Peakland in Lynchburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Shoeless Wonders Football Team

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 14, 2021

1. Shoeless Wonders Football Team Marker

Inscription. The nearby Presbyterian Orphans' Home (later HumanKind) fielded its first football team by 1922. The players, boys under the age of 18, received minimal coaching, wore second-hand uniforms, and soon began competing without shoes, except for a boot used during kickoffs. In 1926, news reports about the "Shoeless Wonders" propelled the team to national fame. The New York Times, Universal Pictures newsreels, and a Ripley's Believe It or Not cartoon featured the squad, which was undefeated for at least six straight seasons before 1931 and held opponents scoreless for at least five of those years. Later teams won consistently in the city league and against opponents from other Virginia localities.

Erected 2018 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-6-48.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Religion & Religious Structures • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.

Location. 37° 26.585′ N, 79° 11.992′ W. Marker is in Lynchburg,

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Virginia. It is in Peakland. It is at the intersection of Peakland Place and Linden Avenue, in the median on Peakland Place. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4001 Peakland Pl, Lynchburg VA 24503, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Morris Stanley Alexander (1891-1977) (approx. half a mile away); Defense Works (approx. 1.1 miles away); Sallie Blount Mahood (1864-1953) (approx. 1.4 miles away); Helen McGehee (approx. 1.4 miles away); Randolph-Macon Woman's College (approx. 1½ miles away); Main Hall (approx. 1.6 miles away); Pearl S. Buck (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Fernando Wood Martin Science Building

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 14, 2021

2. Shoeless Wonders Football Team Marker

(approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lynchburg.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 478 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 16, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.