Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest
Encyclopedia
The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest was a college athletic conference from 1892 to 1893 in the Upper Midwest
of the United States
. Four universities were members: the University of Michigan
, the University of Minnesota
, Northwestern University
and the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. The conference was formed to compete in football
, baseball
and track
. It only survived for two seasons before disbanding due to financial problems throughout the league. The four schools came together again, along with Purdue University
, the University of Chicago
and the University of Illinois
, to found the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives a couple of years later, known today as the Big Ten Conference
.
October 29 saw Northwestern beat Michigan in a close game by a score of 10-8. The same day, Minnesota traveled to Wisconsin and won their game 32-4. However, the game was a close 8-4 at halftime before Minnesota pulled away in the second half.
Northwestern went to Minneapolis
on November 8 to play a game for conference supremacy. Both teams were undefeated in conference play - a Minnesota win would clinch the conference title and a Northwestern win would put them in a dominating position, needing to win only one of its last two games to win the conference. The game was a hard-fought contest, and was tied 6-6 at halftime. In the second half, Minnesota's defense stopped Northwestern on downs only six yards from the end zone and then immediately drove down the field to take the lead. Northwestern scored almost immediately on a series of runs, but Minnesota managed another score to retake the lead. Northwestern drove down the field but was stopped at Minnesota's ten-yard line, ending the game. Minnesota's 16-12 win sealed the first Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest conference championship.
to play Northwestern two days later; they won that game 16-0. Wisconsin traveled to Ann Arbor
and beat Michigan 34-18 on November 4.
These events set up a situation similar to the previous year - Minnesota and Wisconsin were both undefeated in conference play and met on November 11 to decide the conference title. The game was expected to be a close one, and the game started out that way with no points being scored until Minnesota crossed the goal line twenty minutes into the game. Minnesota scored one more time before halftime giving them a comfortable, if not secure, lead. The second half, however, was completely one-sided. When Minnesota scored with five minutes left to take a 40-0 lead, Wisconsin requested that the game be called and Minnesota agreed. With that win, Minnesota had clinched its second consecutive Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest title.
Financially, the 1893 season was a disaster for the league - low revenues received by visiting teams being the primary cause. A meeting was held in Chicago and the teams all agreed to disband the league.
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Four universities were members: the University of 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...
, the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. The conference was formed to compete in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. It only survived for two seasons before disbanding due to financial problems throughout the league. The four schools came together again, along with Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, to found the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives a couple of years later, known today as the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
.
1892 football season
The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest's inaugural season of competition kicked off on October 15 with a 10-6 Michigan win at Wisconsin. Michigan then traveled to Minnesota for a game two days later. Michigan was a heavy favorite to win, but Minnesota dominated the game. The final score was 14-6, with Michigan's points being scored just before the end of the game.October 29 saw Northwestern beat Michigan in a close game by a score of 10-8. The same day, Minnesota traveled to Wisconsin and won their game 32-4. However, the game was a close 8-4 at halftime before Minnesota pulled away in the second half.
Northwestern went to Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
on November 8 to play a game for conference supremacy. Both teams were undefeated in conference play - a Minnesota win would clinch the conference title and a Northwestern win would put them in a dominating position, needing to win only one of its last two games to win the conference. The game was a hard-fought contest, and was tied 6-6 at halftime. In the second half, Minnesota's defense stopped Northwestern on downs only six yards from the end zone and then immediately drove down the field to take the lead. Northwestern scored almost immediately on a series of runs, but Minnesota managed another score to retake the lead. Northwestern drove down the field but was stopped at Minnesota's ten-yard line, ending the game. Minnesota's 16-12 win sealed the first Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest conference championship.
Standings
| Team | Conference | Overall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Pct. | W | L | T | Pct. | |
| Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers football The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Wisconsin Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football... |
2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 |
| Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 |
| Northwestern Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876... |
1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 6 | 4 | 2 | .583 |
1893 football season
The conference's second (and final) season of football kicked off on October 28 with a Minnesota visit to Michigan. Minnesota won the game 34-20 and then moved on to EvanstonEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
to play Northwestern two days later; they won that game 16-0. Wisconsin traveled to Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
and beat Michigan 34-18 on November 4.
These events set up a situation similar to the previous year - Minnesota and Wisconsin were both undefeated in conference play and met on November 11 to decide the conference title. The game was expected to be a close one, and the game started out that way with no points being scored until Minnesota crossed the goal line twenty minutes into the game. Minnesota scored one more time before halftime giving them a comfortable, if not secure, lead. The second half, however, was completely one-sided. When Minnesota scored with five minutes left to take a 40-0 lead, Wisconsin requested that the game be called and Minnesota agreed. With that win, Minnesota had clinched its second consecutive Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest title.
Financially, the 1893 season was a disaster for the league - low revenues received by visiting teams being the primary cause. A meeting was held in Chicago and the teams all agreed to disband the league.
Standings
| Team | Conference | Overall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Pct. | W | L | T | Pct. | |
| Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers football The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Wisconsin Wisconsin Badgers football The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football... |
1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 |
| Michigan Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history... |
1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 |
| Northwestern Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876... |
0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2 | 5 | 3 | .350 |