There probably couldn't have been a more unlikely
hero in Lafayette's unbeaten 1926 football season than
George "Mike" Wilson. After all, the starting halfback for
head coach G. Herbert McCracken's Leopards in the
season opener at brand-new Fisher Field was just an
unproven sophomore who had a total of two seasons
of prior football experience. However, the Glenside, PA
native wasted little time that day before giving the
Leopards a sign of things to come, scoring the first
touchdown ever in the new structure on a brilliant 69-
yard touchdown gallop off left tackle en route to a 35-0
romp over outmanned Muhlenberg.
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All told, Wilson
tallied 20 touchdowns that season to lead the nation in
scoring. But more important, his running enabled the
Leopards to complete the season with a perfect 9-0
record, with Lafayette staking a legitimate claim to a
third national football championship for the College.
Wilson had a total of 120 points in a season and 168
career points. The fleet halfback led McCracken-
coached teams to a cumulative record of 20-4-3 and
three successive victories over Lehigh, in which the
Leopards outscored their arch-rivals by a whopping
116-14 margin.
