With the football season underway, it seems like a great time to take a look at the history of Litchfield High School football. In 1897, Litchfield schools hired a new superintendent, Rupert Dewey. Dewey was remembered for maintaining the “highest standard of excellence” in the Litchfield schools. He was also a proponent of physical activity and even contact sports, including football. Before long, most of the male student body was crazy for football.
Because high school football was still in its infancy, there were few opponents to play. In fact, Litchfield’s first season consisted of just three games against Hutchinson and one against some of Litchfield’s citizens. Litchfield won the first game against Hutchinson 10 to 4 but lost the next two games. Litchfield hoped to even the season with a win against Hutchinson on Thanksgiving, but the game was canceled due to a significant snowfall.
Football started growing in popularity on college campuses in the 1870s and 1880s. During the sport’s first couple of decades, the scoring was constantly changing. For example, when football first started, more points were awarded for a field goal than for a touchdown. With all of the changes, teams often established the scoring rules before each game. The scoring we know today was set in 1912. Side note: It was also illegal to throw the ball forward and teams had three down to make it five yards.
Litchfield’s second season, in 1898, included only three games. They beat Willmar but lost back-to-back games against Hutchinson.
The team continued to practice and work together. By 1899, they were playing a wider number of teams and traveling a greater distance. There was no set season schedule, instead, one team would challenge another and a date and time would be set.
One of the more impressive games of 1899 was a challenge Litchfield accepted from St. Paul Central High School. St. Paul was considered the favorite, having recently defeated some of Minneapolis’ best teams, but Litchfield was not to be deterred. Litchfield scored five touchdowns in the first half, with three “kicked goals,” or extra points, for a lead of 23-0. The final score was 23-11.
Other high school teams Litchfield faced in 1899 and 1900 included Atwater, Delano, East Side Minneapolis, Hutchinson, Mechanical Arts High School of St. Paul, Paynesville, St. Cloud, and Willmar. They defeated all of the teams except for St. Cloud. Two other teams Litchfield faced were the college teams from St. Cloud Normal School and the University of North Dakota. Although Litchfield lost to both of their collegiate opponents, they were able to hold their own against the older, larger, and more experienced teams.
By the end of the 1900 season, the Litchfield team reached what was considered championship status. There wasn’t a formal championship bracket like there is today, but the Litchfield football team had outscored their opponents by a total of 300 points over two years so calling the team “champions” seems appropriate!
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