1897 Western Conference football season

American college football season August 2023 1897 Western Conference football season Football 7 Wisconsin Champion Football 1896 1898 The 1897 Western Conference football season was the second season of college football played by the member schools of the Western Conference (later known as the Big Ten Conference) and was a part of the 1897 college football season. thumb|right|175px|Pat O'Dea of Wisconsin Wisconsin, coached by Philip King, won its second consecutive conference championship with a record of 9–1 (3–0 against conference opponents). The Badgers' sole loss was against a team of Wisconsin alumni. The Badgers shut out eight opponents and outscored all opponents, 210 to 14. On defense, the team led the conference, allowing an average of 1.4 points per game. Pat O'Dea, an Australian who played fullback and excelled as a kicker, starred for the Badgers. Chicago, coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg, finished in second place with an 11–1 record. On offense, Chicago led the conference with an average of 26.9 points per game. The most important game of the Western Conference season was played between Chicago and Wisconsin on November 13, 1897, at Marshall Field in Chicago. Wisconsin won the game, 23-8.Wisconsin Wins Easily: The Chicago 'Varsity Eleven Goes Down in Defeat Before the Badgers Chicago Inter Ocean November 14, 1897 10 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8038260/wisconsin_wins_easily/ Three Western Conference players from the 1897 season were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: O'Dea of Wisconsin; fullback Clarence Herschberger of Chicago; and end Neil Snow of Michigan. Season overview Results and team statistics Conf. RankTeamHead coachOverall recordConf. recordPPGPAG1WisconsinPhilip King9–13–021.01.42ChicagoAmos A. Stagg11–13–126.95.73MichiganGustave Ferbert6–1–12–121.03.94IllinoisGeorge Huff6–21–123.85.65PurdueWilliam W. Church5–3–11–211.812.06NorthwesternJesse Van Doozer5–30–28.66.97MinnesotaAlexander Jerrems4–40-314.09.6 Key PPG = Average of points scored per game PAG = Average of points allowed per game1897 Western Conference Year Summary Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football December 28, 2016 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/western/1897.html Regular season Only 10 conference games were played during the 1897 season as follows: October 23, 1897: Chicago defeated Northwestern, 21-6, at Chicago October 23, 1897: Illinois defeated Purdue, 34-4, at Champaign, Illinois October 30, 1897: Chicago defeated Illinois, 18-12, at Champaign, Illinois October 30, 1897: Wisconsin defeated Minnesota, 39-0, at Minneapolis. November 6, 1897: Michigan defeated Purdue, 34-4, at Ann Arbor, Michigan November 13, 1897: Michigan defeated Minnesota, 14-0, at Detroit November 13, 1897: Wisconsin defeated Chicago, 23-8, at the Chicago ColiseumChicago Is Beaten Chicago Tribune November 14, 1897 3 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21146347/chicago_is_beaten_university_of/ Newspapers.com November 25, 1897: Purdue defeated Minnesota, 6-0, at West Lafayette, Indiana November 25, 1897: Chicago defeated Michigan, 21-12, at ChicagoChicago's: 21 to 12; Michigan Men Are Defeated in a Spectacular Game Chicago Tribune November 26, 1897 1–2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21146263/chicagos_21_to_12_michigan_men_are/ Newspapers.com November 25, 1897: Wisconsin defeated Northwestern, 22-0, at Evanston, Illinois. Notable non-conference games during the 1897 season included the following: October 16, 1897: Michigan defeated Ohio State, 34–0, at Ann Arbor (the first Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry game) October 16, 1897: Northwestern lost to Iowa, 12–6, at Evanston, Illinois October 23, 1897: Minnesota lost to Iowa Agricultural, 12–10, at Ames, Iowa October 30, 1897, Purdue defeated Indiana, 20–6, at West Lafayette, Indiana November 6, 1897: Chicago defeated Notre Dame, 34–5, at Chicago November 13, 1897: Purdue defeated Missouri, 30–12, at West Lafayette November 20, 1897: Illinois lost to Carlisle, 23–6, at Chicago Bowl games No bowl games were played during the 1897 season. Awards and honors All-Western players An All-Western team was selected by The Northwestern, consisting of the following players:All-Western, All-Eastern, All-American The Northwestern December 14, 1899 11 https://books.google.com/books?id=VN4hAAAAMAAJ Neil Snow, end, Michigan James M. Sheldon, end, Chicago Arthur Hale Curtis, tackle, Wisconsin Jonathan E. Webb, tackle, Chicago Richard France, guard, Michigan C. Rogers, guard, Wisconsin Roy Chamberlain, center, Wisconsin Walter S. Kennedy, quarterback, Chicago Ralph C. Hamill, halfback, Chicago John McLean, halfback, Michigan Pat O'Dea, fullback, Wisconsin (NW) All-Americans the complete All-America selections 1897 College Football All-America Team No Western Conference players were selected for the 1897 College Football All-America Team. References