1903 Wabash football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1903 Wabash football Independent 9–3 Ebin Wilson 2nd Marshall (halfback) 1904 The 1903 Wabash football team was an American football team that represented Wabash College as an independent during the 1903 college football season. In Ebin Wilson's second year as head coach, Wabash compiled a 9–3 record and outscored their opponents by a total of 274 to 74. Games for the "Indiana football championship" were recognized as such against Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue, DePauw, Earlham, and Franklin. Wabash compiled a 3–3 record against championship opponents.1903-11-29 Standings of the Indiana Football Teams for 1903 7 The Indianapolis Star https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53959193/standings-of-the-indiana-football-teams/ 2020-06-22 Samuel S. Gordon, an African American student and varsity lineman for Wabash College, faced numerous instances of discrimination in his inaugural season with the Little Giants.Feature: The Team That Tackled Old Jim Crow https://www.wabash.edu/magazine/1998/fall/features/oldteam.htm 2022-08-18 www.wabash.edu In the season opener against Shortridge High School of Indianapolis, Wabash led 12–0 when Gordon was sent in to replace an injured left tackle. Upon seeing this, Captain Clark, right halfback on the Shortridge team, refused to continue play and left the field. According to The Indianapolis Journal, the rest of Clark's team raised no objections, and agreed to continue playing. The crowd was also "bitterly disappointed at the actions of Clark and he was denounced on all sides."1903-09-20 Clark Drew Color Line 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53953206/clark-drew-color-line/ 2020-06-22 On October 6, Rose Polytechnic sent a telegraph to Wabash that relayed their intention to boycott the game if Gordon was allowed to play. Wabash president William Kane responded by cancelling the game with Rose Poly and threatening to do so against any other team who "drew the color line".1903-10-09 Stand by the Colored Student 1 The Evansville Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107836535/stand-by-the-colored-student/ 2022-08-18 Head coach Ebin Wilson asserted that they would play Gordon in every game for the remainder of the season, citing his great importance to the Wabash team.1903-10-06 Rose Polytechnic Has Drawn The Color Line 10 The Indianapolis News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955207/rose-polytechnic-has-drawn-the-color/ 2020-06-221903-10-08 President Kane Takes Stand On Color Line 4 The Indianapolis News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955465/president-kane-takes-stand-on-color-line/ 2020-06-22 On October 20, Hanover also announced that they would not play with the Wabash team with a black man on their roster. Hearing this latest news, Samuel Gordon resigned from the varsity lineup. Wabash accepted the resignation but insisted that they had the right to play any member of their football team, and would make each of their next opponents agree to this before the game could begin.1903-10-20 Colored Man Leaves Team. 10 The Indianapolis News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53957694/colored-man-leaves-team/ 2020-06-22 Gordon's resignation lasted three games. He returned as a reserve against Earlham in the last five minutes, and started the entire game against Notre Dame.1903-11-27 Won By Notre Dame 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53959458/won-by-notre-dame/ 2020-06-22 Samuel Gordon is officially recognized as a letterwinner for the 1903 season.All-Time Football Lettermen https://sports.wabash.edu/sports/2011/7/14/FB_0714114516.aspx 2022-08-18 Wabash College Athletics en Schedule September 19 w Indianapolis Shortridge High School Crawfordsville, IN 12–0 1903-09-20 Clark Drew Color Line 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53953206/clark-drew-color-line/ 2020-06-22 September 26 3:00 p.m. w Indiana Jordan Field Bloomington, IN 5–0 1903-09-27 Indiana Team Shocked 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53953956/indiana-team-shocked/ 2020-06-22 October 1 l Purdue Crawfordsville, IN 0–18 1903-10-02 Wabash Held Down 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53954231/wabash-held-down/ 2020-06-22 October 3 3:00 p.m. w Indianapolis Manual Training High School Crawfordsville, IN 21–0 1903-10-04 Made a Game Fight 7 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53954540/made-a-game-fight/ 2020-06-22 October 10 Cancelled y Rose Polytechnic Terre Haute, IN 1903-10-06 Rose Polytechnic Has Drawn The Color Line 10 The Indianapolis News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955207/rose-polytechnic-has-drawn-the-color/ 2020-06-221903-10-08 President Kane Takes Stand On Color Line 4 The Indianapolis News https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955465/president-kane-takes-stand-on-color-line/ 2020-06-22 October 10 w Culver Military Academy Culver, IN 11–6 1903-10-11 Wabash Meets Defeat. 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53956097/wabash-meets-defeat/ 2020-06-221903-10-13 Which Team Won? 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53956402/which-team-won/ 2020-06-221903-10-15 Did Culver Win or Lose? 1 The Culver Citizen https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53956569/did-culver-win-or-lose/ 2020-06-22 October 17 w Central Medical Crawfordsville, IN 31–0 1903-10-18 "Medics" Were Shut Out. 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53957491/medics-were-shut-out/ 2020-06-22 October 24 w 1903 Hanover Panthers Hanover Hanover, IN 51–0 1903-10-25 Hanover Was Plucky. 7 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53958182/hanover-was-plucky/ 2020-06-22 October 31 w 1903 Franklin Baptists Franklin (IN) Crawfordsville, IN 87–5 1903-11-01 Wabash Defeats Franklin In Coach Yost Style 6 The Indianapolis Star https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53958494/wabash-defeats-franklin-in-coach-yost/ 2020-06-22 November 7 w 1903 Butler Bulldogs Butler Indianapolis, IN 46–0 1903-11-08 Wabash's Easy Victory. 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53958586/wabashs-easy-victory/ 2020-06-22 November 14 l 1903 Earlham Quakers Earlham Crawfordsville, IN 0–11 1903-11-15 Wabash Annihilated. 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53958891/wabash-annihilated/ 2020-06-22 November 21 w DePauw Greencastle, IN 10–0 1903-11-22 Wabash Takes DePauw Easy 6 The Indianapolis Star https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53959004/wabash-takes-depauw-easy/ 2020-06-22 November 26 l Notre Dame Crawfordsville, IN 0–34 1903-11-27 Won By Notre Dame 6 The Indianapolis Journal https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53959458/won-by-notre-dame/ 2020-06-22 1903 Wabash College Football Schedule https://sports.wabash.edu/sports/football/schedule/1903 Wabash College Athletics January 3, 2026 References Wabash Category:Wabash Little Giants football seasons Wabash football