1898 Western Conference football season
The 1898 Western Conference football season was the third 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 1898 college football season.
| 1898 Western Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Football |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Champion | Michigan |
| 1898 Western Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan $ | 3 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 14 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Gustave Ferbert, won the conference championship with a 10–0 record, shut out six opponents, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 205 to 26. The team concluded its season by playing Amos Alonzo Stagg's 1898 Chicago Maroons football team for the conference championship. The Wolverines beat Chicago by a 12–11 score in a game that inspired Louis Elbel to write Michigan's fight song "The Victors."
Wisconsin, under head coach Philip King, compiled a 9–1 record, lost to Chicago, and finished in third place in the conference.
Season overview
Results and team statistics
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | Gustave Ferbert | 10–0 | 3–0 | 20.5 | 2.6 |
| 2 | Chicago | Amos A. Stagg | 14–2–1 | 3–1 | 17.0 | 2.8 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | Philip King | 9–1 | 2–1 | 31.8 | 1.7 |
| 4 | Illinois | George Huff | 4–5 | 1–1 | 9.2 | 8.7 |
| 5 | Minnesota | John Minds | 4-5 | 1-2 | 10.2 | 8.1 |
| 6 | Northwestern | W. H. Bannard | 9–4–1 | 0–4 | 16.4 | 8.8 |
| 7 | Purdue | Alpha Jamison | 3–3 | 0–1 | 5.7 | 5.5 |
Key
PPG = Average of points scored per game[1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[1]
Regular season
Only 10 conference games were played during the 1898 season as follows:
- October 22, 1898: Chicago defeated Northwestern, 34-5
- October 29, 1898: Wisconsin defeated Minnesota, 29-0
- November 5, 1898: Chicago defeated Purdue, 17-0
- November 5, 1898: Michigan defeated Northwestern, 6-5
- November 12, 1898: Chicago defeated Wisconsin, 6-0
- November 12, 1898: Michigan defeated Illinois, 12-5
- November 12, 1898: Minnesota defeated Northwestern, 17-6
- November 24, 1898: Illinois defeated Minnesota, 11-10
- November 24, 1898: Michigan defeated Chicago, 12-11
- Nov 24, 1898: Wisconsin defeated Northwestern, 47-0
Bowl games
No Western Conference schools participated in any bowl games during the 1898 season.
All-Western players
Ends
- Neil Snow, Michigan (CW) (CFHOF)
- John W. F. Bennett, Michigan (CW)
Tackles
- Allen Steckle, Michigan (CW)
- Bothne, Northwestern (CW)
Guards
- Rogers, Chicago (CW)
- Bunge, Beloit (CW)
Centers
- William Cunningham, Michigan (CW)
Quarterbacks
- Walter S. Kennedy, Chicago (CW)
Halfbacks
- William Caley, Michigan (CW)
- F. L. Slaker, Chicago (CW)
Fullbacks
- Pat O'Dea, Wisconsin (CW) (CFHOF)
References
- "1898 Western Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 26, 2016.