1894 I.A.C. Football — Co-National Champions?

Iowa State should retroactively claim the 1894 National Championship to be alongside: Penn, Yale, and Princeton.

The Princeton Tigers allowed 44 points in 10 games, while scoring 204 on their opponents, yawn. Their biggest win was a 48-0 tilt against Rutgers? Yawn again. Sure they shutout 6 of their 10 opponents, but they were also shutout by both Penn and Yale.

1895 Bomb

Enter the 5-1 Iowa Agricultural College Cardinals, a team that scored 180 points and only allowed 24 points over six games with opponents scoring in only three of the games.

In their first game in early September, they travel up to Webster City to take on a Fort Dodge squad were they soundly won 46-0. The very next day I.A.C. took a 75 mile trip south to take on the Des Moines Y were they won 18-4.

The Cardinals (for some reason or another) don’t play again until September 29 against Grinnell (not documented anywhere apart from Cyclones.com) were they lost 6-12, apparently. Two days later, they made a 67 mile trip east to play T.O.E., a game in which I.A.C. won 18-6.

We would get a much needed break, and on October 12 we would take on Simpson, winning 28-0. Following that performance, we would get our only home game of the season which culminated in a 66-0 win over Panora.

So, all things considered, that Grinnell game never happened, meaning the Cardinals outscored opponents 174-12. That would mean I.A.C. would’ve been one of four undefeated teams that season that played at least five games. Yale, Penn, and Western Reserve were the other three.

Congratulations to Iowa State on their Co-National Championship!