The 1906 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the college football games played by the member schools of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association as part of the 1906 college football season. The season began on September 29.

At the end of 1905 football looked about to be abolished due to all of the reoccurring violence during games. Football was a sport that had degenerated into dangerous tactics such as: the flying wedge, punching, kicking, piling-on, and elbows to the face. Almost any violent behavior was allowed. Fatalities and injuries mounted during the 1905 season.

As a result, the 1906 season was played under a new set of rules. The rules governing intercollegiate football were changed to promote a more open and less dangerous style of play. An intercollegiate conference, which would become the forerunner of the NCAA, approved radical changes including the legalization of the forward pass, allowing the punting team to recover an on-side kick as a live ball, abolishing the dangerous flying wedge, creating a neutral zone between offense and defense, and doubling the first-down distance to 10 yards, to be gained in three downs.

According to Fuzzy Woodruff, Davidson tossed the first legal forward pass in the South in the win over Georgia.

Clemson and Vanderbilt tied for the SIAA title, but few writers chose the Tigers over the vaunted Commodores. Coach Dan McGugin called the Carlisle victory "the crowning feat of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association season." For some, Vanderbilt's eleven was the entire All-Southern team. Running back Owsley Manier was the first Southern player chosen third-team All-American by Walter Camp.

Results and team statistics

Conf. RankTeamHead coachOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAG1 (tie) VanderbiltDan McGugin 8–14–030.9 1.81 (tie)ClemsonBob Williams 4–0–34–0–1 5.40.63SewaneeJ. J. Quill8–15–1 23.41.84AlabamaDoc Pollard5–13–1 16.213.75Mississippi Thomas S. Hammond4–23–211.8 10.76Georgia TechJohn Heisman 6–3–13–3 8.17.77 GeorgiaW. S. Whitney2–4–12–2–18.4 7.18 LSUDan A. Killian2–2–20–1–1 6.76.29Mississippi A&MDaniel S. Martin 2–2–10–2–120.2 9.010 (tie)Mercer E. E. Tarr 1–4 0–26.432.610 (tie)TulaneJohn Russ0–4–10–2 0.018.412TennesseeJames DePree1–6–20–3–11.7 14.113AuburnMike Donahue1–5–10–53.4 5.9 Key

PPG = Average of points scored per game PAG = Average of points allowed per game

Regular season Index to colors and formattingNon-conference matchup; SIAA member wonNon-conference matchup; SIAA member lostNon-conference matchup; tieConference matchup SIAA teams in bold.

Week one Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceSeptember 29 Georgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GAT 6–6 September 29Howard (AL)Mississippi A&MHardy Field • Starkville, MSW 30–0 September 29MooneySewaneeHardee Field • Sewanee, TNW 24–0

Week two Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceOctober 4Maryville (TN)Ole MissOxford, MSW 16–6 October 6Maryville (TN)AlabamaThe Quad • Tuscaloosa, ALW 6–0 October 6Georgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GAW 11–0 October 6TennesseeBaker-Himel Park • Knoxville, TN W 10–0 October 6Kentucky State CollegeVanderbiltDudley Field • Nashville, TNW 28–0 October 8Maryville (TN)AuburnDrill Field • Auburn, ALT 0–0 October 8MercerGordon (GA)Barnesville, GAL 5–28

Week three Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceOctober 10Monroe Athletic ClubLSUState Field • Baton Rouge, LAW 5–0 October 13Gordon (GA)AuburnDrill Field • Auburn, ALW 15–0 October 13Howard (AL)AlabamaThe Quad • Tuscaloosa, ALW 14–0 October 13GrantGeorgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GAW 18–0 October 13DavidsonGeorgiaHerty Field • Athens, GAL 0–15 October 13Maryville (TN)TennesseeBaker-Himel Park • Knoxville, TNL 0–11 October 13Mississippi A&MHardy Field • Starkville, MSW 62–0 October 13SewaneeHardee Field • Sewanee, TNW 57–0 October 13VPIClemsonBowman Field • Calhoun, SCT 0–0 October 13Ole MissVanderbiltDudley Field • Nashville, TNVAN 29–0

Week four Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceOctober 20TennesseeBaker-Himel Park • Knoxville, TNL 0–6 October 20FloridaMercerCentral City Park • Macon, GAW 12–0 October 20GeorgiaClemsonBowman Field • Calhoun, SCCLEM 6–0 October 20Ole MissLSUState Field • Baton Rouge, LAMISS 9–0 October 20SewaneeGeorgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GASEW 16–0 October 20AlabamaVanderbiltDudley Field • Nashville, TNVAN 78–0

Week five Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceOctober 25TennesseeAmerican TemperanceHarriman, TNT 5–5 October 26SewaneeAuburnWest End Park • Birmingham, ALSEW 10–5 October 27DavidsonGeorgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GAW 4–0 October 27LSUMississippi A&MColumbus Fairgrounds • Columbus, MST 0–0 October 27Howard (AL)TulaneAthletic Park • New Orleans, LAT 0–0 October 27TexasVanderbiltDudley Field • Nashville, TNW 45–0

Week six Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceNovember 3ClemsonDavidsonLatta Park • Charlotte, NCT 0–0 November 3AlabamaMississippi A&MHardy Field • Starkville, MSALA 16–4 November 3GeorgiaMercerCentral City Park • Macon, GAUGA 55–0 November 3AuburnGeorgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GAGT 11–0 November 3VanderbiltMichiganRegents Field • Ann Arbor, MIL 4–1010,000November 3SewaneeTennesseeBaker-Himel Park • Knoxville, TNSEW 17–0

Week seven Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance Reference November 9Louisiana IndustrialLSUState Field • Baton Rouge, LAW 17–0 November 10AuburnClemsonBowman Field • Calhoun, SCCLEM 6–4 November 10GeorgiaGeorgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GAGT 17–0 November 10MercerThe CitadelHampton Park • Charleston, SCL 0–10 November 10TennesseeKentucky State CollegeLexington, KYL 0–21 November 10SewaneeTulaneAthletic Park • New Orleans, LASEW 35–0 November 10VanderbiltDudley Field • Nashville, TNW 33–0 November 12Ole MissSewaneeRed Elm Park • Memphis, TNSEW 24–0

Week eight Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceNovember 17AuburnAlabamaState Fairgrounds • Birmingham, ALALA 10–0 November 17Maryville (TN)SewaneeHardee Field • Sewanee, TNW 28–0 November 17Texas A&MTulaneAthletic Park • New Orleans, LAL 0–18 November 17VanderbiltGeorgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GAVAN 37–65,000November 19TennesseeClemsonBowman Field • Calhoun, SCCLEM 16–0 November 19Texas A&MLSUState Field • Baton Rouge, LAL 12–22

Week nine Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceNovember 21TennesseeGeorgiaHerty Field • Athens, GAT 0–0 November 24ArkansasTulaneAthletic Park • New Orleans, LAL 0–22 November 24Georgia TechMercerCentral City Park • Macon, GAGT 61–0 November 24CarlisleVanderbiltDudley Field • Nashville, TNW 4–0

Week ten Date Visiting team Home team Site Result Attendance ReferenceNovember 29TennesseeAlabamaState Fairgrounds • Birmingham, ALALA 51–0 November 29ArkansasLSUState Field • Baton Rouge, LAT 6–6 November 29ClemsonGeorgia TechThe Flats • Atlanta, GACLEM 10–0 November 29AuburnGeorgiaCentral City Park • Macon, GAUGA 4–0 November 29Ole MissMississippi A&MState Fairgrounds • Jackson, MSMISS 29–5 November 29SewaneeVanderbiltDudley Field • Nashville, TNVAN 20–06,000December 1GeorgiaSavannah A. C.Savannah, GAL 0–12

Awards and honors

All-Americans

FB – Owsley Manier, Vanderbilt (WC-3)

All-Southern team

The composite All-Southern eleven representing the consensus of newspapers as published in Fuzzy Woodruff's A History of Southern Football 1890–1928 included: PositionNameTeamQBSam CostenVanderbiltHBDan BlakeVanderbiltHBHonus CraigVanderbiltFBOwsley ManierVanderbiltEBob BlakeVanderbiltTJoe PritchardVanderbiltGWalter K. ChornVanderbiltCStein StoneVanderbiltGClyde R. ConnerMississippiTLex StoneSewaneeELob BrownGeorgia Tech

Notes

References