1899 Kansas Jayhawks football team

{{CFB schedule

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 30

| time =

| w/l = w

| opponent = Haskell

| site_stadium = McCook Field

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| score = 12–0

| attend = 500

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 7

| time =

| w/l = w

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1899|team=Washburn Ichabods|title=Washburn}}

| site_stadium = McCook Field

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| score = 35–0

| attend = 400

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 14

| time =

| w/l = w

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1899|team=Ottawa Baptists|title=Ottawa (KS)}}

| site_stadium = McCook Field

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| score = 29–6

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 21

| time =

| w/l = w

| opponent = Drake

| site_stadium = McCook Field

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| score = 29–5

| attend = 800

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 28

| time =

| w/l = w

| opponent = Haskell

| site_stadium =

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| score = 18–0

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 4

| time =

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Ottawa (KS)

| site_stadium =

| site_cityst = Ottawa, KS

| score = 29–0

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 11

| time = 2:30 p.m.

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1899|team=Kansas State Normal Normals|title=Kansas State Normal}}

| site_stadium = Mit-way Park

| site_cityst = Emporia, KS

| score = 35–0

| source = {{cite news |author= |title=[untitled] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-emporia-gazette/159239133/ |newspaper=Emporia Gazette |location=Emporia, Kansas |date=November 10, 1899 |page=1 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 18

| time =

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Nebraska

| site_stadium =

| site_cityst = Lincoln, NE

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 36–20

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 25

| time =

| w/l = w

| opponent = Washburn

| site_stadium = McCook Field

| site_cityst = Lawrence, KS

| score = 23–0

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 30

| time =

| w/l = w

| neutral = y

| opponent = Missouri

| site_stadium = Exposition Park

| site_cityst = Kansas City, MO

| gamename = Border War

| score = 34–6

| attend = 8,000

}}

}}

{{cite web |author= |title=1899-00 Football Schedule |url=https://kuathletics.com/sports/football/schedule/season/1899-00/ |publisher=Kansas Athletics |access-date=October 5, 2023 }}{{cite web |author= |title=Kansas Football 2023 Media Guide |url=https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-Kansas-Football-Media-Guide-Comp-compressed.pdf |publisher=Kansas Athletics |page=203 |access-date=October 5, 2023 }}

On February 17, 1899, Hubert C. Avery, captain of the 1899 Kansas football team, was married to Nellie Criss.{{cite news|title=Short History of the Year|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=January 1, 1890|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/59436617/}}

In June 1899, the University of Kansas Athletic Association offered Nebraska football coach Fielding H. Yost $350 and an additional $150 conditionally to coach the school's football team.{{cite news|title=Probable Football Coach: Yost of Nebraska Likely To Be Employed in That Capacity|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=June 7, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989027/probable_football_coach/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} He accepted the offer on June 7, 1899. After spending the summer in Colorado, Yost arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, on September 4, 1899,{{cite news|title=Coach Yost On Hand|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=September 5, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989297/coach_yost_on_hand/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} and football practice began the following day.

On September 19, 1899, the Lawrence Daily Journal reported on a practice football game in which 37-year-old Dr. James Naismith (the coach of the Kansas basketball team and inventor of the sport) played against the 13-man varsity squad. The Journal reported that the varsity squad played with "snap and vigor" and credited Yost's coaching: "Coach Yost is giving his men instructions as to how to play to prevent gains when the other side has the ball, and though the Kansas line this year will be a light one, compared with what it has been in previous years, the boys are being coached so that they will be able to hold a much heavier lot of men."{{cite news|title=Football Men Doing Hard Work: The Kansas University Eleven Showing Up in Good Shape on the Field|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=September 19, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998876/football_men_doing_hard_work/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On September 21, 1899, the Journal reported in further detail on Yost's training sessions, noting that the afternoon's practice began with a focus on punting and catching the ball. The Journal also reported on the arrival of Moore, a newly enrolled and "remarkably quick and steady" halfback and noted that the team as a whole was "developing into a remarkably fast lot of players."{{cite news|title=Showing Up In Good Shape: The Kansas University Football Players Developing Very Fast|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=September 21, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998880/showing_up_in_good_shape/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

One of the changes instituted by Yost was described in a press account as follows: "The Kansas boys have lived separate from the rest of the students and ate specially selected and prepared food for the last two months [October and November], with Coach Yost as their only mentor."{{cite news|title=Will Yost Coach Tigers?|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=December 1, 1899|page=2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2999029/will_yost_coach_tigers/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Yost also reportedly developed 25 "trick plays" that he practiced with his Kansas players, "but never had occasion to use one of them."{{cite news|title=untitled|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=December 4, 1899|page=2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/59840878}}

On September 30, Kansas opened its season with a 12–0 victory over the Haskell Indians before a crowd of 500 spectators at McCook Field in Lawrence.{{cite news|title=Kansas University 12, Haskell 0|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=October 1, 1899|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989414/kansas_haskell/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} All 12 points were scored in the second half, and the Lawrence Daily Journal reported that the score was the result of "the wonderful hard work of Moore." The playing field was "hard, rough and dusty", and the Journal called it one of the "roughest games ever played at Lawrence," noting that a number of Haskell players were "seriously hurt" and that two "were in violent convulsions for a short time after their injuries."{{cite news|title=Kansas University Wins: The Indians Defeated by a Score of 12 to 0 in the Second Half|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 2, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998936/kansas_university_wins/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Questions were raised after the Haskell game as to the amateur status of all of the Kansas players.{{cite news|title=untitled|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 2, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989446/untitled/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On October 7, 1899, Kansas defeated the team from Washburn University by a 35–0 score in Lawrence. Tucker ran for two touchdowns for Kansas.{{cite news|title=K.U. 35, Washburn 0|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=October 8, 1899|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989524/kansas_washburn/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} The Lawrence Daily Journal reported that the Washburn team was "as weak as ever" and credited the performance of Tucker, Avery, Wilcox, Nofsinger, and Moore. The Journal also noted that, during the game, "dust arose in clouds as the players moved back and forth across the field, and it was impossible to tell who had carried the ball until after the dust had been blown aside."{{cite news|title=An Easy Game: The Kansas University Football Team up Against a Snap on Saturday|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 9, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998852/an_easy_game/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On October 14, 1899, Kansas played the team from Ottawa University, a team that was "regarded as one of the strongest in the state."{{cite news|title=Saturday's Football Game: Ottawa University Expected to Put Up an Extra Good Game|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 12, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998865/saturdays_football_game/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Kansas won the game by a 29–6 score in Lawrence. According to a press account, the "feature of the game was Captain Avery's long run for a touchdown in the second half."{{cite news|title=K.U. 29, Ottawa 6|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=October 15, 1899|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989588/kansas_ottawa/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} The Lawrence Daily Journal reported that the game was "almost too one-sided to be interesting" and noted that Ottawa's only points were scored near the end of the game after a controversial call in which the officials ruled that Moore had fumbled, despite the fact that "the Kansas men had called down."{{cite news|title=Kansas Won The Game: Ottawa Scored Against the Varsity Team on a Disputed Decision|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 16, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998948/kansas_won_the_game/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On October 21, 1899, Kansas faced Drake, a team which had been undefeated since the 1897 season. The game was expected to be Kansas' toughest contest with the possible exception of Missouri, and the Kansas players were reportedly training under coach Yost with a focus on "perfecting signal week this week, team plays, and new strategems with all of which they expect to surprise their most ardent champions."{{cite news|title=Drake Is Very Confident|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 18, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998961/drake_is_very_confident/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Kansas won the game by a 29–5 score before a crowd of 800 spectators in Lawrence.{{cite news|title=Iowans Came This Morning|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 21, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989681/iowans_came_this_morning/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{cite news|title=Kansas 29, Drake 6|newspaper=The Kansas City Journal|date=October 22, 1899|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989709/kansas_drake/}} The Kansas City Journal reported that Tucker was the star player and that Kansas "never played better ball than she did to-day." The Lawrence Daily Journal reported that the game was played "under a broiling sun" and "on a dusty field" and that Tucker was "easily the star" for Kansas.{{cite news|title=The Score Was One-Sided: The Kansas University Team Wins From Drake by a Good Score|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 23, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998979/the_score_was_onesided/}}

On October 28, 1899, Kansas defeated Haskell for the second time during the 1899 season, this time by an 18–0 score in Lawrence. In the second half, a Haskell player was ejected from the game for slugging Moore of Kansas. Haskell disputed the ejection and when the umpire refused to reconsider, the entire Haskell team followed the ejected player off the field, and the umpire declared the game forfeited.{{cite news|title=Haskell Left the Field: The Game at Lawrence Ended in a Row|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=October 29, 1899|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989768/haskell_left_the_field/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Several long runs by Moulton were highlights of the game, including a 30-yard touchdown run on "a 'fake' play."{{cite news|title=Haskell Left the Field|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=October 30, 1899|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998993/haskell_left_the_field/}}

On November 4, 1899, Kansas won its second game of the season against Ottawa, this one by a 29–0 score in Ottawa, Kansas. The Lawrence Daily Journal reported: "There was not much interest in the game."{{cite news|title=untitled|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=November 4, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/59436214}}

On November 11, 1899, Kansas defeated {{cfb link|year=1899|team=Kansas State Normal Normals|title=Kansas State Normal}} by a 35–0 score at Emporia, Kansas. Kansas touchdowns were scored by Garvin, Moore, and Tucker. The Emporia team was "completely outclassed, as they have no coach and little practice."{{cite news|title=K.U. 35, Emporia 0: Normals Were Outclassed by the Varsity Team|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=November 12, 1899|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2990155/kansas_emporia/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On November 18, 1899, Kansas faced Nebraska, the team that Fielding Yost had coached in 1898. Kansas won the game by a 36–20 score in Lincoln, Nebraska. Kansas scored six touchdowns, and Nebraska was held to four field goals (all by Benedict) and a safety.{{cite news|title=K.U. 36, Nebraska 22|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=November 19, 1899|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989844/kansas_nebraska/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} The Lawrence Daily Journal wrote that Kansas won the game "with ease", led by an "impregnable line" and with Moore, Tucker and Avery advancing the ball "with unfailing regularity and certain precision."

After the game, approximately 100 Kansas supporters marched through the streets back in Lawrence, a parade that included a duel between the University band and the Salvation Army band, with both units performing renditions of "A Hot Time". The Kansas supporters later "built a little bon fire out by the park."{{cite news|title=Kansas Won With Ease|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=November 20, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998843/kansas_won_with_ease/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On November 25, 1899, Kansas defeated Washburn for the second time of the season, this time by a 23–0 score in Lawrence. Kansas used substitutes in place of some of its starters to avoid incurring injuries prior to the Thanksgiving Day game against Missouri.{{cite news|title=Jayhawkers 23, Washburn 0|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=November 26, 1899|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2990092/kansas_washburn/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1899, Kansas concluded its season with a 34–6 victory over Missouri. The game drew a crowd of 8,000 spectators to Exposition Park in Kansas City.{{cite news|title=Kansas Wins|newspaper=The Atchison Daily Champion|date=December 1, 1899|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989966/kansas_wins/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

The game was placed in jeopardy earlier in the month due to a dispute as to where the game would be played. Kansas signed a contract with the newly opened Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri (where William Jennings Bryan would accept his parties Presidential nomination the following June), for the game to be played there. In order to play the game indoors at Convention Hall, the playing field would have to have been reduced by approximately 50%. Missouri's coach White objected to playing the game indoors, noting that the low ceiling would not allow "good kicking", the sidelines would be formed by the building's walls and create a hazard to the players, and the crowd noise "would prevent signals being heard." For these reasons, Missouri insisted that the game be played outdoors on "regulation grounds" under the rules of the Western Intercollegiate Football Association, "or not at all."{{cite news|title=May Not Play Kansas|newspaper=Kansas City Journal|date=November 11, 1899|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998831/may_not_play_kansas/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} Ultimately, Kansas was released from its contract with the Convention Hall, and the game was played outdoors at the professional baseball park in Kansas City.{{cite news|title=Will Play Missouri: The University Athletic Association Acquiesces in the Demand for an Outdoor Game|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=November 14, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2999009/will_play_missouri/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{cite news|title=A Release With a Provision|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=November 15, 1899|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2998855/a_release_with_a_provision/}}

On December 1, 1899, the Lawrence Daily World opined that coach Yost should be retained for another year and noted: "Trainer Yost has won golden opinions on every side and he deserves them all. He has a happy faculty of getting along with the players in such a way that they like him and he gets the best out of them. . . . Such good men are not loose long."{{cite news|title=A Great Team|newspaper=Lawrence Daily World|date=November 27, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2999024/a_great_team/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

On December 4, 1899, coach Yost published an All-Western football team and selected seven of his own Kansas players for the unit: Smith at guard; Wilcox and Tucker at tackle; Algie at end; Owen at quarterback; Moore at halfback; and Avery at fullback.{{cite news|title=Coach Yost's Pick|newspaper=Lawrence Daily World|date=December 4, 1899|page=2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/59840861}}

In May 1900, Yost was hired by Stanford University in 1900,{{cite news|title=Likes Yost's Manner: President Jordan of Leland Stanford University Gives His Opinion of the Coach|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=May 8, 1900|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2989072/likes_yosts_manner/|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} and the fortunes of the Kansas football team declined. The 1900 Kansas team compiled a 2–5–2 record.

The following players were the starters for Kansas through the fifth game of the season and in the Nebraska and Missouri games.

• John Algie – started 1 game at fullback, 1 game at left end
• Hubert Avery, 173 pounds – started 4 games at left halfback, 3 games at fullback
• Wyn Gavin, 170 pounds - started 6 games at left end
• William Hess, 175 pounds – started 5 games at center
• Isabel, 150 pounds – started 1 game at right end
• Rollo Krebs – started 2 games at left tackle
• Lucas, 165 pounds – started 2 games at fullback
• C. Meehan, 198 pounds - started 2 games at center
• Wade Moore, 184 pounds – started 7 games at right halfback
• Fay Moulton – started 1 game at left halfback (silver medalist in 100 meters in 1906 Olympics)
• Rolla Nofsinger, 186 pounds – started 6 games at right end
• Bennie Owen, 150 pounds – started 1 game at fullback, 5 games at quarterback (College Football Hall of Fame)
• Parks, 170 pounds – started 1 game at left guard
• Lonsdale Silver, 156 pounds – started 1 game at quarterback
• Thomas Smith, 195 pounds – started 7 games at right guard
• George Tucker, 185 pounds – started 5 games at left tackle, 2 games at left halfback
• Charles Wilcox, 186 pounds – started 7 games at right tackle
• David Woodward, 190 pounds – started 6 games at left guard

• Fielding H. Yost, head coach
• James Naismith, coach of the second eleven{{cite news|title=Kansas University|newspaper=Lawrence Daily Journal|date=September 12, 1899|page=4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/59625080}}("Dr. Naismith will coach the second eleven, while Coach Yost devotes his entire attention to the 'Varsity.")

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