Hall of Fame
Position: Halfback
Years: 1896-1900
Place of Birth: Montgomery, AL
Date of Birth: Aug 22, 1876
Place of Death: Birmingham, AL
Date of Death: Sep 29, 1967
Height: 5-10
Weight: 170
High School: Montgomery, AL (Stark University HS)
Halfback Henry Seibels led the University of the South (Sewanee) team on a gridiron odyssey few schools have ever experienced. It was 1899, a year when small schools were forced to travel far and wide to find their competition. That year, the hardy Purple Tigers headed off on a 3,OOO-mile tour of three states -Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee - destined to mow down some of the most feared teams in the nation. When the venture had ended, Sewanee had won five straight games. It was to set the tempo for what would become the most successful season of "Ditty" Seibels' five-year career at the tiny Episcopal school in Tennessee. The Purple Tigers became the first to conquer every one of its 10 Southern Conference opponents on the way to a perfect 12-game season. Twice, they won two games within three-day spans. They were to out-score the competition, 322-10. Auburn would post the only points against the fierce Sewanee defense that year, losing to the Purple Tigers, 11-10. Halfback Seibels, born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1876, was the heart of the team, a powerful runner with a relish for contact. After college he was headmaster of Sewanee Grammar School and then moved to Birmingham and was in the the insurance business. He was an all-around athlete, a star in baseball, and the 1922 Alabama state golf champion. Years later, Sewanee old-timers were naming Seibels to the school's All-Time team. He died in 1967 at the age of 91.
