1896 Wisconsin Badgers football team

{{short description|American college football season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1896

| team = Wisconsin Badgers

| sport = football

| image = Philip King FB coach.jpg

| image_size = 150

| caption = Head coach Philip King

| conference = Western Conference

| short_conf = Western

| record = 7–1–1

| conf_record=2–0–1

| head_coach = Philip King

| hc_year = 1st

| captain = John R. Richards

| stadium = Randall Field

| champion = Western Conference champion

}}

{{1896 Western Conference football standings}}

The 1896 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1896 Western Conference football season. In their first season under head coach Philip King, the Badgers compiled a 7–1–1 record (2–0–1 against Western Conference opponents), shut out six of nine opponents, outscored all opponents by a combined total of 206 to 30, and won the first Western Conference championship.{{cite web|title=1896 Wisconsin Badgers Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|access-date=December 30, 2016|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/wisconsin/1896-schedule.html}}{{cite web|title=Wisconsin Football 2016 Fact Book|publisher=University of Wisconsin|year=2016|access-date=December 30, 2016|page=214|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2016-17/misc_non_event/wisconsin-media-guide.pdf|archive-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230230850/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2016-17/misc_non_event/wisconsin-media-guide.pdf|url-status=dead}}

Wisconsin played three conference games: a victory over Chicago (24–0) on November 7;{{cite news|title=Badgers Win With Ease|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=November 8, 1896|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8072120/badgers_win_with_ease_wisconsin_v/}} a victory over Minnesota (6–0) on November 21;{{cite news|title=Zero Weather For The Gophers|newspaper=The Saint Paul Globe|date=November 22, 1896|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8072247/zero_weather_for_the_gophers_wisconsin/}}{{cite news|title=Badgers Win The Game|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=November 22, 1896|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8072265/badgers_win_the_game_wisconsin_v/}} and a tie with Northwestern (6–6) on November 26.{{cite news|title=Purple and Cardinal Tie|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=November 27, 1896|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8072217/purple_and_cardinal_tie_northwestern/}} Wisconsin's sole loss was to the Carlisle Indians (18–8) in a night game played indoors and under the lights at the Chicago Coliseum before a crowd of 16,000 persons.{{cite news|title=Won By The Red Men: Wisconsin 'Varsity Loses to the Carlisle School|newspaper=Chicago Inter Ocean|date=December 20, 1896|pages=1, 4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8036264/won_by_the_red_men_wisconsin_varsity/}} Wisconsin did not play another night game until 1953.Wisconsin Football 2016 Fact Book, p. 252.

Four Wisconsin players were selected to the 1896 All-Western football team published in the Chicago Inter Ocean: end Chester Brown, tackle J. F. A. "Sunny" Pyre, guard John E. Ryan, and halfback John "Ikey" Karel.{{cite news|title=To The Man Up A Tree: An Opinion as to the Men for an All-Western Team|author=The Man Up a Tree|newspaper=Chicago Inter Ocean|date=November 30, 1896|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8071844/the_man_up_a_tree_an_opinion_as_to_the/}} John R. Richards was the team captain.{{cite web|title=Wisconsin Football 2016 Fact Book|publisher=University of Wisconsin|year=2016|access-date=December 30, 2016|page=185|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2016-17/misc_non_event/wisconsin-media-guide.pdf|archive-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230230850/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2016-17/misc_non_event/wisconsin-media-guide.pdf|url-status=dead}}