1897 Cincinnati football team

The 1897 Cincinnati football team was an American football team that represented the University of Cincinnati as an independent during the 1897 college football season. In their first season under head coach Tom Fennell, the Bearcats compiled a 9–1–1 record. William Bass was the team captain. The team played its home games at Union Ball Park in Cincinnati.[1][2]

1897 Cincinnati football
Conference	Independent
1897 record	9–1–1
Head coach	Tom Fennell (1st season)
Captain	William Bass
Home stadium	Union Ball Park

1897 Midwestern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Butler			–					3	–	0	–	0
Fairmount			–					1	–	0	–	0
Washburn			–					7	–	1	–	0
Cincinnati			–					9	–	1	–	1
Iowa State Normal			–					5	–	1	–	0
Ohio Wesleyan			–					7	–	1	–	1
Indiana			–					6	–	1	–	1
Iowa Agricultural			–					3	–	1	–	0
Ohio			–					7	–	2	–	0
Notre Dame			–					4	–	1	–	1
Michigan Agricultural			–					4	–	2	–	1
Baldwin–Wallace			–					2	–	1	–	1
Chicago Dental Infirmary			–					2	–	2	–	1
Missouri			–					5	–	6	–	0
Lake Forest			–					4	–	5	–	1
Drake			–					2	–	3	–	0
Heidelberg			–					2	–	3	–	0
Detroit College			–					1	–	2	–	0
Indiana State			–					1	–	2	–	0
Kansas State			–					1	–	2	–	1
Mount Union			–					2	–	4	–	1
Rush Medical College			–					1	–	4	–	1
DePauw			–					2	–	6	–	0
Wittenberg			–					2	–	6	–	0
Haskell			–					1	–	4	–	0
Ohio State			–					1	–	7	–	1
Washington University			–					0	–	2	–	0
North Dakota Agricultural			–					0	–	3	–	0

Following their regular season schedule, which they completed with a record of 7–1–1, losing only to the Carlisle Indians, Cincinnati played two post-season games in New Orleans. The Bearcats were invited to New Orleans by the Southern Athletic Club to play a football game on New Year's Day. Cincinnati easily defeated the Athletic Club team, and at the victory party following the win, students from nearby Louisiana State University (LSU) invited the Cincinnati players to come to their school to play another game. The Cincinnati–LSU game, which took place a few days later and pre-dated the first Rose Bowl Game by five years, resulted in a 28–0 (exact score varies by source) Cincinnati win.[3] This game could be considered, the school's athletic department contemplates, as the first bowl game in Cincinnati football history.[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 25	at Ohio	Athens, OH	W 12–0
October 2	at Nashville Guards (TN)	Nashville, TN	T 6–6
October 9	at Miami (OH)	Oxford, OH (Victory Bell)	W 6–0
October 16	at Centre	Danville, KY	W 4–0
October 23	Ohio National Guard	Union Ball Park Cincinnati, OH	W 20–0
October 30	Miami (OH)	Union Ball Park Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	W 10–6
November 6	Centre	Union Ball Park Cincinnati, OH	W 10–0
November 13	Ohio State	Union Ball Park Cincinnati, OH	W 24–0
November 25	Carlisle Indian School	Union Ball Park Cincinnati, OH	L 0–10
January 1, 1898	at New Orleans Southern AC	New Orleans, LA	W 16–0
January 3, 1898	at LSU	State Field Baton Rouge, LA	W 28–0

[4][5]

References

1. "Cincinnati Yearly Results (1895-1899)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
2. "2009 University of Cincinnati Football Media Guide" (PDF). gobearcats.com. University of Cincinnati. 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
3. Year-by-Year scores (PDF) Cincinnati Sports Information Department, 2006 Football Media Guide, Page 31. Accessed December 30, 2007. Archived October 8, 2009.
4. "1897 Football Schedule". University of Cincinnati Athletics. Retrieved Mar 29, 2020.
5. "Cincinnati Yearly Results (1895-1899)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Retrieved August 23, 2019.

Further reading

• "Baton Rouge Was Outclassed". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. January 4, 1898. p. 9. Retrieved January 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.