1893–94 Oregon Agricultural Aggies football team

1893–94 Oregon Agricultural Aggies football
OIFA champion
Conference	Oregon Intercollegiate Football Association
Record	5–1 (3–0 OIFA)
Head coach	Will Bloss (1st season)
Seasons 1894 →

The 1893–94 Oregon Agricultural Aggies football team represented Oregon Agricultural College during the 1893 college football season. It was the school's inaugural football season. The team played a total of six games, finishing with a 5–1 record, and were regarded as the best collegiate team in Oregon for the season.

American football in 1893 was a variant of rugby football, played with a rugby ball and making use of rules closely derived from the original sport. The field of play was 110 yards long and 53-1/3 yards wide, with chalk lines every five yards to help the referee determine necessary distances.^[1] Forward passing was prohibited; only lateral passing or running with the ball was allowed.^[2] Teams of eleven were divided into seven "rushers or forwards" positioned at the line of scrimmage, with four backs behind the line — a quarterback just behind the line, two halfbacks located about two yards behind him, and a fullback or "goal-tend," who stood about a dozen yards behind the halfbacks.^[3]

Kickoffs were generally executed by kicking the ball forward slightly for a self-recovery and quick lateral pass to a teammate who carried the ball in the middle of a V-shaped blocking wedge of his teammates.^[4] When the ball was brought to a standstill, the runner would cry "down" and a line of scrimmage formed, with the "center-rusher" (also called the "snap-back") hiking the ball to the quarterback.^[4] The quarterback would generally pitch the ball to one of the three backs behind him to attempt to run forward, while the defenders would "endeavor by all lawful means to retard that advance."^[5]

The offense would retain the ball if it was able to gain 5 yards in three downs — or by retreating 20 yards towards their own goal line.^[6] The ball would generally be punted away after two downs "if the prospects of completing the 5-yard gain appear small."^[6]

A touchdown counted as 4 points and allowed the scoring team the opportunity to add two more points by kicking the ball over the crossbar and through the goal posts, which were planted at the goal line.^[7] After a touchdown, the scoring team had the option of bringing out the ball as far as desired at a right angle from the point at which the ball crossed the goal line (as in modern rugby) and attempting a place kick, or by executing a "punt out" from the end zone to a teammate making a fair catch, from which spot a drop-kick for the extra points could be attempted.^[8]

A drop kick through the goal posts from the field counted as 5 points.^[7] As with the contemporary game, safties counted for 2 points.^[9]

The game consisted of two 45-minute halves with an intermission of 10 minutes, although duration of the game could be shortened by mutual consent.^[9] No coaching was allowed from the sidelines, all game decisions had to be made by the players on the field.^[10] Once removed from the game for a substitute, a player could not return to the game (as in modern soccer).^[11]

^[12]

November 11, 1893 marked the date of the first game of football played on the grounds of Oregon Agricultural College or in Benton County, Oregon itself, when the OAC Aggies met a rival squad fielded by their neighbors of Albany College.^[13]

The Albany team arrived in Corvallis at 11 am on game day and were conducted to Cauthorn Hall on the OAC campus for photographs and a team meal.^[13] The grounds were crowded with fans, with more than 500 people paying 10 cents each to attend.^[14] The game was reckoned as the largest crowd to ever view a sporting event in Corvallis.^[14]

The game began at 2 pm, with Albany receiving the ball but quickly losing possession, followed by the first touchdown, scored by halfback Brady Burnett after only four minutes had been played.^[13] The game that followed proved to be a rout, with the Aggies posting a 42-0 lead at halftime.^[13] The Albany squad was so demoralized by the drubbing that three players would not take the field in the second half, with these non-participants replaced by OAC substitute players for the duration of the game.^[13] The final score in the contest was 64-0.^[13]

Despite the outcome, the Albany team held no ill-will towards their gridiron betters, with one individual close to the Albany team opining in the local press:

"The football team was well treated, with all the word implies. The Agricultural fellows showed every courtesy and bent every energy to make our stay in their city pleasant and profitable. Fairness in the game and gentility elsewhere must be placed to the credit of the young men of Corvallis."^[15]

The Aggies extended their record to 2-0 with a victory on Friday, November 17, 1893 over Oregon State Normal School, playing in bad weather before a scant crowd of about 300 fans in Monmouth, Oregon.^[16] Right halfback Brady Burnett was again the most effective offensive weapon for the Aggies as he ran the ball effectively behind the stout right side of the offensive line, with one observer noting that OAC "outplayed their opponents in every particular" by making use of "scientific playing" while the Monmouths "relied upon their muscle."^[16]

OSNS ran the ball effectively behind a "rolling wedge," with their halfbacks Bilyeu and Brodie both credited with outstanding games rushing the football.^[16] An early OAC score and conversion was answered by Monmouth's Bilyeu, who scored a four-point touchdown, with the subsequent kick for two-points after touchdown failing — leaving the score OAC 6, OSNS 4.^[16] The teams traded scores with the score standing Aggies 18, Monmouths 10 as the 45-minute first half came to a close.^[16]

A ten-minute intermission followed, with the spectators spending their time cheering and blowing horns in anticipation of second half action.^[16]

Monmouth received the ball to open the second half and drove it the length of the field in six minutes, scoring a 4-point touchdown and 2-point conversion kick to cut the Aggies' lead to 18-16.^[16] The Monmouth team could not hold, however, with the Aggies quickly answering with a Brady Burnett run around end to score his fourth touchdown of the day, extending the lead to 24-16.^[16] Yet another Burnett touchdown followed, a 100-yard run coming on a reverse play in which his backfield mate Nash ran the ball one way before handing it off to Burnett, who streaked around end in the other direction.^[16]

Following another OSNS touchdown to make the score 30-22, Captain Brady Burnett scored an astounding sixth touchdown for the Aggies to cap the scoring at 36-22, with his score coming at the 34 minute mark of the second half.^[16]

Following the game the two teams shared a meal at the OSNS dining hall.^[16]

Four weeks after their resounding victory at Monmouth, Oregon Agricultural College and Oregon State Normal School met in Corvallis for a rematch. The game, poorly documented in the local press, was won 28-0 by the home team Aggies.

The game would be the last of Fall term at the college, with OAC finishing at the top of the "Oregon League" standings with a record of 3-0. Pacific University, the other Oregon school playing football in 1893, hit the break with a record of 2-0, while Monmouth closed at 0-4. The Albany program was wrecked by their initial disaster in Corvallis, tapping out of further action at the break with a record of 0-1.^[17]

Early in January 1894, the Aggies football team received a challenge from the Multnomah Athletic Club "Juniors" (second team). A game was hastily scheduled for Friday, January 19,^[18] with the actual date contest later moved back one day to Saturday, January 20. As the home team, the Aggies were responsible for the traveling expenses of the Portland squad, with a sum of $100 agreed upon.^[19] Of this amount, a collection from professors of the school raised $30, with the remaining $70 to be generated by gate receipts.^[19]

The Multnomah Athletic Club arrived at 1 pm on game day aboard a special Oregon Pacific Railroad train sent down from Portland.^[20] The team was received at the station and taken to a dormitory where they were served lunch.^[20] Both teams entered the muddy field at 2:45 pm to begin the contest, which ultimately kicked off at 2:52 pm.^[20]

Neither team could move the ball in the first half, with the Aggies gaining the best opportunity when they took over the ball on the Multnomahs' 20 yard line after the visitors turned over the ball on downs.^[20] As the Aggies drove toward the end zone, fullback R.W. Terrell fumbled the ball.^[20] Multnomah Athletic recovered but were driven into their own end zone for a two-point safety, with Aggie quarterback Will Bloss making the tackle.^[20] So the score stood at the end of the 30-minute first half: Oregon Agricultural College 2, Multnomah Athletic Club Juniors 0.

The OAC college band and the Telescope String Band of Albany entertained the crowd during the intermission, with horns and other noisemakers in evidence in the crowd.^[20]

During the second half the Aggies received the ball and drove down the field, with quarterback Will Bloss popping one run for a twenty yard gain.^[20] Mixing their runs left, right, and center, the Aggies pushed the ball to the five yard line, which provided an opportunity for Captain Burnett to score the only touchdown of the game.^[20] The four points made the score 6-0, but Aggie kicker Desborough's effort for two points after touchdown sailed wide of the goalposts, keeping the Multnomahs in a one-score game.^[20]

Either side could move the ball against the other for the rest of the game, with Multnomah Athletic Club running out of time at the end of the game with the ball on the Aggies' fifteen yard line.^[20] Every courtesy had been allowed – the half had already been extended eight minutes to give the visitors a chance to score.^[20] Four Aggie players – Bloss, Burnett, Nash, and Small – played every play of the entire 60-minute game.^[20]

Fresh off their victory over the Multnomah Athletic Club junior team, on January 23 team manager Will Bloss announced that he was in receipt of a letter from the Multnomah Athletic Club senior team accepting the Aggies' challenge to play a game.^[21] The game between the Aggies and the Multnomah AC first team was tentatively scheduled for February 3.^[21] It was additionally announced that local football fans had raised $200 to purchase a silver trophy to award the OAC team for having won the state championship of the 1893–94 season.^[21] Tiffany of New York was contracted for the manufacture of the honorary silver cup.^[22]

Time proved to be too short to organize such a major event, however, so instead OAC did battle on February 3 against a newly organized team of young Corvallis men who were not affiliated with the college. Between two and three hundred people were in attendance^[23] to see the Aggies rout the upstart Corvallis team by a score of 36-0. About $20 was raised at the gate – money which was used to enclose the field in wire to keep back overwrought spectators who had crowded the field during previous contests.^[23]

The final game of the 1893–94 football season took place on February 24, 1894 on the road against Portland University, a fledgling Methodist private college started in 1891 following a split from Willamette University. Going into the game with a record of 5 wins and no losses, the OAC team and their backers were brimming with confidence over the prospect of an easy victory against an over-matched foe.^[24] OAC's focus was on bigger fish, a challenge having been issued to play Stanford University in the spring, with a local judge offering the Aggie team a $500 cash prize for a victory over their California counterparts.^[25] Overconfident and lacking focus, the team walked into the first "trap game" in school history, suffering a stunning loss in stumptown, falling 26-12.

The anticipated road game against Stanford never materialized and Oregon Agricultural College finished their inaugural season with a record of 5 wins and 1 defeat.

The starting 11 for the November 11, 1893, debut of collegiate football at OAC were:^[13]

• Charles Owsley, left end
• John Fulton, left tackle
• F. Gorrell, left guard
• Harvey "Pap Hayseed" McAllister, center
• Henry M. Desborough, right guard (and kicker)
• Mark "Clyde" Phillips, right tackle
• Charles Small, right end
• Will H. Bloss, quarterback
• Percival Nash, left halfback
• Brady F. Burnett, right halfback (Captain)^[16]
• Ralph W. Terrell, fullback

(Note: Players played both offensively and defensively in this era, as with soccer, rugby, or basketball.)

Starting in game two was:^[16]

• C. Chandler, left tackle

with additional reserves:

• Thomas Beall^[14]
• Arthur E. Buchanan^[14]
• Daniel H. Bodine^[16]
• E.G. Emmett^[16]
• A.D. Nash^[14]