1897 Michigan Agricultural Aggies football team
| 1897 Michigan Agricultural Aggies football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Record | 4–2–1 (1–1–1 MIAA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Walton K. Brainard |
The 1897 Michigan Agricultural Aggies football team represented Michigan Agricultural College (MAC)—now known as Michigan State University—as a mmeber of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) during the 1897 college football season. The Aggies compiled a 4–2–1 record and outscored opponents 146 to 106.
The 1897 season was the first in which the MAC football team had a coach. Henry Keep, an engineering student who had transferred from the University of Michigan, was the first coach.[1][2] The 1897 season also featured the first installment of the Michigan State–Notre Dame football rivalry. Notre Dame won the game at South Bend, Indiana, by 34 to 6 score. Fullback Wells scored a touchdown for the Aggies.[3]
During the 1897 season, MAC also played two games each against nearby Olivet College and Alma College. The Aggies defeated Alma in both games and secured one win and one tie against Olivet. A game against Michigan State Normal School (later Eastern Michigan University) was cancelled, because MAC accused the Normal School of fielding a team that was "not made up entirely of college men."[4]
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | Lansing High School* | Lansing, MI | W 28–0 | |||
| October 2 | Olivet | Lansing, MI | W 26–6 | [5] | ||
| October 9 | Kalamazoo | Lansing, MI | L 0–28 | [6] | ||
| October 16 | at Olivet | Olivet, MI | T 18–18 | [7] | ||
| October 30 | at Alma* | Alma, MI | W 30–16 | [8] | ||
| November 6 | Alma* | Lansing, MI | W 38–4 | [9] | ||
| November 25 | at Notre Dame* |
| L 6–34 | [3] | ||
| ||||||
References
[edit]- ^ Steve Grinczel. Michigan State Football: They Are Spartans. p. 11.
- ^ Keith Widder. Michigan Agricultural College: The Evolution of a Land-Grant Philosophy. p. 373.
- ^ a b "Notre Dame Takes the Game: Wins from Michigan Agricultural College by a Score of 34 to 6". The Daily Inter Ocean. November 26, 1897. p. 3.
- ^ "M.A.C. Cancelled the Game". Detroit Free Press. November 16, 1897. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "M.A.C. Team Too Much For the Olivet Boys". The State Republican. October 4, 1897. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Too Swift For M. A. C." The State Republican. Lansing, Michigan. October 11, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved March 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Olivet and M.A.C. Tied". Detroit Free Press. October 17, 1897. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "M.A.C. Too Heavy for Alma". Detroit Free Press. October 31, 1897. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alma Walloped by the M.A.C." Detroit Free Press. November 7, 1897. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "2024 Michigan State Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State Athletics. p. 194. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
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