The 1903 Western Conference football season was the eighth season of college football played by the member schools of the Western Conference (later known as the Big Ten Conference) and was a part of the

1903 college football season The 1903 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing Michigan and Princeton as having been selected national champions. Conference standings Major conference standings ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

were conference co-champions, both compiling undefeated seasons with the exception of a 6-6 tie when the two teams played each other. The tie between Michigan and Minnesota gave rise to the tradition of the two teams' playing for the Little Brown Jug. In the chaos that ensued when the Minnesota crowd rushed onto the field at the end of the game, the Wolverines left their water jug behind. The next day, custodian Oscar Munson brought the jug to Minnesota's athletic director; they painted the jug brown and wrote on it, "Michigan Jug – Captured by Oscar, October 31, 1903." According to legend, Yost sent a letter asking for the jug to be returned, and Cooke wrote in response: "We have your little brown jug; if you want it, you'll have to win it." Yost returned with his team in 1909 to reclaim the jug, and the two teams have awarded the jug to the winner of their annual rivalry game. Michigan compiled an 11–0–1 and outscored opponents 565 to 6, and Minnesota went 14-0-1 record and outscored opponents 656 to 12. All of Michigan's victories were shutouts, and 13 of Minnesota's victories were shutouts. The 1903 Michigan team was the third of Yost's "Point-a-Minute" teams and has been recognized retrospectively as a co- national champion (along with

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

) by the

National Championship Foundation The National Championship Foundation (NCF) was established by Mike Riter of Hudson, New York. The NCF retroactively selected college football national champions for each year from 1869 to 1979, and its selections are among the historic national ch ...

. Michigan's high scorer was fullback

Tom Hammond Thomas Taylor Hammond (born May 10, 1944) is an American sportscaster. Hammond is primarily known for his work with NBC Sports from 1984 to the present. Hammond is one of the network's staple on-air presenters, along with Bob Costas and Dan Hic ...

with 163 points. The remainder of

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

's season was canceled following the death of 14 players in the disastrous Purdue Wreck, a train collision that occurred on October 31, 1903, in Indianapolis. The Boilermakers were on their way to the annual Indiana–Purdue football rivalry game to be played at Washington Park. Purdue's season ended at 4–2 (0–2).

Season overview

Results and team statistics

Key PPG = Average of points scored per game
PAG = Average of points allowed per game

Regular season

Bowl games

No Western Conference schools participated in any bowl games during the 1903 season.

Awards and honors

All-Western players

Thirteen players were chosen as first-team players on at least four of the

1903 All-Western college football team The 1903 All-Western college football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Western teams chosen by various selectors for the 1903 Western Conference football season. All-Western selections Ends * Curtis Redden, Michigan ( ...

s named by the following eight selectors: Billy Mac aggregate (BMA), a team selected by aggregating the choices made by ten critics in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit, Billy Mac (BM) in ''The St. Paul Globe'' '' Chicago Inter-Ocean'' (CIO), ''Chicago Record-Herald'' (CRH), ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' (CT), Fred Lowenthal (FL), former star football player at University of Illinois, ''The Minneapolis Journal'' (MJ), and

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

(WC). ''(Players unanimously chosen by all eight selectors are listed in bold.)'' * Curtis Redden, end, Michigan (BMA, CIO, CRH, CT, FL, MJ, WC) * Allen Abbott, end, Wisconsin (BMA, BM, CIO, CRH, CT) * Edward L. Rogers, end, Minnesota (BMA, BM, FL, MJ, WC) * Joe Maddock, tackle, Michigan (BMA, BM, CIO, CRH, CT, FL, MJ, WC) * Fred Schacht, tackle, Minnesota (BMA, BM, CIO, CRH, CT, FL, MJ, WC) * Robert Philips, guard, Northwestern (BMA, CIO, CRH, WC) * Wilson Berthke, guard, Wisconsin (BMA, BM, FL, MJ, WC) * Moses Land Strathern, center, Minnesota (BMA, BM, CIO, CRH, FL, MJ, WC) *

Walter Eckersall Walter Herbert "Eckie" Eckersall (June 17, 1883 – March 24, 1930) was an American college football player, official, and sportswriter for the ''Chicago Tribune''. He played for the Maroons of the University of Chicago, and was elected to the ...

, quarterback, Chicago (BMA, CIO, CT, MJ) * Sigmund Harris, quarterback, Minnesota (BM, CRH, FL, WC) * Willie Heston, halfback, Michigan (BMA, BM, CIO, CRH, CT, FL, MJ, WC) * James B. Irsfield, halfback, Minnesota (BMA, CT, FL, WC) * Louis J. Salmon, fullback, Notre Dame (BMA, BM, CIO, CT, MJ, WC)

All-Americans

The following players were selected as first-team players by at least one selector for the 1903 College Football All-America Team. ''(Consensus first-team selections designated in bold.)'' * Fred Schacht, tackle, Minnesota (

Caspar Whitney Caspar William Whitney (September 2, 1864 – January 18, 1929) was an American author, editor, explorer, outdoorsman and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for '' Harp ...

W * Joe Maddock, tackle, Michigan ( Fielding H. Yost Y ''San Antonio Daily Light'' A * Sigmund Harris, quarterback, Minnesota (FY) * Willie Heston, halfback, Michigan (

, CW, FY, SA)

References

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