1881 Princeton Tigers football team

American college football season

1881 Princeton Tigers football

National champion (Billingsley)
Co-national champion (Parke H. Davis)

Conference| Independent
Record| 7–0–2
Head coach|

* None

Captain| P. T. Bryan

Seasons

<- 1880

1882 ->

1881 college football records

* v
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* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
Richmond |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 0  | - | 0
Georgetown |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 0  | - | 0
Yale |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 5  | - | 0  | - | 1
Princeton |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 7  | - | 0  | - | 2
Penn State |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 0  | - | 0
Columbian University |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 0  | - | 1
Dartmouth |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 0  | - | 1
Harvard |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 6  | - | 1  | - | 1
Massachusetts |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 1  | - | 1
Kentucky University |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 1  | - | 0
Columbia |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 3  | - | 3  | - | 1
Rutgers |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 2  | - | 4  | - | 1
Stevens |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 2  | - | 1
Kentucky State College |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 2  | - | 0
CCNY |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 1  | - | 1  | - | 1
Amherst |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 3  | - | 2
Lewisburg |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 1  | - | 0
MIT |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 1  | - | 0
Wesleyan |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 1  | - | 0
Randolph–Macon  |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 2  | - | 0
Michigan |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 3  | - | 0
Penn |  |  | - |  |  |  |  | 0  | - | 5  | - | 0

The 1881 Princeton Tigers football team represented the College of New Jersey, then more commonly known as Princeton College, in the 1881 college football season. The team finished with a 7–0–2 record and was retroactively named national champion by the Billingsley Report and as co-national champion by Parke H. Davis.[1][2] This season marked Princeton's 11th national championship in a 13-year period between 1869 and 1881.[3] P. T. Bryan was the captain of the team.[4]

No goals were scored against the Tigers in 1881 and the season ended as it had for the fourth time in five years; a 0–0 tie against Yale in or near New York.[5]

## Schedule[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|
|

October 15| | Rutgers| Princeton, NJ (rivalry)| W 3–0| | [6]
October 22| | Stevens| Princeton, NJ| W 7–0| |
October 29| | at Penn| Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)| W 7–0| |
November 4| | Michigan| Princeton, NJ| W 1–0| |
November 5| | Penn| Princeton, NJ| W 4–0| |
November 10| 2:15 p.m.| at Rutgers| New Brunswick, NJ| W 1–0| | [7]
November 12| 2:38 p.m.| Columbia|

* Polo Grounds
* New York, NY

| W 1–0| | [8][9]
November 19| 2:30 p.m.| vs. Harvard|

* Polo Grounds
* New York, NY (rivalry)

| T 0–0| 2,500| [10]
November 24| | vs. Yale|

* Polo Grounds
* New York, NY (rivalry)

| T 0–0| 10,000| [11]

## Game summaries[edit]

### November 4: Princeton 1, Michigan 0[edit]

The Michigan Wolverines toured the east in 1881, playing the first games between western and eastern teams.[12] Michigan played at Harvard on October 31 and at Yale on November 2, 1881, losing both games.[13] The trip was planned to end after the Yale game, however a Princeton representative attended the game in New Haven and challenged Michigan to a game in two days. Michigan's captain and quarterback Walter S. Horton did not want to accept, but the team over-ruled him. Horton then refused to play, and substitute Henry S. Mahon had to fill in for him.[14]

Michigan forward Fred Townsend wrote about the game in 1901, reporting that Princeton scored a goal in the first half on a long kick aided by the wind. Michigan could not score any goals or touchdowns throughout the contest, while late in the second half Princeton scored two touchdowns.[14] A New Jersey newspaper reported: "The Princeton College team were victorious Thursday [sic] in a football match with the team of the University of Michigan after an exciting struggle."[15] The Daily State Gazette wrote: "A finely contested game of football at the University grounds Friday, between Princeton and University of Michigan resulted in a victory for the home team, Princeton 1 goal, 2 touchdowns; University of Michigan 0."[16]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "National Poll Champions" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2017. p. 110. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
2. ^ "1881 Princeton Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
3. ^ "Championships - Tigers Football". princetontigersfootball.com. Princeton University. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
4. ^ "All Time Captains". www.princetontigersfootball.com. Princeton University. September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
5. ^ "All-Time Princeton Results" (PDF). goprincetontigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
6. ^ "Princeton Beats Rutgers At Football". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. October 18, 1881. p. 1. Retrieved March 30, 2022 - via Newspapers.com .
7. ^ "Collegians At Foot-Ball". The New York Times. New York, NY. November 11, 1881. p. 1. Retrieved May 1, 2020 - via Newspapers.com .
8. ^ "College Men At Football". New-York Tribune. New York, NY. November 13, 1881. p. 2. Retrieved March 30, 2022 - via Newspapers.com .
9. ^ "Columbia's Boys Beaten". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 13, 1881. p. 7. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
10. ^ "Fine Foot-ball Playing". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 20, 1881. p. 16. Retrieved September 8, 2021 - via Newspapers.com .
11. ^ "Princeton Faces Yale: Playing Foot-Ball in a Freezing Wind". The New York Times. November 25, 1881. p. 5 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Football - A Timeline of Tradition". Harvard University. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
13. ^ "1881 Michigan Football Team". University of Michigan. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
14. ^ a b Townsend, Fred (1901). "The First Eastern Trip" (PDF). Inlander. University of Michigan.
15. ^ "Foot Ball". The Daily Times. New Brunswick, NJ. November 5, 1881.
16. ^ "Princeton Items". Daily State Gazette. New Jersey. November 7, 1881.

* v
* t
* e

1881 Princeton Tigers football--national champions

* P. T. Bryan
* J. T. Haxall

* v
* t
* e

Princeton Tigers football

Venues|

* University Field (1876–1913)
* Palmer Stadium (1914–1996)
* Powers Field at Princeton Stadium (1998–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Legacy Bowl
* Harvard
* Penn
* Rutgers
* Yale

Culture & lore|

* First American football game (painting)
* 1922 Chicago game
* Poe brothers
* The Tiger
* "Princeton Cannon Song"
* Winged football helmet

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1869
* 1870
* 1871
* 1872
* 1873
* 1874
* 1875
* 1876
* 1877
* 1878
* 1879
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882
* 1883
* 1884
* 1885
* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
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* 1903
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* 1905
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* 1907
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* 1909
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* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
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* 1939
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* 1975
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* 1981
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National championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
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College football national champions (pre-AP Poll)

1869–1879|

* 1869: Princeton / Rutgers
* 1870: Princeton
* 1871: None
* 1872: Princeton
* 1873: Princeton
* 1874: Yale
* 1875: Harvard
* 1876: Yale
* 1877: Yale
* 1878: Princeton
* 1879: Princeton

1880s|

* 1880: Princeton / Yale
* 1881: Yale
* 1882: Yale
* 1883: Yale
* 1884: Yale
* 1885: Princeton
* 1886: Yale
* 1887: Yale
* 1888: Yale
* 1889: Princeton

1890s|

* 1890: Harvard
* 1891: Yale
* 1892: Yale
* 1893: Princeton
* 1894: Yale
* 1895: Penn
* 1896: Lafayette / Princeton
* 1897: Penn
* 1898: Harvard
* 1899: Harvard

1900s|

* 1900: Yale
* 1901: Michigan
* 1902: Michigan
* 1903: Michigan / Princeton
* 1904: Michigan / Penn
* 1905: Chicago
* 1906: Princeton
* 1907: Yale
* 1908: LSU / Penn
* 1909: Yale

1910s|

* 1910: Harvard / Pittsburgh
* 1911: Penn State / Princeton
* 1912: Harvard / Penn State
* 1913: Harvard
* 1914: Army
* 1915: Cornell
* 1916: Pittsburgh
* 1917: Georgia Tech
* 1918: Michigan / Pittsburgh
* 1919: Harvard / Illinois / Notre Dame / Texas A&M

1920s|

* 1920: California
* 1921: California / Cornell
* 1922: California / Cornell / Princeton
* 1923: Illinois / Michigan
* 1924: Notre Dame
* 1925: Alabama
* 1926: Alabama / Stanford
* 1927: Illinois / Yale
* 1928: Georgia Tech
* 1929: Notre Dame

1930s|

* 1930: Alabama / Notre Dame
* 1931: USC
* 1932: USC
* 1933: Michigan
* 1934: Minnesota
* 1935: Minnesota

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties