Penn State Nittany Lions football under Bill Hollenback

Bill Hollenback coached the Penn State Nittany Lions football teams in 1909 and from 1911 to 1914. In his five seasons, he compiled a 28–9–4 record and a .732 winning percentage. Hollenback would serve as the head coach at the University of Missouri in 1910 before returning to Penn State.

His teams played their home games at New Beaver Field, which opened in 1909.

1909 season

1909 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Conference Independent
1909 record 5–0–2
Head coach Bill Hollenback
Date Opponent Site Result
October 2, 1909 Grove City New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 31–0  
October 9, 1909 vs. Carlisle Indian Wilkes-Barre, PA T 8–8  
October 16, 1909 Geneva New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 46–0  
October 23, 1909 at Pennsylvania Franklin Field • Philadelphia, PA T 3–3  
November 6, 1909 at Bucknell Lewisburg, PA W 33–0  
November 12, 1909 West Virginia New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 40–0  
November 25, 1909 at Pittsburgh Forbes Field • Pittsburgh, PA W 37–0  


1911 season

1911 Penn State Nittany Lions football
NCF National Champions
Conference Independent
1911 record 8–0–1
Head coach Bill Hollenback

Undefeated, but with one tie, this unbeaten Nittany Lions squad was the first of two back to back retroactive national champion teams recognized by the NCAA in the pre-Joe Paterno era.

Date Opponent Site Result
September 30, 1911 Geneva New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 57–0  
October 7, 1911 Gettysburg New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 31–0  
October 14, 1911 at Cornell Ithaca, NY W 5–0  
October 21, 1911 Villanova New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 18–0  
October 28, 1911 at Pennsylvania Franklin Field • Philadelphia, PA W 22–6  
November 4, 1911 St. Bonaventure New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 46–0  
November 11, 1911 Colgate New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 17–9  
November 18, 1911 at Navy Annapolis, MD T 0–0  
November 30, 1911 at Pittsburgh Forbes Field • Pittsburgh, PA W 3–0  


1912 season

1912 Penn State Nittany Lions football
NCF National Champions
Conference Independent
1912 record 8–0
Head coach Bill Hollenback

The second of Penn State's retrospective national champions. Undefeated and only scored upon once (6 points by Cornell). This team is known for playing the first of a series of games against eventual rival Ohio State, in which the Buckeyes forfeited because of the brutal play of the Nittany Lions once the score was 37–0. The official score is 1–0, but the gameball lists the score as 37–0.

Date Opponent Site Result
October 5, 1912 Carnegie Tech New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 41–0  
October 12, 1912 Washington & Jefferson New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 30–0  
October 19, 1912 at Cornell Percy Field • Ithaca, NY W 29–6  
October 26, 1912 Gettysburg New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 25–0  
November 2, 1912 at Pennsylvania Franklin Field • Philadelphia, PA W 14–0  
November 9, 1912 Villanova New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 71–0  
November 16, 1912 at Ohio State Ohio Field • Columbus, OH W 37–0  
November 28, 1912 at Pittsburgh Forbes Field • Pittsburgh, PA W 38–0  


1913 season

1913 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Conference Independent
1913 record 2–6
Head coach Bill Hollenback
Date Opponent Site Result
October 4, 1913 Carnegie Tech New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 49–0  
October 11, 1913 Gettysburg New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 16–0  
October 18, 1913 at Washington & Jefferson College Field • Washington, PA L 0–17  
October 25, 1913 at Harvard Harvard Stadium • Allston, MA L 0–29  
November 1, 1913 at Pennsylvania Franklin Field • Philadelphia, PA L 0–17  
November 7, 1913 Notre Dame New Beaver Field • State College, PA L 7–14  
November 15, 1913 at Navy Annapolis, MD L 0–10  
November 27, 1913 at Pittsburgh Forbes Field • Pittsburgh, PA L 6–7  


1914 season

1914 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Conference Independent
1914 record 5–3–1
Head coach Bill Hollenback
Date Opponent Site Result
September 26, 1914 Westminster New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 13–0  
October 3, 1914 Muhlenberg New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 22–0  
October 10, 1914 Gettysburg New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 13–0  
October 17, 1914 Ursinus New Beaver Field • State College, PA W 30–0  
October 24, 1914 at Harvard Harvard Stadium • Allston, MA T 13–13  
October 31, 1914 at Lafayette Easton, PA W 17–0  
November 7, 1914 at Lehigh Taylor Stadium • Bethlehem, PA L 7–20  
November 13, 1914 Michigan State New Beaver Field • State College, PA L 3–6  
November 26, 1914 at Pittsburgh Forbes Field • Pittsburgh, PA L 3–13  


References