1907 Western Conference football season

1907 Western Conference football season
Sport	Football
Champion	Chicago
Football seasons
←  1906 1908  →

1907 Western Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Chicago $	4	–	0	–	0			4	–	1	–	0
Wisconsin	3	–	1	–	1			3	–	1	–	1
Illinois	3	–	2	–	0			3	–	2	–	0
Iowa	1	–	1	–	0			3	–	2	–	0
Minnesota	0	–	1	–	1			2	–	2	–	1
Indiana	0	–	3	–	0			2	–	3	–	1
Purdue	0	–	3	–	0			0	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1907 Western Conference football season was the twelfth 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 1907 college football season.

In April 1907, Michigan was voted out of the conference for refusing to adhere to new league rules that had been adopted earlier and spearheaded by UM president James Burrill Angell. ^{[1] [2] [3]} As a result, Western Conference schools were not supposed to play Michigan again until they rejoined the league in 1918.

In 1907, Iowa helped form the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association with Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Washington University in St. Louis, while still maintaining membership in the Western Conference. The MVIAA would eventually become the Big Eight Conference.

Season overview

With a 4-0 conference record, the Chicago Maroons would claim the 1907 championship, finishing 4-1 overall. Their only loss came to the Carlisle Indians, led by head coach Pop Warner, All-American Pete Hauser, and newcomer Jim Thorpe

Wisconsin would finish behind the Maroons at 3-1-1 (all Western games), and Illinois followed at 3-2 (also, all Western games). Iowa also had a 3-2 overall record, but went 1-1 in conference play.

Minnesota, Indiana, and Purdue all wrapped up the year winless in the conference, but only Purdue went the 1907 season without a victory.

Northwestern was in their second season without a football program, last playing a game in 1905. The Purple would be welcomed back to the gridiron in 1908.

Chicago

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 12	Indiana	Marshall Field Chicago, IL	W 27–6
October 19	at Illinois	Illinois Field Champaign, IL	W 42–6
November 2	at Minnesota	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 18–12	18,000
November 9	Purdue	Marshall Field Chicago, IL (rivalry)	W 56–0
November 23	Carlisle *	Marshall Field Chicago, IL	L 4–18
*Non-conference game

Wisconsin

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 26	Illinois	Randall Field Madison, WI	L 4–15
November 2	at Iowa	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	W 6–5
November 9	Indiana	Randall Field Madison, WI	W 12–6
November 16	at Purdue	Stuart Field West Lafayette, IN	W 12–6
November 23	Minnesota	Randall Field Madison, WI (rivalry)	T 17–17

Illinois

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 19	Chicago	Illinois Field Champaign, IL	L 6–42
October 26	at Wisconsin	Randall Field Madison, WI	W 15–4
November 2	Purdue	Illinois Field Champaign, IL (rivalry)	W 21–4
November 9	at Iowa	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	L 12–25
November 22	at Indiana	Jordan Field Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	W 10–6

Iowa

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
October 10	Missouri	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 21–6
October 26	at Drake *	Haskins Field Des Moines, IA	W 25–4	[4]
November 2	at Wisconsin	Randall Field Madison, WI (rivalry)	L 5–6
November 9	Illinois	Iowa Field Iowa City, IA	W 25–12
November 23	at Iowa State *	State Field Ames, IA (rivalry)	L 14–20
*Non-conference game

^{[5] [6]}

Minnesota

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
October 12	Iowa State *	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 8–0	5,000
October 19	Nebraska *	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	W 8–5	8,000
November 2	Chicago	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	L 12–18	18,000
November 16	Carlisle *	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	L 10–12	15,000
November 23	at Wisconsin	Randall Field Madison, WI (rivalry)	T 17–17
*Non-conference game

Indiana

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 5	DePauw *	Jordan Field Bloomington, IN	W 25–9
October 12	at Chicago	Marshall Field Chicago, IL	L 6–27
October 19	Indiana alumni	Jordan Field Bloomington, IN	W 40–0
November 2	at Notre Dame	Cartier Field Notre Dame, IN	T 0–0
November 9	at Wisconsin	Randall Field Madison, WI	L 8–11
November 22	Illinois *	Jordan Field Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	L 6–10
*Non-conference game

Purdue

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
October 12	Wabash *	Stuart Field West Lafayette, IN	L 0–2
November 2	at Illinois	Illinois Field Champaign, IL (rivalry)	L 4–21
November 9	at Chicago	Stagg Field Chicago, IL (rivalry)	L 0–56
November 16	Wisconsin	Stuart Field West Lafayette, IN	L 6–12
November 23	Notre Dame	Stuart Field West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	L 0–17	[7]
*Non-conference game

^[8]

Bowl games

No Western Conference schools participated in any bowl games during the 1907 season.

All-American honors

Main article: 1907 College Football All-America Team

The following Western Conference players were selected as first-team players on the 1907 College Football All-America Team. (Consensus All-Americans displayed in bold).

Quarterbacks

• Walter Steffen, Chicago (College Football Hall of Fame) (WC-3)

Halfbacks

• George Capron, Minnesota (WC-3)

Key

NCAA recognized selectors for 1907

• WC = Collier's Weekly as selected by Walter Camp ^[9]
• CW = Caspar Whitney ^{[10] [11]}

Other selectors

• NYH = New York Herald ^[12]
• NYT = New York Tribune ^[12]
• NYW = New York World (Robert Edgren) ^[12]
• NYP = New York Press ^[12]
• FY = Fielding H. Yost, football coach of the University of Michigan, for the North American Press Syndicate. ^[13]
• CF = Carl Flanders ^[12]
• CR = Constant Reader ^[12]
• AFR = Abilene Semi Weekly Farm Reporter. ^[14] "selected not according to their weight, but their conception of the new game"

Bold = Consensus All-American ^[15]

• 1 – First-team selection
• 2 – Second-team selection
• 3 – Third-team selection

All-Western selections

Main article: 1907 All-Western college football team

• Hewitt, End, Chicago (CA, CDN, CP, CRH)
• Harlan Page, End, Chicago (CIO, CJ, CP) (CBHOF)
• Harlan Rogers, End, Wisconsin (CE)

• John Messmer , Tackle, Wisconsin (CA, CIO, CJ, COL [guard], CRH, WE [guard])
• George Leland Case, Tackle, Minnesota (CDN, CIO, CP, WE)
• Ivan Doseff, Tackle, Chicago (CE, CJ, COL)

• Forest Van Hook , Guard, Illinois (CA, CDN, CE, CIO, CJ, COL, CP, CRH, WE)
• William John Bandelin, Guard, Minnesota (CA, CE)
• Harris, Guard, Chicago (CDN)

• Walter Steffen , Quarterback, Chicago (CA, CDN, CE, CIO, CJ, COL, CP, CRH, WE) (CFHOF)

• Leo DeTray , Halfback,Chicago (CA [fullback], CDN, CE, CIO, CJ, COL, CP, CRH [fullback], WE)
• Carroll N. Kirk, Halfback,Iowa (CA, CE, CRH)
• John Robert Schuknecht, Halfback,Minnesota (CIO, CJ, COL [fullback])
• Harold Iddings, Halfback,Chicago (CDN, COL [end], WE)
• Oscar Osthoff, Halfback, Wisconsin (CP)

• George Capron , Fullback, Minnesota (CA [halfback], CDN, CE, CIO, CJ, COL [halfback], CP, CRH [halfback], WE [end])

References

1. The University of Michigan, an encyclopedic survey ... Wilfred B. Shaw, editor. 1941.
2. Duderstadt, James J. (September 4, 2003). Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University: A University President's Perspective. University of Michigan Press. ISBN   0-472-08943-9.
3. "CONFERENCE OUSTS MICHIGAN; Severs Relations with University for Non-Observance of Rules" (PDF). The New York Times. April 14, 1907.
4. "Old Gold Victor, But Drake Score: Iowa Wins by a Score of 25 to 4". The Des Moines Register. October 27, 1907. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "1907 schedule". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
8. "2022 Purdue Football Record Book" (PDF). Purdue University Athletics. p. 81. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
9. "Camp Selects His All American Team". Trenton Evening Times. December 27, 1903.
10. "Whitney Picks Out the Champ Eleven: All-American Eleven Taken from the East". La Crosse Tribune. December 26, 1907.
11. "Casper Whitney Shuns the West: Eleven Eastern Players Picked for All-American Eleven". Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. December 26, 1907.
12. "All-America Elevens Picked: Difference of Opinion by Experts; Biglow of Yale General Choice for Captain". The Hartford Courant. December 9, 1907. p. 14. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013.
13. "COACH YOST AND HIS TEAM". Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. December 2, 1907. ("Of all the football men in America, none has attained greater prominence than Fielding H. Yost, who has coached the University of Michigan for six years. Yost's football vision is broad. His football judgment is superior. His football pre-eminence is generally accepted. It is thus a matter of considerable football moment when Mr. Yost breaks his previous precedence and names an all-American football team. This he has done for the North American Press Syndicate.")
14. "Outlook Is Blue". Abilene Semi Weekly Farm Reporter. November 23, 1907. p. 2. Retrieved March 14, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 6. Retrieved October 21, 2017.