1893 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Encyclopedia
The 1893 Nebraska Bugeaters football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1893 college football season
. The team was coached by Frank Crawford
, and played their home games at Lincoln Park, in Lincoln, Nebraska
.
Nebraska's football team began its history as the "Old Gold Knights", and was also sometimes known as the "Tree Planters", "Nebraskans", "The Rattlesnake Boys", "Red Stockings", "Antelopes" or "Goldenrods" in their early years.
Nebraska restarted their 3-1 series against Doane after not having played them the previous year, hosting them at Lincoln Park for their 5th meeting. Nebraska's first mascot, a white bull terrier painted red on one side, made its first appearance at this game. The day belonged to the Bugeaters as Doane was unable to stem an onslaught of Nebraska scores. Doane's most likely chance to avoid the shutout came when they drove to the Nebraska 2 yard line, but the Bugeater defense held fast. Nebraska then marched 95 yards back down the field and scored yet again on a George Flippin run. Doane then resigned the game with some time still remaining to play and Nebraska improved their series record to 4-1.
Nebraska entered this game wary, as Baker had defeated Kansas while Kansas had defeated Nebraska the year prior, and Baker had put up 28 points in their defeat of Missouri in the current season. According to the custom of the time, each team selected one of the two members of the officiating crew, and the Baker squad appointed one of their own players to the position. Again and again, the Baker official made calls or non-calls which prompted anger from the Bugeaters. The teams traded possessions and points. Nebraska started behind 0-6 but was able to eventually overcome some of the questionable calls and get ahead 10-6 until Baker put up 4 more to tie the game before time expired. This was the only game ever played between Baker and Nebraska.
Nebraska looked to avenge last year's loss to the Denver Athletic Club, and surely it was a physical game which yielded few points, frequent reports of slugging and kicking, and at least one player temporarily knocked unconscious. Animosity was running high, reportedly nearing a riot by halftime. There were still ten minutes left to play in the 2nd half with the game tied at 4-4 when the Denver AC squad was called for a slugging foul and the ball turned over to the Bugeaters. The Denver AC team walked off the field and, after an extended debate, refused to finish the game. This resulted in a forfeit to Nebraska, and the official score was recorded as a 1-0 Nebraska win, which evened the series between these teams at 1-1.
Nebraska had a rough start opening conference play, as they were delayed in their arrival to Kansas City until 5:00 a.m. the morning of the game. Nebraska was still favored to win, and indeed scored the first points of the match, but Missouri took advantage of the weary Bugeaters, catching up to tie the game at 12-12 by halftime and pulling away with a 30-18 victory at the end of the day to match the Missouri-Nebraska series at 1-1.
University of Missouri records indicate the final score of this game was a 18-12 Missouri victory.
Nebraska hoped to get even with Kansas after losing to them the year prior when they met for the first time, but Kansas owned the day. Events seemed to fall in favor of the Jayhawks, including a bizarre play in which a Kansas punt was fumbled by the Nebraska receiver and recovered by Kansas, whose players subsequently fumbled and recovered the ball twice before running it in for a touchdown. Nebraska was unable to score all day and suffered their first shutout and second loss of the season, and the Bugeaters fell to 0-2 against the Jayhawks.
Iowa met Nebraska to close out league play in blizzard conditions, and the game was punctuated by the appearance of Bugeater head coach Frank Crawford in the lineup as he played off the right half and kicked field goals for his team, a practice not entirely uncommon in the era. Nebraska held on for the 20-18 win, resulting in the Bugeaters sharing a 3rd place finish in the conference, with Iowa. The Iowa-Nebraska series was now completely evened out, at 1-1-1.
University of Iowa records indicate this game was played November 23.
1893 college football season
The 1893 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Princeton and Yale as national champions....
. The team was coached by Frank Crawford
Frank Crawford
Frank Crawford was a college football player and coach, lawyer and law professor. He played college football at Yale University and served as the first head football coach at the University of Michigan in 1891...
, and played their home games at Lincoln Park, in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
.
Nebraska's football team began its history as the "Old Gold Knights", and was also sometimes known as the "Tree Planters", "Nebraskans", "The Rattlesnake Boys", "Red Stockings", "Antelopes" or "Goldenrods" in their early years.
Before the season
The Nebraska Bugeaters football team was finally under the leadership of a paid head coach, Frank Crawford, who was compensated with a $500 stipend plus tuition to the University. Also, beginning this season, a 25¢ admission fee was implemented for home games played at Lincoln Park.Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 21* | Doane Doane College Doane College is a private liberal arts college in Crete, Nebraska, United States, with additional campuses located in Lincoln and Grand Island.-History:... |
Lincoln Park, Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
W 28-0 | - |
| October 28* | Baker Baker University Baker University is a private, residential university located in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools... |
Lincoln Park, Lincoln, Nebraska | T 10-10 | - |
| November 4* | at Denver AC | Denver, Colorado Denver, Colorado The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains... |
W 1-0** | 2,500 |
| November 11 | vs. | Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties... |
L 18-30 | - |
| November 18 | Lincoln Park, Lincoln, Nebraska | L 0-18 | - | |
| November 30 | vs. Iowa | Omaha, Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River... |
W 20-18 | - |
| *Non-Conference Game. **Forfeit | ||||
Roster
| Official Roster | ||||||
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Coaching staff
| Name | Title | First year in this position |
Years at Nebraska | Alma Mater |
| Frank Crawford Frank Crawford Frank Crawford was a college football player and coach, lawyer and law professor. He played college football at Yale University and served as the first head football coach at the University of Michigan in 1891... |
|Head Coach | 1893 | 1893–1894 | Yale Yale University Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States... |
| Jack Best | |Trainer | 1890 | 1890–1922 | |
| Charles Thomas Charles Thomas (coach) -External links:... |
|Assistant Coach | 1893 | 1893–1895 | Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| Arthur Weaver | |Manager |
Doane
|
Nebraska restarted their 3-1 series against Doane after not having played them the previous year, hosting them at Lincoln Park for their 5th meeting. Nebraska's first mascot, a white bull terrier painted red on one side, made its first appearance at this game. The day belonged to the Bugeaters as Doane was unable to stem an onslaught of Nebraska scores. Doane's most likely chance to avoid the shutout came when they drove to the Nebraska 2 yard line, but the Bugeater defense held fast. Nebraska then marched 95 yards back down the field and scored yet again on a George Flippin run. Doane then resigned the game with some time still remaining to play and Nebraska improved their series record to 4-1.
Baker
|
Nebraska entered this game wary, as Baker had defeated Kansas while Kansas had defeated Nebraska the year prior, and Baker had put up 28 points in their defeat of Missouri in the current season. According to the custom of the time, each team selected one of the two members of the officiating crew, and the Baker squad appointed one of their own players to the position. Again and again, the Baker official made calls or non-calls which prompted anger from the Bugeaters. The teams traded possessions and points. Nebraska started behind 0-6 but was able to eventually overcome some of the questionable calls and get ahead 10-6 until Baker put up 4 more to tie the game before time expired. This was the only game ever played between Baker and Nebraska.
Denver Athletic Club
|
Nebraska looked to avenge last year's loss to the Denver Athletic Club, and surely it was a physical game which yielded few points, frequent reports of slugging and kicking, and at least one player temporarily knocked unconscious. Animosity was running high, reportedly nearing a riot by halftime. There were still ten minutes left to play in the 2nd half with the game tied at 4-4 when the Denver AC squad was called for a slugging foul and the ball turned over to the Bugeaters. The Denver AC team walked off the field and, after an extended debate, refused to finish the game. This resulted in a forfeit to Nebraska, and the official score was recorded as a 1-0 Nebraska win, which evened the series between these teams at 1-1.
Missouri
|
Nebraska had a rough start opening conference play, as they were delayed in their arrival to Kansas City until 5:00 a.m. the morning of the game. Nebraska was still favored to win, and indeed scored the first points of the match, but Missouri took advantage of the weary Bugeaters, catching up to tie the game at 12-12 by halftime and pulling away with a 30-18 victory at the end of the day to match the Missouri-Nebraska series at 1-1.
University of Missouri records indicate the final score of this game was a 18-12 Missouri victory.
Kansas
|
Nebraska hoped to get even with Kansas after losing to them the year prior when they met for the first time, but Kansas owned the day. Events seemed to fall in favor of the Jayhawks, including a bizarre play in which a Kansas punt was fumbled by the Nebraska receiver and recovered by Kansas, whose players subsequently fumbled and recovered the ball twice before running it in for a touchdown. Nebraska was unable to score all day and suffered their first shutout and second loss of the season, and the Bugeaters fell to 0-2 against the Jayhawks.
Iowa
|
Iowa met Nebraska to close out league play in blizzard conditions, and the game was punctuated by the appearance of Bugeater head coach Frank Crawford in the lineup as he played off the right half and kicked field goals for his team, a practice not entirely uncommon in the era. Nebraska held on for the 20-18 win, resulting in the Bugeaters sharing a 3rd place finish in the conference, with Iowa. The Iowa-Nebraska series was now completely evened out, at 1-1-1.
University of Iowa records indicate this game was played November 23.