere with final exams...)  So, like Harvard and Yale, we don't have a conference championship, and have to share the title with Washington and Lee University...a heated conference rival.

Despite all of that, we have a chance to finally crow.  We went from a perennial also-ran for almost 40 years, to a conference champion.  And that is something to celebrate.

Go Quakers; Go Crimson & Gray!

A Song for Ole' Nathan

There seems to be an endless number of anthems crooned by Guilford students back in the day. If you go back far enough, it appears half the campus was in a unified chorus literally half the time. (So much for Quaker "silence.") Prolific Guilford songsmith, Russell Pope, even penned a song about Guilford founder Nathan Hunt. This gem is noted in a yearbook from the World War II period. Does anyone know the tune? 

Guilford's History

New Garden Boarding School, 1837. This building would form the nucleus of Founders Hall through the ages and into the present. From the Friends Historical Collection, Hege Library.

http://library.guilford.edu/friends-historical-collection/

By the early 19th century, the majority of Quakers in North Carolina were living in and around Guilford County in an area they called “New Garden.” Nathan Hunt, the leader/elder of the New Garden Quakers had since 1830 advocated passionately for a school in which to educate the children of the the Religious Society of Friends. His dream was realized on August 1, 1837 when New Garden Boarding School opened with a student body of twenty-five boys and twenty-five girls. Delilah Reynolds, one of the first students wrote in her diary that day:

Phineas Nixon read the rules; Grandfather Hunt addressed us in a pathetic strain - a strain so pathetic that he faltered very much in trying to express the joy of his heart in beholding this so long deferred...(The Quaker, 1937, pg. 9.)

Guilford’s campus is noted as a historical site where famed abolitionist Levi Coffin - a New Garden Quaker who grew up on the land that would become part of the boarding school a decade later - began his Underground Railroad activities. Escaped slaves came to the woods of New Garden and were aided in their flight to freedom in the North by Quakers in the New Garden community. 



The woods were also a refuge and hiding place for Confederate draft dodgers and war deserters, Rebel and Yankee alike. Some local Quaker families took pity on hungry, tired and scared young men - black or white, Northern or Southern - and left baskets of bread and vegetables in the woods. Occasionally meats, such as hams, were hung from the school’s barn so runaway slaves and war deserters could partake at will.  The school remained open throughout the Civil War, one of very few to do so, particularly in the South, and with support from Friends in the North and Great Britain, gained strength during the Reconstruction era.  



Over the years, New Garden Boarding School evolved into an institution that served young people of every religious affiliation or those with none at all. By the late 1800s, the school had transitioned fully into a four-year liberal arts college. In 1888, New Garden Boarding School officially became Guilford College under an only slightly revised version of the original 1834 charter, making it the fourth-oldest degree-granting institution in North Carolina.

Guilford and the surrounding areas remained largely isolated until the 1920s, when the old trail to Greensboro became the Friendly Road. At that time, the Guilford College vicinity was still considered to be somewhat separate from the city of Greensboro; it was at first a village, then country township and eventually, a suburban area. State maps of North Carolina until quite recently showed "Guilford College" as a separate town west of Greensboro. Generations of students from the area listed “Guilford College, N.C.” - rather than Greensboro - next to their yearbook pictures as their hometown. The Friendly Road became Friendly Avenue around the middle of the 20th Century, yet was still but a two lane road with scant housing and development along it’s path.

Today, a busy and heavily-developed four lane Friendly Avenue is still the most direct route to the center city, connecting Guilford to downtown and a half-dozen neighboring colleges and universities, roughly seven miles to the east. The street name symbolizes the longstanding friendship between town and gown. 

The Guilford campus encompasses 340 peaceful acres of ancient tree canopy and spacious, rolling quad scholarship within Greensboro's city limits. It is one of the very few college campuses in the nation listed by the United States Department of the Interior as a National Historic District.

While it remains the only Quaker-founded college in the southeastern United States, Guilford is independent of formal ownership by any Quaker body. The school, its customs, administration and even its curriculum continue to be profoundly shaped and influenced by Quaker values, principles and testimonies. However, Guilford College looks beyond its North Carolina roots and Quaker heritage to welcome students from all regions and nations, faith, traditions and life experiences.

(* All photos except the first were taken by me and are part of my personal collection.)

Quaker Heritage

(*) In 1837, Guilford College opened as New Garden Boarding School, an institution intended to serve the children of the Religious Society of Friends living in and around Guilford County, N.C. New Garden Boarding School provided a “guarded” education, one in which children of Friends could be formed in an environment shaped by the Quaker testimonies. The first students at the school used the “thee’s” and “thou’s” of Quaker plain speech, dressed plainly, worshiped in the silence of the Quaker meetinghouse, and were schooled in the simple truths of the Bible and the Quaker community.

Staff and students, late 1800s. Photo: Guilford College

As Quaker society changed and the school grew into a less separated and more diverse college, Guilford constantly interpreted and reinterpreted what core Quaker testimonies were important in its life.

Today, it’s rare to find anyone on campus who uses the plain speech, wears the “Quaker gray,” or expresses their religious faith in any recognizable form of 19th century Quaker orthodoxy. Yet, Quaker testimonies remain central to most facets of the school. Five “normative” testimonies— integrity, simplicity, equality, peace and direct and immediate access to God/Truth—have been incorporated into the school’s curriculum. Guilford College’s seven core values, which are community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice and stewardship, are clearly based on and consistent with these testimonies. (* Courtesy of Guilford College)

Senior Class officers of the 1920s payed homage to the school's Quaker roots by dressing up in old Quaker garb for yearbook pictures. 
On the left is the facade of Founders Hall, appearing very much as it did in 1837.

(Photos: Guilford College.)

"The college reflects many of the basic concepts and ideals of its Quaker founders, and as a faith based on first-hand experience, Quakers believe in simplicity, equality of human relations, love for mankind, and the sharing of material and spiritual goods. To Friends, religion is a way of life rather than a doctrine or creed. Freedom to follow the “inner light” is the essence of their faith and it is in this context that instruction and scholarly investigation developed at Guilford. Friends have emphasized coeducation and believe in educating the “whole student” in order to graduate truly educated people capable of independent thought."   

(Guilford College, “Statement of Purpose,” ms., p.1)

"Such an education has two goals: to prepare each student to live an intelligently directed and purpose-driven life so that he/she will bring mature understanding and wisdom to all their relationships, and to help them discover and develop their unique interests and abilities so that they can make the maximum contribution to their fellow man." 

(Guilford College “Faculty Handbook,” ms. , 1963, p.2)

Quaker students, 1949, at the "Hut" Friends Center. 
Photo: Guilford College 

On average, 8-10% of students, faculty and staff at Guilford College are Quaker. But, you don't have to be a Quaker to enjoy the coziness of the Hut; you can be any denomination, 

or none at all (Guilford's pretty accepting). It's a great place to have a class, sip coffee, study, nap, or just hang out by the fire. 

"Quakerism 101." Max Carter, professor of religious studies, director of the Friend's Center and expert on Quakerism, totally breaks down the origins of the faith...in under five minutes.

Here, Max gives a tour of a few landmarks in the Guilford College community. Included near the end is "Arcadia," the spacious, late Victorian-era home of the first president and lady of the College. Located adjacent from the school, Arcadia was a hub of campus activity, hosting dignitaries, speakers, visiting professors, faculty, staff and students for many years. In later years it was a farmhouse, at times boarding a few students as they worked campus jobs to pay tuition. The house is referenced in the last stanza of the "Guilford Campus Song."   

Guilford Nicknames

Our primary and official nickname has been the Quakers for as long as Guilford has sponsored club and varsity sports.  We were founded by the Society of Friends, colloquially called Quakers, so I won’t detail the obvious.

Quaker Man live mascot from mid-20th Century. Photo by Guilford College.

We are also called the Fighting Quakers. Being that Guilford was founded by the Society of Friends and a healthy portion of staff and students in the old days were Quakers, the “fighting” part of the name is truly ironic, and meant to be tongue-in-cheek...a pun. 

Although the 1932 Quaker Football Team cannot be termed an outstanding success from the standpoint of games won and lost, it did at times show flashes of brilliance and always gave a credible account of itself from the standpoint of sportsmanship and 
Quaker “fight.” (The Quaker, 1933)

Examples of this nickname being used are numerous in campus publications of the past, including this entry from the 1936 Quaker:

"Once again the fighting Quakers were forced to bow down in defeat 

before superior weight odds..."

However, there could be some actual teeth to the moniker, as the name arose during the time of and due to the intense nature of those early football contests from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Football began at Guilford in 1892 and was played without the aid of helmets and padding, with only a dozen or less on the team, playing both offense and defense. In fact, football in those days was so violently bloody that it was banned as a varsity sport at Guilford (and many other colleges) in 1905 and wouldn't be reinstated until 1915. Despite the consternation of a few of the more “Quakerly” faculty and student body, past and present, the Fighting Quakers nickname has stuck and is heard in various school cheers, an older version of our primary "fight song," by alumni at games and sometimes on branded apparel.

A Guilford gridman swarmed, yet still exhibiting the 
"Fighting Quaker"way. 

Football game, mid 20th Century. 

(Photo by Guilford College.)

Another nickname, which I’d never heard during my time at Guilford, was the Crimson Quakers. 

I found our teams being referred by this nickname many times in old yearbooks while doing research. The reason is also somewhat obvious, being that our primary school color is Crimson. (Or burgundy, or maroon - depending on whom you ask, the apparel manufacturer, or the year. More on this confusing tid-bit in a future post...) 

Guilford uniforms and letter sweaters of old were a dark, blood red (as seen on the 1918 footballers to the right), so the nickname Crimson Quakers would certainly make sense. Kinda’ has a nice ring to it...and probably would appease the small percentage of Quaker faculty, students and staff who might cringe at the "Fighting Quakers" designation. Regardless, the Crimson Quakers seems to be a forgotten nickname and is probably not heard much on campus. I might have to holler it out at the next sporting event, just to see if I get any quizical looks!

Yet another (somewhat forgotten) nickname, used informally:  "The Crimson and Gray."  It's repeatedly peppered in old yearbooks, particularly from the early 20th Century.

The track team of 1915, however, was successful in the only meet of the 
season, and the indications point to a fair team to represent the 

Crimson and Gray on the cinder path this spring. 

(The Quaker, 1916, pg. 98.)

Flashy Red Maxey of William & Mary wrought havoc with the Guilford machine by his elusiveness and scoring genius to lead his team to a decisive victory over the fighting Crimson and Gray on the Virginians' mud-soaked gridiron. 

Guilford, 0; William & Mary, 32. 

(The Quaker, 1932, pg. 60.)

On the right, some football contests from 1932, showing the "Crimson and Gray" in all their "Fighting Quaker" glory! 

(Still trips me out that some guys didn't use helmets...at all.)

(All Photos: Guilford College.)

Finally, there are a few lesser-used nicknames for Guilford College: Ole' GC and GuilCo. The first refers to the fact that there are two "GC's" in Greensboro: Guilford College and Greensboro College. Our designation of "Ole' GC"means that Guilford is the first and older "GC."

GuilCo is simply an abbreviation of Guilford College and quicker to say and write for many alumni. "Ole' GC" is hardly ever used, while "GuilCo" is used by many Guilfordians.





* It should be noted that a few other Quaker-founded schools use the Quakers and/or Fighting Quakers nicknames, including Earlham College, Wilmington College (Ohio), and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).