1883 Football Team
| Overall Record: 2-3 | Conference Record: |
| Coach: No coach | |
| Captain: William J. Olcott | |
| Manager: Horace Prettyman | |
| Opponent | Date | Site | Result | Attend. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Independents | 5/12 | H | W | 40-5 | - |
| Wesleyan | 11/19 | A | L | 6-14 | - |
| Yale | 11/21 | A | L | 0-46 | 400 |
| Harvard | 11/22 | A | L | 0-3 | 500 |
| Stevens Institute | 11/27 | A | W | 17-5 | 200 |
| Total Points | 63-73 | ||||
The outcome of the Stevens Institute is disputed by some. Michigan has always claimed the victory, but Stevens partisans claim the final score was 5-1 in favor of the New Jersey school. The referee's confusion over the rules and several reversals of his own decisions led to the disputed claims.
For the Michigan acount of the game see articles from the Student newspapers:
Michigan Argonaut, Dec. 1, 1883
Michigan Chronicle, Dec. 8, 1883
Michigan Chronicle, Dec. 8, 1883 [includes an account by a Stevens student]
New York Times, Nov. 28, 1883 [gives Stevens as the winner by 5-1 score]
Richard Dott's account of 1881 and 1883 trips from Alumnus Magazine, Nov. 19, 1938
| Position | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| forwards |
Elmer Beach Harry Bitner Horace Prettyman Henry Killilea Hugh Borden Richard Dott | |
| quarterback | Tom McNeil | |
| halfbacks |
Robert Gemmell Albert Moore | |
| fullback | William Olcott | |
| substitutes | Tom Gilmore |
View full 1883 roster (from all-time roster database, includes non-lettermen and freshmen)
1883 Team Photo
view larger image
- Back Row
- Elmer Beach, Thomas Gilmore, Hugh Borden, Henry Killilea
- Middle Row
- Colin Wright, Raymond Beach, Horace Prettyman, Robert Gemmel
- Front row
- Richard Dott, William Olcott, Tom H. McNeal, Albert Moore, Henry S. Mahon