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1899 Normal School of Arizona Normals football team

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1899 Normal School of Arizona Normals football
ConferenceIndependent
Record3–0
Head coach
Seasons
← 1897
1900 →
1899 Far West college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Montana Agricultural   –   3 – 0 – 0
Arizona Normal   –   3 – 0 – 0
New Mexico A&M   –   1 – 0 – 0
Utah Agricultural   –   1 – 0 – 0
California   –   7 – 1 – 1
Washington   –   4 – 1 – 1
Utah   –   2 – 1 – 0
San Jose State   –   6 – 3 – 1
Nevada State   –   3 – 2 – 0
Oregon Agricultural   –   3 – 2 – 0
Oregon   –   3 – 2 – 1
Arizona   –   1 – 1 – 1
Washington Agricultural   –   1 – 1 – 0
Montana   –   1 – 2 – 0
USC   –   2 – 3 – 1
Stanford   –   2 – 5 – 2
Wyoming   –   0 – 1 – 1
Pacific (CA)   –   0 – 2 – 0

The 1899 Normal School of Arizona Normals football team was an American football team that represented the Normal School of Arizona (later renamed Arizona State University) as an independent during the 1899 college football season. In its second season of varsity football (an 1897 team played one game), the Normals compiled a 3–0 record.[1] The team captain was Walter Shute.[2] The team was known by the nickname "Normals".[3]

The season began with the first two victories in program history, one over the Phoenix Indian School, and the other over Phoenix High School.[1] On November 30, 1899, the team played and won its first intercollegiate football game, an 11–2 victory over the University of Arizona. The game was the inaugural meeting in the Arizona–Arizona State football rivalry and was played in front of an estimated 300 spectators at the Carillo Gardens amusement center near the Santa Cruz River in Tucson.[4][5]

Football in 1899[edit]

American football in 1899 remained a variant of rugby, played with a virtually identical ball and sharing a fundamental prohibition of use of the forward pass to advance the ball.[6] The game was played on a field 110 yards long and 53-1/3 yards wide, marked off with white lines parallel to the goal lines every five yards.[7]

Cover of the 1906 Spalding Foot Ball Guide depicted a kicker and holder preparing to attempt a point-after-touchdown.

The game was played by teams of 11 players, aligned typically with 7 "rushers" or "forwards" at the line of scrimmage, and four "backs" behind them.[8] These were a quarterback immediately behind the line, two halfbacks stationed a couple yards behind him, and a fullback or "goal tend," who stood deep behind the halfbacks.[8] Duration of the game was 70 minutes, divided into two 35-minute halves, which could be shortened by mutual consent,[9] with play regulated by three officials.[10]

Teams were allowed three downs to either advance the ball 5 yards or retreat towards their own goal 20 yards via running or lateral pass, otherwise being forced to surrender the ball to the defenders at the last spot.[11] All tackles had to be made above the knees.[12] A pair of light sticks with a 5-yard length of stout cord or chain were used to measure the line-of-gain for a new first down.[10] As with the modern game, teams typically did not turn over the ball on downs, since "if the prospects of completing the five-yard gain appear small, it is so manifestly politic to kick the ball as far as possible down the field..."[13]

A dropkick or place-held field goal over the 10-foot crossbar and through the goalposts mounted at the goal line counted 5 points, as did a touchdown.[13] Safeties counted as 2 points, as the case remains today.[14]

The possibility of an extra (6th) point followed each touchdown, with the scoring team given the option of a place-kick from any point on the field parallel to where the touchdown crossed the goal line; or a "punt out," in which the scoring team punted the ball from the end zone to a fair-catching teammate, which (if successfully executed) would provide the spot for a drop kick for the extra point.[15] The extra-point placekick was executed with the holder elevating the ball slightly above the ground as the defenders lined up at the goal line. The play began when the ball was touched to the ground, with a mad rush ensuing to block the kick.[15]

Players played both offense and defense without substitution; those being replaced due to exhaustion or injury were forbidden from returning for the duration to the game.[12] Coaching from the sideline was expressly prohibited.[12]

Schedule[edit]

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
Phoenix Indian SchoolTempe, Arizona TerritoryW 6–0
at Phoenix High SchoolPhoenix, Arizona TerritoryW 6–0
November 30at Arizona
W 11–2300[4][5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "2016 ASU Football Media Guide". Arizona State University. 2016. p. 118. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  2. ^ 2016 Media Guide, p. 105.
  3. ^ "Quick Facts About ASU in 1899 and the 1899 Football Team" (PDF). Arizona State University. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  4. ^ a b David Devine (2015). Tucson: A History of the Old Pueblo from the 1854 Gadsden Purchase. McFarland. p. 31. ISBN 0786497106.
  5. ^ a b Bob Eger (2001). Maroon & Gold: A History of Sun Devil Athletics. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 4. ISBN 1582612234.
  6. ^ "Football Rules," in Walter Camp (ed.), Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide, 1899. New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1899; p. 187.
  7. ^ Walter Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," in Walter Camp (ed.), Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide, 1899. New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1899; p. 5.
  8. ^ a b Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 9.
  9. ^ "Football Rules," p. 181.
  10. ^ a b "Football Rules," p. 173.
  11. ^ Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 11.
  12. ^ a b c "Football Rules," p. 193.
  13. ^ a b Camp, "An Introductory Chapter for Beginners," p. 13.
  14. ^ "Football Rules," pp. 192.
  15. ^ a b "Football Rules," pp. 190–191.
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