Those who coached and played with determination, courage, and grit.
Twenty-one students played on the team of 1899. Although they became known as the “Iron Men,” they played through pain and injury, often refusing to leave the game. Some of them suffered greatly for years afterward. They all played with courage, spirit and determination. The story of these players —with nicknames like Ditty, Deacon, Warbler and Wild Bill —needs to be preserved for posterity.
Henry “Ditty” Seibels
Team Captain – Halfback
Ormond Simkins
Fullback
William “Wild Bill” Claiborne
Guard
William Henry Poole
Center
William “Warbler” Wilson
Quarterback
Billy Suter
Sewanee Coach
Luke Lea
Sewanee Manager
John Heisman
Auburn Head Coach
Varsity Lettermen
| Player | Position | Games Started | Hometown | Height | Weight | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Elliot Bolling | Tackle | 10 | Edna, TX | 5’10” | ||
| William “Wild Bill” Claiborne | Guard | 11 | Amherst County, VA | 6’0″ | 190 | |
| John William “Deacon” Jones | Tackle | 11 | Marshall, TX | |||
| Henry Sheridan Keyes | Guard | 10 | Cambridge, MA | |||
| Hugh Miller Thompson “Bunny” Pearce | End | 9 | Jackson, MS | 5’3″ | 125 | |
| William Henry Poole | Center | 10 | Glyndon, MD | 6’0″ | 185 | 19 |
| Bartlet et Ultimus Sims | End | Bryan, TX | 6’0″ | 185 |
Backfield
| Player | Position | Games Started | Hometown | Height | Weight | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Quintard Gray | Halfback | 4 | Ocala, FL | |||
| Ringland F. “Rex” Kilpatrick | Halfback | 9 | Bridgeport, AL | 6’1″ | 185 | 18 |
| Henry “Ditty” Seibels | Halfback | 9 | Montgomery, AL | 5’10” | 170 | 23 |
| Ormond Simkins | Fullback | 10 | Corsicana, TX | 5’10” | 163 | 20 |
| William “Warbler” Wilson | Quarterback | 11 | Rock Hill, SC | 5’10” | 154 | 22 |
Substitutes
| Player | Position | Games Started | Hometown | Height | Weight | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Peters Black | End | 1 | Atlanta, GA | 6’0″ | 158 | |
| Preston Smith Brooks, Jr. | Back | 1 | Sewanee, TN | |||
| Harris Goodwin Cope | Quarterback | Savannah, GA | 117 | 16 | ||
| Albert T. Davidson | Augusta, GA | |||||
| Andrew Cleveland Evins | Spartanburg, SC | |||||
| Daniel Baldwin Hull | Fullback | 1 | Savannah, GA | 5’10” | 160 | 19 |
| Joseph Lee Kirby-Smith | Tackle | 1 | Sewanee, TN | 156 | 17 | |
| Landon Randolph Mason | Marshall, VA | |||||
| Floy Hoffman Parker | Canton, MS | |||||
| Herbert E. Smith |
