1892 Nebraska Bugeaters football team

1892 Nebraska Bugeaters football
Conference	Western Interstate University Football Association
Record	2–2–1 (1–1–1 WIUFA)
Head coach	J. S. Williams (1st season)
Home stadium	Lincoln Park

1892 Western Interstate University Football Association standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Kansas $	3	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Nebraska	1	–	1	–	1			2	–	2	–	1
Missouri	1	–	2	–	0			1	–	2	–	0
Iowa	0	–	2	–	1			3	–	2	–	1
$ – Conference champion

The 1892 Nebraska Bugeaters football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1892 college football season. The team had no head coach, though Omaha lawyer J. S. Williams led the team for one game, and played home games at Lincoln Park, in Lincoln, Nebraska. They competed as members of the Western Interstate University Football Association.

This was Nebraska's first season as a member of an athletic conference, joining Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri in the newly formed WIUFA.

Nebraska played without a permanent head coach for the third straight season, upsetting many program supporters. The university's newspaper opined "We are thoroughly disgusted with the cheap-John plan of amateur coaches". By the beginning of the 1893 season, Nebraska hired its first paid football coach.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
October 24		Illinois*	Lincoln Park Lincoln, NE	W 6–0	800
October 28		at Denver AC*	Denver, CO	L 4–18
November 5		vs. Missouri	Omaha, NE (rivalry)	W 1–0 (forfeit)
November 12		Kansas	Lincoln Park Lincoln, NE	L 0–12	600
November 24	3:00 p.m.	vs. Iowa	Omaha, NE (rivalry)	T 10–10	1,000+
*Non-conference game All times are in Central time

Coaching staff

Coach	Position	First year	Alma mater
J. S. Williams	Head coach (unofficial)	1892
Jack Best	Trainer	1890	Nebraska
Charles Thomas	Assistant Coach	1892	Michigan
C. D. Chandler	Manager	1892

Roster

Anderson, Arthur C Barkley, James QB Barnes PLAYER Chandler, Charles T Church, R.D. E Flippin, George HB Hopewell, Isaac C Howe T Hyde, Frederick G Johnston, James HB Jones, Albin G Lord, Harrison T Mosher, Bradley FB Nusz, Chauncy FB Oliver FB Pace, Eugene QB Porterfield, James T Raymond PLAYER Sinclair T Skiles, Charles E Stockton, William T White, Jacob FB Yont, Alonzo FB Yont, Jesse E

Starters

Position	Player
Quarterback	Eugene Pace
Left Halfback	George Flippin
Right Halfback	James Johnston
Fullback	Ebenezer Mockett
Left End	Alonzo Yont
Left Tackle	Howe
Left Guard	Jesse Yont
Center	Isaac Hopewell
Right Guard	Albin Jones
Right Tackle	Sinclair
Right End	Oliver

Game summaries

Illinois

Illinois at Nebraska

1 2 Total Illinois 0 0 0 • Nebraska 6 0 6 Date: October 24 Location: Lincoln Park, Lincoln, NE Game attendance: 800

George Flippin, Nebraska's first black player and only the fifth black athlete at a predominantly white college, recovered a late fumble and later scored the game's only points to give the Bugeaters a 6–0 win.

Historical sources disagree on who coached Nebraska in this game. Some suggest J. S. Williams coached this game and quit after, while others show a different coach recorded only as "Mr. Baldwin" was expected to coach against Illinois but ultimately did not, and therefore Williams arrived sometime after this game.

This was the first game in which Nebraska appeared in scarlet and cream, which would later become the university's official colors.

at Denver Athletic Club

Nebraska at Denver AC

1 2 Total Nebraska 4 • Denver AC 18 Date: October 29 Location: Denver, CO

Although Nebraska faced an out-of-state team for the first time in 1891, this was NU's first game played outside the state of Nebraska. The Bugeaters were badly outmatched by the professional-grade Denver Athletic Club, managing only a late touchdown to avoid a shutout loss.

Missouri

Missouri vs. Nebraska

1 2 Total Missouri 0 • Nebraska 1 Date: November 5 Location: Omaha, NE

See also: Missouri–Nebraska rivalry

This was set to be Nebraska's first-ever conference game, but the University of Missouri squad refused to play due to the presence of African American George Flippin on NU's roster. The game was ruled a forfeit and the score officially recorded as 1–0. Afterward, the WIUFA established a rule preventing member teams from refusing to play scheduled matches.

Official University of Missouri records list the score of this game as a 6–0 forfeit Nebraska victory.

Kansas

Kansas at Nebraska

1 2 Total • Kansas 12 Nebraska 0 Date: November 12 Location: Lincoln Park, Lincoln, NE Game attendance: 600

Despite being only the second conference game for both teams, the WIUFA's brief conference slate made this the de facto conference championship game. The Bugeaters escaped early Jayhawks scoring opportunities, but were unable to do anything on offense as Kansas eventually wore Nebraska down to claim the first WIUFA football title.

This was the first of what would become the longest continuous annual series between any two college football teams, as Kansas and Nebraska would meet every year from 1891 through 2010. The annual series ended in 2011 when Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference.

Iowa

Iowa vs. Nebraska

1 2 Total Iowa 10 0 10 Nebraska 4 6 10 Date: November 24 Location: Omaha, NE Game attendance: 1,000+ Game weather: Cold sleet

Halfback George Flippin opened the game with a 40-yard run around the right end, which was followed by a Bugeater touchdown. Iowa responded with two touchdowns before halftime to pull ahead 10–4. Flippin scored to open the second half, and a successful extra kick tied the game at 10, when it was called on account of darkness, becoming the first tie in Nebraska history.

References