The 1897 season
194 games on file. The AP poll didn’t exist yet. Share
Scoreboards
Conference champions
- Colorado Football Association
- Colorado
- Oregon Intercollegiate Football Association
- Oregon State
- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- Vanderbilt
- Triangular Football League
- Dartmouth
- Western Conference
- Wisconsin
- Western Interstate University Football Association
- Nebraska
From each program’s Wikipedia article, with the conference’s name that season. Titles come from the articles of today’s FBS and FCS programs, so a title shared with a school outside them lists only one champion.
Consensus All-Americans
- EGarrett Cochran, Princeton
- EJohn A. Hall, Yale
- OTBurr Chamberlain, Yale
- OTJohn H. Outland, Penn
- OGTruxtun Hare, Penn
- OGGordon Brown, Yale
- CAllan Doucette, Harvard
- QBCharles de Saulles, Yale
- RBBenjamin Dibblee, Harvard
- RBAddison Kelly, Princeton
- FBJohn Minds, Penn
Players picked by enough of the major selectors to count as consensus, shown in bold in Wikipedia’s 1897 All-America article. Every selector’s teams, first to last, are on the 1897 All-America teams page.
From the newspapers
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PROUD PENNSY’S DAY Harvard Defeated by a Score of 16 to 6. PRINCETON PARALYZEO \ YALE-BLUE DAY FOR THE YELL LOW TIGERS WITH 6 TO 0. QUAkER’S GAME WAS A FIERCE BATTLE Philadelphia Turned Out Her Hgh-Water Fig. ures-- The Game was Won on Its Merits, Cambridge Being Out PLAYED. Out-pIayed. Philadelphia, Pa, Nov. 20.-Before the largest crowd that ever witnessed u football game in this city the University of Pennsylvania football eleven this at ternoon on Franklin field defeated the Harvard team by the score of 15 to q. 1t was not a sensational game. There were but few runs. The 55-yard dash of Parker and Jackson’s 25-yard run being the only ones of moment. The playing was fierce, but not unnecessarly vicious, hard but clean. 1t was bat tie of the giants and by todays victory over the crimson, Pennsylvania has gained the top round of the football ladder and holds undisputed possession There were half a dozen admission gates and Notwithstanding that the ar rangements were of the best, 1t was nearly 2:30 before the last enthusiast was seated in the huge amphitheatre. In side the grounds the sight was Deaut’full and inspiring one. When it is taken into consideration that the seating ca pacity of the grounds is almost 10000; that 900 out of every 1000 persons eth er carried a red and blue, or crimson flag, or wore the colors of one or the other of the big colleges in some conspicious place then the beauty of the scene can be imagined. As the game progressed the sympathizers of both Harvard and Pennsylvania were given ample opportunity to use their lungs and wave their flags. 1t was Pennsylvania’s first call when Captain Jack Minds, by beautiful effort sent the ball spinning between the posts for a field goal. Then came the crimson’s OPP portunity, and when little Parker got by Weeks, Morice and Minds for a beau tiful run of 55 yards and a touchdown, the crimson shouters made the huge grand stand on the north side of the field shake with their cheers. Harvard started the game without the services of Captain Cabot, Richard son taking his place at left end. Swain who played against Yale at left tackle was replaced by Wheeler; Mills and Houghton alternated in Donald’s positon at right tackle, Warren’s position at right half back was ably filled by Parker. The Harvard team, as whole, played good football, but the Pennsylvania played better. In Dibblee and Parker, Harvard had two fine half backs,and had Harvard’s line held as it should have done, the crimson backs would have been dangerous for Pennsylvania. On the ends the Cambridge men showed none Of the slowness in getting down the field which characterized the. play at Cambridge on Saturday. They were faster than either Boyle or Hedges. Al centre Overfield toyed with the heavy Doucette, and Hare more than held his | own against Bouye of Harvard. Mills and Houghton were alternated at right tackle and ful back. For the crimson | Dibblee and Parker were easily the stars, and Garrison also did good work Parker’s run of 80 yards was made or | the delayed double pass. but it never should have been made 80 s-S ~as missed by three men, Weeks, Morice ant | Minds. For Pennsylvania, ixgre, Winds ! Hedges, and McCracken all did goot work. Hare’s tackling on the ends wa easily the best work done on the Frank i lin field this season. The line buckinI ! of Hare, Minds and McCracken, wheI 4 they carried the ball from Pennsylvania / 30-yard line down within two yards o. | Harvard’s goal, was one of the grandes exhibitions ever seen in this city. Boil teams were guilty of fumbling. Two O Pennsylvania fumbles cost them tn, loss of two touch-dOwns. Harvard 4 fumbles were more numerous but les! disastrous. / The game was won on it’s merits, ant it is the general opinion that Pennsyl vania out-played the Cambridge boys Tonight the Pennsylvania followers ar, making night hideous on the business thoroughfares with tin horns and col lege yels. Following is the lineup: ! u. of Pa. Position. Harvard Boyle left end Richardson / Goodman left tackle Wheeler Hare left guard Bouyt | Oyerfeld center Doucettf ! McCracken right guard Haskell Boal | Outland right tackle Mills (Houghton) Hedges right-end Moultou | Weeks quarterback Garrison CO.. Jackson left half Dibblle Morice right halft Parker Swain Minds full back Houghton Mills Umpire--James w. Beachman, Jr. | Cornell. Referee-Clinton r. Wickoff, Cornell. Linesmen-Goodrich and F0rtescue. Touch-downs-Minds, Hare, Parker. GoaIs-Minds, Houghton. Goals from field--Minds. Total score-Pennsylvania, Is; Harward 6. Time of halves. 35 minutes.