October 25, 1873 Rutgers at Yale Score Card/Program Just Sold for $2,201

[Source]

An ebay auction for the 1873 Rutgers-Yale program just ended. The oldest known college football program was the 1872 Columbia at Yale program. This one was the second oldest and one of only three or four known to be in existence (and all within the last decade). It sold for $2,201. It was from an estate on the west coast whose family was a descendant of a Yale grad from the 1870s.

Among the names listed on the program for Rutgers were three players from the November 6, 1869 game and the Fuller Brothers - Howard and Perry. Perry was the better athlete but Howard would re-write the lyrics of "On The Banks of the Old Dundee" into the Rutgers alma mater two months after this game.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-1...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[Knight Shift]

Rutgers lost 3-1.
Rutgers went 1-2 in 1873.
There was a loud outcry to fire the coach, but none could be found. There apparently was No Coach for the 1873 team?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1873_Rutgers_Queensmen_football_team

Despite the losing record, Rutgers was still ranked 7th in the nation, and No Ccoach was retained for the 1874 season, where Rutgers went 1-3 again, defeating only lowly Columbia.

No coach improved in 1875, finishing 1-1, ranked 4th in the nation.

This proved to be a wise move, because in 1876, Rutgers went undefeated at 1-0, and No Coach was a candidate for Coach of the Year.

No Coach slid back to 1-2 in 1877, and while No Coach a couple of winning seasons, No Coach was finally fired.

In 1891, the onset of the Gay 90's marked the hiring of William A Reynolds, who went 8-6 in his inaugural campaign as head coach.

Reveling in his success, however, Reynolds jumped ship, and left for Cincinnati.

Coach None took the reigns in 1892.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1892_Rutgers_Queensmen_football_team

Coach None lasted only to 1894, and in 1895, Coach Ambruster was hired, but he only lasted one season after going 3-4.
Apparently, there was an outcry for his firing, and the hashtags #FireAmbruster and #AmbrustERROR were trending on Twitter

Rutgers did not mess around with losing coaches, but can't understand why No Coach was given so much slack.

 

[Source]

The captain of the team was considered the ad hoc coach. Outside "head" coaches started at Rutgers in the 1890s. There were strict rules regarding them. They could train you, give you halftime talks, sit on your bench with you but were forbidden to speak to the team while the game was on. That was the captain's responsibility and a coach could get his team penalized for saying anything. This is also why the water boy got his nefarious reputation as just bringing the team water during time-outs when, in fact, he was secretly delivering instructions from the coach.

Believe it or not, the last vestiges of these rules lasted all the way to 1967!

 

[Knight Shift]

The captain of the team was considered the ad hoc coach. Outside "head" coaches started at Rutgers in the 1890s. There were strict rules regarding them. They could train you, give you halftime talks, sit on your bench with you but were forbidden to speak to the team while the game was on. That was the captain's responsibility and a coach could get his team penalized for saying anything. This is also why the water boy got his nefarious reputation as just bringing the team water during time-outs when, in fact, he was secretly delivering instructions from the coach.

Believe it or not, the last vestiges of these rules lasted all the way to 1967!

Rutgers may want to go back to that old approach. Maybe we would go for it inside the opponent's 40 yard line once in a while instead of punting every time. . . . .:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

#FreeCoachNone

 

[17Q66]

Rutgers lost 3-1.
Rutgers went 1-2 in 1873.
There was a loud outcry to fire the coach, but none could be found. There apparently was No Coach for the 1873 team?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1873_Rutgers_Queensmen_football_team

Despite the losing record, Rutgers was still ranked 7th in the nation, and No Ccoach was retained for the 1874 season, where Rutgers went 1-3 again, defeating only lowly Columbia.

No coach improved in 1875, finishing 1-1, ranked 4th in the nation.

This proved to be a wise move, because in 1876, Rutgers went undefeated at 1-0, and No Coach was a candidate for Coach of the Year.

No Coach slid back to 1-2 in 1877, and while No Coach a couple of winning seasons, No Coach was finally fired.

In 1891, the onset of the Gay 90's marked the hiring of William A Reynolds, who went 8-6 in his inaugural campaign as head coach.

Reveling in his success, however, Reynolds jumped ship, and left for Cincinnati.

Coach None took the reigns in 1892.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1892_Rutgers_Queensmen_football_team

Coach None lasted only to 1894, and in 1895, Coach Ambruster was hired, but he only lasted one season after going 3-4.
Apparently, there was an outcry for his firing, and the hashtags #FireAmbruster and #AmbrustERROR were trending on Twitter

Rutgers did not mess around with losing coaches, but can't understand why No Coach was given so much slack.

So, Rutgers is undefeated in American Centennial years. I'm not going to be around for the next one, but I'm going to put all of my great-grandchildren through college with a 50 year bond converted into a wager for the Scarlet Cyborgs to win it all in 2076.

 

[RU1977]

20 on a team..... A bit smaller than nowadays.....

 

[RUSK97]

October 25, 1873...betcha at least a dozen of the posters on this forum were around for that game.

 

[Source]

20 on a team..... A bit smaller than nowadays.....

The Rutgers-Princeton games of 1869 and 1870 played with 25 against 25 teams; starting with Columbia in 1870 thru the 1876 season, 20 vs. 20 and everyone mostly switched to 15 man teams from 1876 to 1879 with exceptions. Walter Camp of Yale led the lobbying effort to make it the 11 vs. 11 game that prevails today starting in 1880.

 

[RUnTeX]

20 on a team..... A bit smaller than nowadays.....

I think that means on the field at the same time (and in those early days, likely playing both ways like rugby), so actually larger than nowadays.

 

[Source]

I think that means on the field at the same time (and in those early days, likely playing both ways like rugby), so actually larger than nowadays.

Yes, active players on the field itself. As you can imagine, the smaller the number of players, the smaller the rectangular playing field got. If you left the game, you were done.... not allowed to return. Most teams brought along two or three substitutes just in case.

The 1869 inaugural game between Rutgers and Princeton used a 360 feet by 225 feet (120 yards by 75 yards) field.

 

[T2Kplus10]

An ebay auction for the 1873 Rutgers-Yale program just ended. The oldest known college football program was the 1872 Columbia at Yale program. This one was the second oldest and one of only three or four known to be in existence (and all within the last decade). It sold for $2,201. It was from an estate on the west coast whose family was a descendant of a Yale grad from the 1870s.

Among the names listed on the program for Rutgers were three players from the November 6, 1869 game and the Fuller Brothers - Howard and Perry. Perry was the better athlete but Howard would re-write the lyrics of "On The Banks of the Old Dundee" into the Rutgers alma mater two months after this game.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-1873-Rutgers-vs-Yale-Foot-Ball-Program-At-Hamilton-Park-/333133568513?hash=item4d904eda01:g:ueYAAOSwTWxcm5lW&nma=true&si=LxNZFSVZ%2BO%2BT0DkzguSZmICgFbY%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

You paid $2,201 for this program?
:)

 

[Source]

You paid $2,201 for this program?
:)

I did not. But a Rutgers friend I know has one.

https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2018/01/treasure_hunters_rutgers_fans_share_unearth_some_r.html

 

[RUScrew85]

October 25, 1873...betcha at least a dozen of the posters on this forum were around for that game.

@RU4Real was a proud alum at that game.

 

[RU4Real]

@RU4Real was a proud alum at that game.

I think that everyone here should be crystal clear on the fact that you and I are the same age.

 

[RUScrew85]

I think that everyone here should be crystal clear on the fact that you and I are the same age.

LOL. No way gramps!

 

[RU4Real]

LOL. No way gramps!

You lie like Trump. lol

 

[RUScrew85]

You lie like Trump. lol

I lie like a Democrat. Get it right. LOL

 

[RU4Real]

I lie like a Democrat. Get it right. LOL

Clearly we disagree. We should ask Judge Flores to remediate the dispute. Quickly, before the windmill down the road gives me cancer.

 

[RU1977]

I think that means on the field at the same time (and in those early days, likely playing both ways like rugby), so actually larger than nowadays.

But the program only lists 20 per team. Didn't they have anyone on the sidelines? What if someone was injured? No subs?

 

[Source]

But the program only lists 20 per team. Didn't they have anyone on the sidelines? What if someone was injured? No subs?

If you came out of a football game in the 19th century, you were out permanently. No such thing as leaving the field of play and returning later - even for injury. There were no rules on how many substitutes you could bring along to the game for just such an occurrence but it appears teams brought two or three extra just in case.

The 1873 Rutgers-Yale game apparently had all players playing the entire game.