1905 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

1905 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Iowa state champion
Conference	Western Conference
Record	8–2 (0–2 Western)
Head coach	John Chalmers (3rd season)
Captain	A. Earle McGowan
Home stadium	Iowa Field
Seasons ←  1904 1906  →

1905 Western Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Chicago $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	0
Michigan	2	–	1	–	0			12	–	1	–	0
Minnesota	2	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Purdue	1	–	1	–	1			6	–	1	–	1
Wisconsin	1	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Indiana	0	–	1	–	1			8	–	1	–	1
Iowa	0	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	1
Illinois	0	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1905 Iowa Hawkeyes football team was an American football team that represented the State University of Iowa ("S.U.I."), now commonly known as the University of Iowa, as a member of the Western Conference during the 1905 Western Conference football season. In their third and final year under head coach John Chalmers, the Hawkeyes compiled an 8–2 record (0–2 in conference games), tied for last place in the Western Conference, shut out seven of ten opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 309 to 86. ^{[1] [2]}

With victories over six Iowa schools (Coe, Iowa State Normal, Grinnell, Des Moines, Drake, and Iowa State), the Hawkeyes were recognized as the undisputed Iowa football champion. ^[3] Their 72–0 victory over Des Moines remains the sixth-largest margin of victory in Iowa football history. ^[4]

Fullback A. Earle McGowan was the team captain. ^[5] Quarterback Maury Kent later played professional baseball and served as the head football coach at Iowa State.

The team played its home games at Iowa Field in Iowa City, Iowa.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26		Coe *	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 27–0
September 30		Monmouth (IL) *	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 40–0
October 7		at Chicago	Marshall Field Chicago, IL	L 0–42		[6] [7]
October 21		at Minnesota	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	L 0–39	3,550	[8]
October 28		Iowa State Normal *	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 41–5
November 4		Grinnell *	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 45–0
November 11		Des Moines *	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 72–0
November 18		Drake *	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 44–0		[9]
November 24		at Iowa State *	State Field Ames, IA (rivalry)	W 8–0	3,000	[10]
November 30	2:30 p.m.	at Saint Louis *	Sportsman's Park St. Louis, MO	W 31–0		[11]
*Non-conference game

^[12]

Players

• George Allen, halback
• George A. Bemis, quarterback, Spencer, Iowa ^[13]
• Andrew Chalmers, halfback
• Thomas Green, fullback
• Maury Kent, quarterback
• A. Earle McGowan (sometimes spelled McGowen or MacGowan), fullback and captain, Ida Grove, Iowa
• Fred Moore, center
• Bernard V. Murphy ^[13]
• Carl Narum, guard
• Merle Rockwood, guard
• Frederick Schwinn, tackle
• Earl Seidel, tackle
• Jeff Streff, end
• William Tupper, halfback
• Roy Washburn, end/guard/fullback
• Roy White, end/tackle

^[14]

References

1. "1905 Iowa Hawkeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
2. "2022 Iowa Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Iowa. p. 238.
3. "Gridiron Champions of the Hawkeye State". The Sioux City Journal. November 30, 1905. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
4. 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 128.
5. 2022 Media Guide, p. 220.
6. "Iowa Outplayed by the Maroons: Chicago Varsity Football Team Scores at Will on Hawkeyes in the First Half; Final Count Is 42 to 0". The Chicago Sunday Tribune. October 8, 1905. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Maroons Roll Up Good Score on Hawkeye Team". The Inter Ocean. October 8, 1905. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
8. O'Loughlin (October 22, 1905). "Rooters Pleased by Gophers' Work: Play Against Iowa Was of Order to Measure the Enthusiasm". The Minneapolis Journal. p. 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Hawkeyes Run Big Score on Drake: Drake Meets a 44 to 0 Defeat at Iowa City". The Register and Leader. November 19, 1905. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Uni. Defeats State: Was a Battle Royal at Ames Yesterday; University Won Championship by Score of 8 to 0". The Daily Nonpareil. November 25, 1905. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Four Great Football Games Will Take Place in St Louis Thanksgiving". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . St. Louis, Missouri. November 30, 1905. p. 15. Retrieved January 3, 2023– via Newspapers.com .
12. "Iowa Football 2013 Media Guide" (PDF). CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. 2013. Archived from the original (pdf) on December 15, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
13. "Notable Football Players". The Sioux City Journal. November 30, 1905. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
14. 2022 Media Guide, pp. 250-258.