LSU vs. Havana: Making History
Tigers Became first American Team To Compete on foreign Soil
Behind Doc Fenton, and buoyed by an enthusiastic crowd, LSU blasted Havana University, 56-0, on Christmas Day of 1907 in what was billed as the first Bacardi Bowl.
LSU became the first American college team to play on foreign soil when it traveled to Cuba to face Havana University on Christmas Day of 1907.
Buoyed by the strength of their team, which had beaten all American armed forces units it had played, Cuban officials extended an invitation to LSU.
LSU coach Edgar Wingard came to the Caribbean Island armed with a 13-player squad and $2,000 that Tiger fans had raised and given him to wager.
Cuba put together an all-star roster that included 300-pound linemen, which was a virtually unheard of weight for that period.
Having never ventured beyond Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, LSU arrived to an emotionally charged populace fueled by a devotion to its team and the memory of the Spanish-American War, which had ended less than a decade earlier.
The hull of the battleship USS Maine, whose sinking had sparked America to declare war on Spain, could still be seen in Havana harbor.
When the game finally began, LSU toyed with the larger Cubans and came away a 56-0 winner. Rowdy LSU fans in the crowd of 10,000 at Almendares Park yelled ethnic slurs at the Cubans.
Had the game been any closer, hostilities may have broken out again. As it was, LSU had its way in what was billed as the first Bacardi Bowl. LSU produced 10 touchdowns, when such scores counted for five points apiece, and six extra points. Havana never came close to reaching the end zone.
LSU’s regular season had ended a month earlier, but the layoff didn’t appear to hurt the Tigers. In fact, they seemed to pick up where they left on in completing their 6-3 regular season with a 48-0 victory over Baylor.
Americans in Cuba treated LSU like royalty and were only too happy to ply the Tigers with daiquiris and arroz con pollo, a dish that combined stewed chicken and saffron rice.
Meanwhile, the Cubans questionable dietary habits may have taken their toll. During pre-game warmups, LSU looked to the Havana bench and noticed a row of drinking glasses filled with wine.
The Cubans quenched their thirst before play started. This made it only too easy for LSU’s players to hit the Cubans in the stomach during the game with the expected results.
It also helped LSU 165-pound star Doc Fenton to run wild. Fenton produced several broken-field runs reminiscent of what he had done back home when he set a school record with 94 points and 14 touchdowns.
In a then-pioneering technique, LSU popularized the tear-away jersey. Before each game, Wingard would soak Fenton’s woolen shirt in a mild acid solution to weaken the fabric. The Cubans often were left clutching at air, as had opposing American players.
Fenton’s nickname is the United States was “The Artful Dodger”. The Cubans gave him another sobriquet in “El Rubio Vaselino”, or the Vaselined redhead.
