1903 Wabash football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1903
| team = Wabash
| sport = football
| image =
| image_size =
| conference = Independent
| record = 9–3
| head_coach = Ebin Wilson
| hc_year = 2nd
| captain = Marshall (halfback)
| stadium =
| next = 1904
}}
{{1903 Midwestern college football independents records}}
The 1903 Wabash football team was an American football team that represented Wabash College as an independent during the 1903 college football season.{{Cite web|date=2015-09-06|title=Wabash Game by Game Results|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/w/wabash/1900-1904_yearly_results.php|access-date=2020-06-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906002923/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/w/wabash/1900-1904_yearly_results.php|archive-date=2015-09-06}} In Ebin Wilson's second year as head coach, Wabash compiled a 9–3 record and outscored their opponents by a total of 274 to 74. Games for the "Indiana football championship" were recognized as such against Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue, DePauw, Earlham, and Franklin. Wabash compiled a 3–3 record against championship opponents.{{Cite news|date=1903-11-29|title=Standings of the Indiana Football Teams for 1903|pages=7|work=The Indianapolis Star|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53959193/standings-of-the-indiana-football-teams/|access-date=2020-06-22}}
Samuel S. Gordon, an African American student and varsity lineman for Wabash College, faced numerous instances of discrimination in his inaugural season with the Little Giants.{{Cite web |title=Feature: The Team That Tackled Old Jim Crow |url=https://www.wabash.edu/magazine/1998/fall/features/oldteam.htm |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=www.wabash.edu}} In the season opener against Shortridge High School of Indianapolis, Wabash led 12–0 when Gordon was sent in to replace an injured left tackle. Upon seeing this, Captain Clark, right halfback on the Shortridge team, refused to continue play and left the field. According to The Indianapolis Journal, the rest of Clark's team raised no objections, and agreed to continue playing. The crowd was also "bitterly disappointed at the actions of Clark and he was denounced on all sides."{{Cite news|date=1903-09-20|title=Clark Drew Color Line|pages=6|work=The Indianapolis Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53953206/clark-drew-color-line/|access-date=2020-06-22}} On October 6, Rose Polytechnic sent a telegraph to Wabash that relayed their intention to boycott the game if Gordon was allowed to play. Wabash president William Kane responded by cancelling the game with Rose Poly and threatening to do so against any other team who "drew the color line".{{Cite news |date=1903-10-09 |title=Stand by the Colored Student |pages=1 |work=The Evansville Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107836535/stand-by-the-colored-student/ |access-date=2022-08-18}} Head coach Ebin Wilson asserted that they would play Gordon in every game for the remainder of the season, citing his great importance to the Wabash team.{{Cite news|date=1903-10-06|title=Rose Polytechnic Has Drawn The Color Line|pages=10|work=The Indianapolis News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955207/rose-polytechnic-has-drawn-the-color/|access-date=2020-06-22}}{{Cite news|date=1903-10-08|title=President Kane Takes Stand On Color Line|pages=4|work=The Indianapolis News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955465/president-kane-takes-stand-on-color-line/|access-date=2020-06-22}} On October 20, Hanover also announced that they would not play with the Wabash team with a black man on their roster. Hearing this latest news, Samuel Gordon resigned from the varsity lineup. Wabash accepted the resignation but insisted that they had the right to play any member of their football team, and would make each of their next opponents agree to this before the game could begin.{{Cite news|date=1903-10-20|title=Colored Man Leaves Team.|pages=10|work=The Indianapolis News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53957694/colored-man-leaves-team/|access-date=2020-06-22}} Gordon's resignation lasted three games. He returned as a reserve against Earlham in the last five minutes, and started the entire game against Notre Dame.{{Cite news|date=1903-11-27|title=Won By Notre Dame|pages=6|work=The Indianapolis Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53959458/won-by-notre-dame/|access-date=2020-06-22}} Samuel Gordon is officially recognized as a letterwinner for the 1903 season.{{Cite web |title=All-Time Football Lettermen |url=https://sports.wabash.edu/sports/2011/7/14/FB_0714114516.aspx |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Wabash College Athletics |language=en}}
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 19
| w/l = w
| opponent = Indianapolis Shortridge High School
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Crawfordsville, IN
| score = 12–0
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = September 26
| time = 3:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = Indiana
| site_stadium = Jordan Field
| site_cityst = Bloomington, IN
| score = 5–0
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 1
| w/l = l
| opponent = Purdue
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Crawfordsville, IN
| score = 0–18
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 3
| time = 3:00 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = Indianapolis Manual Training High School
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Crawfordsville, IN
| score = 21–0
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 10
| w/l = Cancelled
| away = y
| opponent = Rose Polytechnic
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Terre Haute, IN
| score =
| source = {{Cite news|date=1903-10-06|title=Rose Polytechnic Has Drawn The Color Line|pages=10|work=The Indianapolis News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955207/rose-polytechnic-has-drawn-the-color/|access-date=2020-06-22}}{{Cite news|date=1903-10-08|title=President Kane Takes Stand On Color Line|pages=4|work=The Indianapolis News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53955465/president-kane-takes-stand-on-color-line/|access-date=2020-06-22}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 10
| w/l = w
| opponent = Culver Military Academy
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Culver, IN
| score = 11–6
| source = {{Cite news|date=1903-10-11|title=Wabash Meets Defeat.|pages=6|work=The Indianapolis Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53956097/wabash-meets-defeat/|access-date=2020-06-22}}{{Cite news|date=1903-10-13|title=Which Team Won?|pages=6|work=The Indianapolis Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53956402/which-team-won/|access-date=2020-06-22}}{{Cite news|date=1903-10-15|title=Did Culver Win or Lose?|pages=1|work=The Culver Citizen|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53956569/did-culver-win-or-lose/|access-date=2020-06-22}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 17
| w/l = w
| opponent = Central Medical
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Crawfordsville, IN
| score = 31–0
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 24
| w/l = w
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1903|team=Hanover Panthers|title=Hanover}}
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Hanover, IN
| score = 51–0
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 31
| w/l = w
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1903|team=Franklin Baptists|title=Franklin (IN)}}
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Crawfordsville, IN
| score = 87–5
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 7
| w/l = w
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1903|team=Butler Bulldogs|title=Butler}}
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Indianapolis, IN
| score = 46–0
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 14
| w/l = l
| opponent = {{cfb link|year=1903|team=Earlham Quakers|title=Earlham}}
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Crawfordsville, IN
| score = 0–11
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 21
| w/l = w
| opponent = DePauw
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Greencastle, IN
| score = 10–0
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 26
| w/l = l
| opponent = Notre Dame
| site_stadium =
| site_cityst = Crawfordsville, IN
| score = 0–34
}}
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Wabash Little Giants football navbox}}
Category:Wabash Little Giants football seasons
{{collegefootball-1903-season-stub}}
{{Indiana-sport-team-stub}}