1904 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

1904 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
National champion (Billingsley) Western Conference co-champion
Conference	Western Conference
Record	13–0 (3–0 Western)
Head coach	Henry L. Williams (5th season)
Base defense	7–1–2–1
Captain	Mose Strathern
Home stadium	Northrop Field

1904 Western Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Minnesota +	3	–	0	–	0			13	–	0	–	0
Michigan +	2	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
Chicago	5	–	1	–	1			10	–	1	–	1
Illinois	3	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
Northwestern	1	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
Purdue	1	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Iowa	0	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Wisconsin	0	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Indiana	0	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions

Randall Field, Wisconsin - Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, 1904.

The 1904 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1904 Western Conference football season. In their fifth year under head coach Henry L. Williams, the Golden Gophers compiled a 13–0 record (3–0 against Western Conference opponents).^[1] The 1904 Minnesota team has been recognized as a college football national champion by the Billingsley Report.^[2]

The 146 point victory over Grinnell represents both the largest point total and the largest margin of victory in Gopher football history.^[3]

Ten Minnesota players were recognized on the 1904 All-Western college football team: quarterback Sigmund Harris (COL-2, CT-2, MJ-1); halfbacks Otto Nelson Davies (COL-1, CT-2, MJ-1) and James Edward Kremer (COL-2); fullback Earl Current (CT-2, MJ-1); end Bobby Marshall (COL-2, MJ-1); tackles Percy Porter Brush (CRH, CT-2, MJ-2) and George Leland Case (MJ-2); guards Walton W. Thorpe (COL-1, CRH, CT-1, DFP, DT, MJ-1, SLR, WC) and Daniel D. Smith, Minnesota (CT-2); and center Moses Strathern (MJ-1).^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Two players also received recognition on the 1904 College Football All-America Team. Quarterback Sigmund Harris received third-team honors from Walter Camp, and guard Walton Thorp received first-team honors from Illinois coach Fred Lowenthal and third-team honors from Walter Camp.^[10][11][12]

Notably, Minnesota did not play undefeated Michigan in 1904, despite the teams being members of the Western Conference. Both teams received acclaim as national champion for the 1904 season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17	Twin Cities Central High*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 107–0	3,000
September 24	South Dakota*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 77–0
September 28	Shattuck*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 75–0
October 1	Carleton*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 65–0
October 5	St. Thomas (MN)*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 47–0
October 8	North Dakota*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 35–0	2,000
October 15	Iowa State*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 32–0
October 22	Grinnell*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 146–0
October 29	Nebraska*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	W 16–12	12,000
November 5	Lawrence*	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 69–0
November 12	Wisconsin	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	W 28–0	18,000
November 19	vs. Northwestern	Marshall Field Chicago, IL	W 17–0	11,000	[13]
November 24	vs. Iowa	Cedar Rapids, IA (rivalry)	W 11–0		[14]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "1904 Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
2. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2015). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. p. 108. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
3. General Alumni. History. p. 92.
4. Collier's Self Indexing Annual. P. F. Collier & Son. 1905. p. 674. (COL)
5. "News-Athletics". The Michigan Daily. December 1904. p. 133. (CRH, DT, DFP)
6. "All-Western Football Eleven". Chicago Tribune. November 27, 1904. (CT)
7. O'Loughlin (November 28, 1904). "The Journal's "All Western"". The Minneapolis Journal. p. 15. (MJ)
8. "All-Western Football Team". The St. Louis Republic. November 30, 1904. p. 9. (SLR)
9. Walter Camp, ed. (1905). Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1905. American Sports Publishing Company. p. 35. (WC)
10. "Camp's Idea Of Football Stars: Yale Coach Puts Two Western Men in His Selection". The Daily Review (Decatur, IL). December 28, 1904.
11. "Camp's 1904 All America Football Team". Capital Times. November 24, 1904.
12. "Some All-American Football Elevens". The Pittsburgh Press. November 29, 1904.
13. "Minnesota Wins From the Purple". Chicago Tribune. November 20, 1904. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Victory Stays By Gophers Thru Year". The Minneapolis Journal. Minneapolis, Minnesota. November 25, 1904. p. 25. Retrieved April 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .