In 1891, OSU played its second football season. The majority of the football season took place in Columbus, Ohio. It was slightly improved as Ohio State was 2-3 compared with 1-4 in 1890, though the Buckeyes were still squarely in the leather helmet era. These records are still not what the modern-day football team attains. 133 years ago, football was shaped the same way, but the game barely resembles how it is now. Here is the roster and schedule for OSU in 1891. Also, the other college football teams at the time were reviewed, and there was one surprising result.
1891 OSU Football Roster
Unlike the Ohio State team in 1890, the 1891 OSU team played only in the fall. There was also a lot of roster turnover, so we needed to list everyone who was on the roster.
All of the players on the team in 1891 have left this world. The roster for the 1891 OSU football team follows. The good thing, in contraposition to 1890, is that we know the starters and substitutes. Some of the starters on the 1891 OSU football team were Clarence Withoft, Harrison Hutchinson Richardson (he was also on the football team in 1890), Paul Martyn Lincoln, Charles S Powell, James Stewart Hine, Louis C Ernst, Raymond Edward Leo Krumm (he was the quarterback), George Domer Pearce, Arthur H Kennedy, Austin Peter Gillen, and G Smith. That is not the complete list of 1891 OSU football team starters.
Some of the substitutes on the 1891 OSU football team were William Nicholas Zurfluh, Mortimer William Lawrence, Renick W. Dunlap, Frederick Douglas Patterson, J.J. Walsh, and Frank Haas.
Alexander Lilly was the coach of the 1891 OSU football team and a player on the team.
1891 College Football Scene
Similar to 1890, it is odd to see the list of colleges with teams in college football at the time. Twenty-two teams played college football in 1891. There were several who are currently in the Big Ten conference, including the University of Michigan, whom the OSU team did not play in 1891. Nebraska, Minnesota, Northwestern, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin were also playing.
The teams that played in 1891 that are not in the current Big Ten Conference included Ohio Wesleyan, Kansas (who was 7-0-1), Missouri, Lake Forest, Washington University, Cincinnati, Doane, Iowa College, Miami of Ohio, Case (which must have become Case Western Reserve), Buthchel, Washburn, and Michigan Normal College. The teams are listed in order of their record in 1891.
1891 OSU Football Record
The 1891 OSU football team lost its first three games in an inauspicious beginning of the season. The Buckeyes lost the first game of the 1891 season to Otterbein 42-6. Ohio State lost its second game 50-6 to [Case] Western Reserve, and the Buckeyes also lost the third game they played in the 1891 season 26-0 at Keyon. Ohio State turned their season around, winning the fourth game 8-4 against Dennison in a pitcher’s dual. Ohio State also won its fifth and final game of the 1891 season, 4-0, against Butcher. Another Pitcher’s dual.
Conclusion
This is the second in a series of articles on Ohio State football’s history. This article is about the 1891 OSU football team; the next one will be about the 1892 OSU football team. The 1891 OSU football team improved slightly but still failed to attain the lofty accomplishments of the current-day Buckeyes.
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