1883 Navy Midshipmen football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 1883 Navy Midshipmen football Independent 0–1 None Frank Hill Western King Field The 1883 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy in the 1883 college football season. The team was the third intercollegiate football squad to represent the United States Naval Academy, and the first time the school participated in consecutive seasons. The squad was captained by member Frank Hill. The team played just a single game, a 2 to 0 (2–0) shutout loss to Johns Hopkins, which was the school's first ever loss. The squad was the first to have the approval of the academy's staff, and is regarded as the first official game played by the Midshipmen. The season continued a seven-season, eight game rivalry between the Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins. Schedule November 29 l 1883 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays Johns Hopkins Unknown Annapolis, MD rivalry 0-2 No records exist to provide attendance figures for the game "A" Prelude The first intercollegiate football game was played on November 6, 1869, between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, then known as the Rutgers Queensmen, and the New Jersey Tigers, now the Princeton Tigers. The game was a mixture of rugby and soccer, with teams scoring by kicking the ball into the opponent's net.Schlabach Mark 2013 https://www.espn.com/college-football/face/team?teamId=164 Rutgers Scarlet Knights–Nov. 6, 1869 ESPN.com ESPN June 13, 2013 The game slowly developed, with many new and safer rules being added during the early 1870s. The number of schools participating in the sport also grew.PFRA Research No Christian End! The Journey to Camp: The Origins of American Football to 1889 Professional Football Researchers Association http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Articles/No_Christian_End.pdf 2 April 18, 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140611173624/https://www.profootballresearchers.org/Articles/No_Christian_End.pdf June 11, 2014 However, even with the expansion, Princeton dominated the game, being declared the champion eight times in ten years. Yale was the only team which came close to Princeton, being awarded four championship designations during the same period.NCAA 2009, p. 78 The Naval Academy's first ever football team was fielded in 1879. The squad was entirely student-operated, receiving no official support from Naval Academy officials. The team was entirely funded by its members and their fellow students.United States Naval Academy staff United States Naval Academy http://www.usna.edu/LibExhibits/archives/images/2780.jpg Navy's First Football Squad The Team of 1879 1879 June 13, 2013All Time Naval Academy Athletic Association United States Naval Academy Athletics http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/navy/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/1935_05-FB-MG---9---History-15.pdf Navy: Football History 2005 Navy Midshipmen Football Media Guide 2005 154 January 8, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20121024180006/http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/navy/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/1935_05-FB-MG---9---History-15.pdf October 24, 2012 dead The 1879 team participated in just one game, which resulted in a scoreless tie. It was played against the Baltimore Athletic Club, at most likely an unused drill field on the Naval Academy campus.Kiland et al., p 191 Navy would not field a football team in 1880 or 1881, likely due to the lack of support. When football returned to the academy in 1882, the squad was led by player-coach Vaulx Carter, and won 8–0 in a match with Johns Hopkins, starting the seven-year rivalry between the schools.Staff 2013 http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/independents/navy/1880-1884_yearly_results.php 1880-1884 Yearly Results Navy HistoryYearly Results College Football Data Warehouse June 13, 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20131214095244/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/independents/navy/1880-1884_yearly_results.php December 14, 2013 Season summary Johns Hopkins 2, Navy 0 The Naval Academy team played its only game of the 1883 season against a squad from Johns Hopkins University. It was captained by Frank Hill, and was the first squad to receive approval from Naval Academy faculty.Patterson (2000), p. 22 Previously, the squad was operated entirely by students. The game was played at the Naval Academy on November 29, 1883, Thanksgiving Day, most likely on an unused drill field or parade field. The game "began in heat and discussion", with the "skillful and light weight" Johns Hopkins controlling the "endurance and muscle" of the Naval Academy's team. However, tensions in the game quickly escalated. During the middle of the game, "matters grew so hot" that Johns Hopkins players were preparing to stop playing. Johns Hopkins scored two single-point safeties and shutout Navy, winning 2–0. The game "ended in quarrel and wrangle". Postseason and aftermath The first postseason college football game would not be played until 1902, with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses' establishment of the east–west tournament game, later known as the Rose Bowl.Staff Pasadena Tournament of Roses http://www.tournamentofroses.com/history/ Tournament of Roses History Pasadena Tournament of Roses 2005 April 18, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20070102063138/http://www.tournamentofroses.com/history/ January 2, 2007 The Midshipmen would not participate in their first Rose Bowl until the 1923 season, when they went 5–1–2 and tied with the Washington Huskies 14–14 in the match.Eckersall Walter The Detroit Free Press January 2, 1924 Annual East–West Football Battle Ends In 14–14 Tie 16 1055-2758 As a result of the lack of a competition, there were no postseason games played after the 1882 season. According to statistics compiled by the National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis, the Helms Athletic Foundation, and the Billingsley college football research center, Yale was declared the 1883 season champion, giving them their ninth championship overall. The Midshipmen's loss was the first in school history, and ended the team's shutout streak at two seasons. The Naval Academy would not get another shutout until the 1886 season, when they defeated Johns Hopkins 6–0. The 1883 season continued a seven-season, eight-game long rivalry with Johns Hopkins, which Navy would win, five games to four.Castle K.J. January 5, 2011 http://www.livestrong.com/article/350260-history-of-navy-football/ History of Navy Football Early Years Livestrong.com April 18, 2013 The 1883 game was the first win for Johns Hopkins, which had officially started playing football in 1881.Patterson (2000), p. 3 1883 is considered to be the first season played by the Naval Academy, according to the school athletic department.Traditions Naval Academy Athletic Association United States Naval Academy Athletics http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/navy/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/1927_05-FB-MG---1---Opening-1-.pdf This Is Navy Football 2005 Navy Midshipmen Football Media Guide 2005 15 January 8, 2014 January 9, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140109020611/http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/navy/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/1927_05-FB-MG---1---Opening-1-.pdf dead Navy would finish the 1880s with four winning seasons, and an overall record of 14–12–2. The school would outscore their opponents 292–231, and would finish the 19th century with an overall record of 54–19–3. References Notes A Footnotes Bibliography Stadium Kiland Taylor Baldwin Howren Jamie 2007 A Walk in the Yard: A Self-Guided Tour of the U.S. Naval Academy United States Naval Institute Annapolis, MD 978-1-59114-436-6 72799100 Patterson Patterson Ted 2000 Football in Baltimore: History and Memorabilia Baltimore, MD The Johns Hopkins University Press 0-8018-6424-0 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/DI/2009/2009FBS.pdf National Poll Champions Football Bowl Subdivision Records National Collegiate Athletic Association 2009 NCAA Division I Football Records April 18, 2013 Record book All-Time Navy Category:Navy Midshipmen football seasons Category:College football winless seasons Navy Midshipmen football