Chicago Maroons football
First season1892
Athletic directorAngie Torain[1]
Head coachTodd Gilcrist Jr.[2]
2nd season, 13–7 (.650)
StadiumNew Stagg Field
(capacity: 1,650)
Field surfaceFieldTurf
LocationChicago, Illinois
ConferenceMidwest Conference
All-time record416–368–34 (.529)
Claimed national titles2 (1905, 1913)
Conference titles12 (1899, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1912, 1922, 1924, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014)
Heisman winnersJay Berwanger – 1935
Consensus All-Americans12
Current uniform
ColorsMaroon and white[3]
   
Fight songWave the Flag
MascotPhil the Phoenix
WebsiteAthletics.UChicago.edu

The Chicago Maroons football team represents the University of Chicago in college football. The Maroons, which play in NCAA Division III, have been a football-only member of the Midwest Conference since 2017.[4] The University of Chicago was a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the Maroons were coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg for 41 seasons. In 1935, halfback Jay Berwanger became the first recipient of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, later known as the Heisman Trophy. In the late 1930s, university president Robert Maynard Hutchins decided that big-time college football and the university's commitment to academics were not compatible.[5] The university abolished its football program in 1939 and withdrew from the Big Ten in 1946. Football returned to the University of Chicago in 1963 in the form of a club team, which was upgraded to varsity status in 1969. The Maroons began competing in Division III in 1973.

History

The first team fielded by the University of Chicago in 1892
The team that won its first Big Ten Conference championship in 1899

The program began play in 1892, with coach Amos Alonzo Stagg at the helm, where he would serve for until 1933. The team's name came about when Stagg decided the team needed to change in its color from goldenrod, with Stagg pointing out how the color soiled easily. On May 5, 1894, students and faculty met to determine the official color and nickname, with the result being the Maroons. The Maroons spent their first four seasons as an independent, with 1894 being a highlight year in which they went 10–7–1. They joined the Big Ten Conference in 1896. In 1899, they won their first Big Ten title, going 12–0–2 in regular play and 4-0 in conference play. Stagg formed a squad that would be fairly consistent for a quarter of a century, with the Maroons winning seven conference titles from 1899 to 1924, while managing to have four seasons in which they did not lose a game.

The Chicago football team has used the wishbone-C logo since at least 1898.[6]

Stagg retired from Chicago after the 1932 season, in which the team went 3–4–1 (1–4), and then coached at the University of the Pacific. Clark Shaughnessy took over as the Maroons football coach in 1933. In his seven seasons he led them to two .500 records, but no finish above 6th in the conference. In 1936, they beat Wisconsin 7–6. As it turned out, this was their last win as a Big Ten member. The team disbanded in 1939. Chicago fielded a football team again for the 1969 season. The team struggled for a few years, not getting to .500 until 1976, with a 4-4 record, and not getting above 500 until 1985. The first few decades were marked by losing, with four winless seasons occurring from 1973 to 1991. In 1994, Dick Maloney was hired as coach of the team. His 1995 team went 8–2, the Maroons' most wins in a season since coming back as a team. In 1998, the Maroons won the UAA conference title, winning all four of its conference games. The Maroons won three more conference titles under Maloney, who retired in 2012. Chris Wilkerson was hired as coach in 2013. In his second season, he led them to a UAA title.

Conference affiliations

Championships

National championships

Chicago lays claim to two national championships. Although they do not compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, they maintain claims to titles won at the highest level at the time.

Season Coach Selector Record
1905Amos Alonzo StaggBillingsley, Helms, Houlgate, NCF11–0
1913Amos Alonzo StaggBillingsley, Parke Davis7–0

Conference championships

Chicago has won 12 conference championships, seven in the Big Ten Conference and five in the University Athletic Association[8][9]

Season Conference Coach Overall Record Conference Record
1899Big Ten ConferenceAmos Alonzo Stagg12–0–24–0
1905Big Ten ConferenceAmos Alonzo Stagg11–07–0
1907Big Ten ConferenceAmos Alonzo Stagg4–14–0
1908Big Ten ConferenceAmos Alonzo Stagg5–0–15–0
1913Big Ten ConferenceAmos Alonzo Stagg7–07–0
1922Big Ten ConferenceAmos Alonzo Stagg5–1–14–0–1
1924Big Ten ConferenceAmos Alonzo Stagg4–1–33–0–3
1998University Athletic AssociationDick Maloney7–24–0
2000University Athletic AssociationDick Maloney7–24–0
2005University Athletic AssociationDick Maloney5–43–0
2010University Athletic AssociationDick Maloney8–23–0
2014University Athletic AssociationChris Wilkerson8–13–0

All-time record against current Big Ten members

SchoolWinsLossesTies %
Illinois 19223.466
Indiana 2041.789
Iowa 932.714
Maryland* 1001.000
Michigan 7190.269
Michigan State* 1001.000
Minnesota 5121.306
Nebraska* 110.500
Northwestern 2683.743
Ohio State 2102.214
Penn State* 000N/A
Purdue 27141.655
Rutgers* 000N/A
Wisconsin 16195.463

Note: Michigan State, Penn State, Nebraska, Maryland, and Rutgers were not members of the Big Ten when Chicago was a member. [10]

Notable personnel

College Football Hall of Fame

Name Position Tenure Inducted Notes
Jay Berwanger Halfback1933–19351954First recipient of the Heisman Trophy
Hugo Bezdek Fullback19051954Inducted for his career as a coach at Oregon, Arkansas, and Penn State
Fritz Crisler End1919–19211954Inducted for his career as a coach at Minnesota, Princeton, and Michigan
Paul Des Jardien Center1912–19141955All-American in 1913 and 1914
Walter Eckersall Quarterback1903–19061951Leader of the 1905 national championship team
Clarence Herschberger Fullback1895–18981970First western player selected as a first-team All-American
Tiny Maxwell Guard1902, 1904–19051974All-American for 1905 national championship team
Clark Shaughnessy Coach1933–19391968College football coach for 50 years
Amos Alonzo Stagg Coach1892–19321951"The Grand Old Man of the Midway"
Walter Steffen Quarterback1906–19081969Scored 156 points for teams that went 13–2–1; First-team All-American, 1908
Andy "Polyphemus" Wyant Guard, Center1892–18941962Played 8 varsity seasons of college football for Bucknell and Chicago

Others

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Angie Torain". University of Chicago. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Todd Gilchristn". University of Chicago. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  3. ↑ The University of Chicago Identity Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ "UChicago football set to join Midwest Conference as affiliate member in 2017" (Press release). Athletics & Recreation, The University of Chicago. May 11, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ Bearak, Barry (16 September 2011). "At the University of Chicago, Football and Higher Education Mix". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Lukas, Paul (2012-10-10). "Uni Watch history lesson: the wishbone-C". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  7. ↑ UAA Football Composite Results (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2019, retrieved May 28, 2019
  8. ↑ "The University of Chicago Athletics" (PDF). The University of Chicago Athletics. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "The University of Chicago Athletics". The University of Chicago Athletics. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "College Football Data Warehouse". Archived from the original on 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
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