By Rubin E. Grant
Norman Jetmundsen wasn’t planning on producing a documentary film.
Several years ago, he had gone to see a documentary about former Mississippi Gov. William Winter and suggested to his good friend David Crews, who was the executive producer of the film, that he do a documentary about the 1899 Sewanee football team.
Crews responded by telling Jetmundsen, “You do it and I’ll watch.” So with Crews’ help, Jetmundsen did it.
“It took six years and thousands of hours, but we have a film,” Jetmundsen said.
“Unrivaled: Sewanee 1899,” a feature-length documentary that chronicles the undefeated Sewanee football team, premiered earlier this year, including a showing at the end of April at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center in Birmingham, where more than 300 people attended.
Jetmundsen, who lives in Mountain Brook, is a graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South and a retired lawyer. He said he felt a sense of urgency to do the inspirational documentary.
“If we hadn’t done the story, 20 years from now it would have been lost forever,” Jetmundsen said. “I did over 40 interviews and some of the interviews were with descendants of the team who ranged in age from their 60’s to mid-90’s.
“We also interviewed famous football coaches, analysts and historians to provide a comprehensive commentary on the team and its season. Johnny Majors and Bobby Bowden are featured and both of them are deceased now.”
“I also got some original letters from descendants and found a book where I could pluck out heretofore unseen photos, including one from Sewanee’s game against Texas and another from a game against Tennessee.”
Sewanee is an Episcopal liberal arts college in the mountains of Tennessee. Its 1899 football team had only 21 players and was the first school in the South to play 12 games in a season – and they did it in a span of six weeks.
“The story of the 1899 Sewanee team is unmatched, and what that team accomplished that year will never be repeated or forgotten,” Jetmundsen said.
Sewanee’s epic season included a game against Auburn on Thanksgiving Day in Montgomery, breaking a record with 4,000 spectators in attendance as Sewanee posted an 11-10 victory. Auburn, coached by the famous John Heisman, was the only team to score against them during the season as Sewanee recorded 11 shutouts.
Brutal Season
Beating Auburn wasn’t the most remarkable thing about Sewanee’s dramatic season.
“The reason that they’re famous is that they traveled 2,500 miles by train, playing five games in six days,” Jetmundsen said. “It was truly unbelievable.”
The film includes some extraordinary details about players.
“There are many incredible stories and remarkable characters from that amazing season,” Jetmundsen said. “A lineman on the team was William ‘Wild Bill’ Claiborne. He had a bad eye that he covered with a patch when he played. When he started a game, he’d line up across from his opponent, lift the patch, and say, ‘This happened in the last game; we’ll see what happens today.’ Then he’d put the patch back down and leave the other player to worry.
“It’s a captivating story of the strength of the personalities involved and guys showing perseverance and grit, pain and sacrifice.”
Sewanee fullback Ormond Simkins sustained so many injuries from the season that he eventually had both legs amputated. Simkins would die during the surgery for his second amputation.
“It’s a human story,” Jetmundsen said. “Some of them paid a high price. One of the biggest compliments I’ve gotten from people who’ve seen the film is, ‘I don’t even like college football, but I love the film.’”
Several people from Birmingham were part of the filmmaking team, including narrator Gates Shaw; musician Bobby Horton, who has done music for Ken Burns’ documentaries; and illustrator Ernie Eldridge.
“Unrivaled” has an extended version that runs 110 minutes and a shorter, 90-minute version for broadcast by a TV, cable or streaming company.
For more information on “Sewanee 1899 Unrivaled,” go to sewanee1899.org.
The 110-minute version of the film can be purchased at the website as a DVD or via streaming.