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Praying Colonels upset featured on ‘Rites of Autumn’
RELEASED: December 20, 2001
DANVILLE, KY—DANVILLE, KY—Centre's famous 1921 upset of Harvard was featured this week on ESPN.
"The Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football" looked back at how Centre, then a school of 300 students, beat top-ranked Harvard, undefeated in five years, on Oct. 29, 1921.
Football historians commented on the contest and spoke of how Centre "charmed the nation" and how "Centre proved for one day that anything is possible."
Jack Mildren, father of current Centre quarterback Drew Mildren, was also featured in the program, which focused on the greatest regular-season college football games ever played. Jack Mildren was the quarterback for Oklahoma in the famous 1971 Oklahoma-Nebraska contest. Drew Mildren finished his senior year at Centre this fall and led the Colonels to a 9-1 record, the team’s most wins since the 1921 team (known as the Praying Colonels) finished with a 10-1 record. The Colonels last undefeated team came in 1955 when the squad finished 8-0.
"The Rites of Autumn" is a 10-part documentary series airing on ESPN this fall. The series is narrated by film star and former Florida State running back Burt Reynolds. Heisman Trophy winner and Hall of Famer Roger Staubach is the spokesperson for the series.
Over the past two years more than 400 interviews have been conducted and thousands of hours of film and videotape, as well as thousands of photos have been gathered to stamp this series as the definitive documentary for college football.
The 10 episodes range from the greatest dynasties, the greatest individual performances, to the origins of the game. In addition to the television series, a companion book has been published by Simon & Schuster. The book’s release coincided with the debut of the television program, which premiered Oct. 12.
For more information on the series, visit the Web site at http://www.ritesofautumn.com. For more on Centre athletics, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/sports/athletics.html.
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