1893 Cornell Big Red football team

The 1893 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1893 college football season. The team compiled a 3–5–1 record.[1]

1893 Cornell Big Red football
ConferenceIndependent
Record3–5–1
Head coach
CaptainCharles J. Barr
Home stadiumPercy Field
Seasons
← 1892
1894 →
1893 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Princeton     11 0 0
Fordham     4 0 0
Harvard     12 1 0
Yale     10 1 0
Colgate     3 0 2
Penn     12 3 0
Penn State     4 1 0
Wesleyan     4 1 0
Holy Ghost     6 2 0
Swarthmore     6 2 1
Lehigh     7 3 0
Brown     6 3 0
Carlisle     2 1 0
Delaware     2 1 0
Frankin & Marshall     4 2 1
Navy     5 3 0
Washington & Jefferson     5 3 0
Drexel     3 2 0
Bucknell     4 3 0
Amherst     7 6 1
Boston College     3 3 0
Geneva     2 2 1
Army     4 5 0
Williams     2 3 1
Tufts     4 7 0
Cornell     3 6 1
Worcester Tech     2 4 1
Boston University     1 2 0
Lafayette     3 6 0
Syracuse     4 9 1
Western Penn     1 4 0
MIT     1 5 0
Massachusetts     1 9 0
New Hampshire     0 1 0
Rutgers     0 4 0
Maine     0 5 0

Football in 1893

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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.[2] Forward passing was prohibited; only lateral passing or running with the ball was allowed.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[5] 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."[6]

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.[7] The ball would generally be punted away after two downs "if the prospects of completing the 5-yard gain appear small."[7]

A touchdown counted as 4 points and allowed the scoring team the opportunity to add 2 more points by kicking the ball over the crossbar and through the goal posts, which were planted at the goal line.[8] 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.[9]

A drop kick through the goal posts from the field counted as 5 points.[8] As with the contemporary game, safties counted for 2 points.[10]

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.[10] No coaching was allowed from the sidelines, all game decisions had to be made by the players on the field.[11] Once removed from the game for a substitute, a player could not return to the game (as in modern soccer).[12]

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27Syracuse
W 50–0[13]
September 303:00 p.m.Gettysburg
  • Percy Field
  • Ithaca, NY
W 16–0[14]
October 14Union (NY)Ithaca, NYW 18–6[15]
October 212:00 p.m.vs. PrincetonL 0–46[16]
October 25TuftsIthaca, NYL 0–6[17]
October 28vs. Williams
T 10–10[18]
November 4vs. Harvard
  • Manhattan Field
  • New York, NY
L 0–341,200[19]
November 11LehighIthaca, NYL 0–14[20]
November 18at Penn
L 0–506,000[21]

References

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  1. ^ "1893 Cornell Big Red Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  2. ^ Walter Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," in Camp (ed.), Foot-ball Rules and Referee's Book for the Season of 1893–94. New York: A.G. Spalding & Bros., 1893; pp. 3–4.
  3. ^ Walter Camp (ed.), "Foot-ball Rules of the American Intercollegiate Association," in Camp (ed.), Foot-ball Rules and Referee's Book for the Season of 1893–94. New York: A.G. Spalding & Bros., 1893; p. 23.
  4. ^ Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 5.
  5. ^ a b Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 6.
  6. ^ Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," pp. 6–7.
  7. ^ a b Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 7.
  8. ^ a b Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 9.
  9. ^ Camp (ed.), "Foot-ball Rules of the American Intercollegiate Association," p. 27.
  10. ^ a b Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 11.
  11. ^ Camp (ed.), "Foot-ball Rules of the American Intercollegiate Association," p. 19.
  12. ^ Camp (ed.), "Foot-ball Rules of the American Intercollegiate Association," p. 17.
  13. ^ "Cornell Opens With A Victory". The Times. Philadelphia Pennsylvania. September 28, 1893. p. 6. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  14. ^ "Cornell Wins". The Gazette. York, Pennsylvania. October 2, 1893. p. 2. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  15. ^ "Cornell Defeats Union". The Times. Philadelphia Pennsylvania. October 15, 1893. p. 9. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  16. ^ "Tantalizing Tigers". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. October 22, 1893. p. 6. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  17. ^ "Tufts College, 6; Cornell 0". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. October 26, 1893. p. 7. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  18. ^ "Cornell and Williams Tie". The New York Times. New York, New York. October 29, 1893. p. 10. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  19. ^ "Cornell Failed To Score". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 5, 1893. p. 7. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  20. ^ "Lehigh 14, Cornell 0". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 12, 1893. p. 2. Retrieved April 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  21. ^ "Cornell Outclassed: Pennsylvania Defeats Her by a Score of 50 to 0". The Times (Philadelphia). November 19, 1893. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.