The game ball from Georgia Tech’s historic 222-0 win over Cumberland in 1916 has returned home. The ball, won in an auction by Tech alumnus Ryan Schneider last fall for $40,388, was placed in a display case in the museum room at the Edge Center Monday.
The ball had been in possession of a Los Angeles sports museum for decades. It’s likely that coach John Heisman donated the ball to Bill Schroeder, a sports collector who was known to acquire items simply by writing to sports figures to ask for them. Schroeder ran the museum, which eventually turned the ball over to a non-profit dedicated to youth sports. The foundation put the ball up for auction last fall as a fund-raiser.
The ball was briefly displayed at the College Football Hall of Fame during its Georgia Tech weekend April 10-12. The case itself was put up in recent weeks. The Edge Center is open Monday to Friday during standard business hours.
The game, of course, will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. However tempting, a rematch is not a possibility. Cumberland, which has played football on and off but continuously since 1990, competes in NAIA. Further, Tech’s non-conference schedule is full.
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
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