You may not know it for a few reasons, but today is the 130th anniversary of Ohio State football’s first-ever game. It took place on May 3, 1890 in a rather unassuming setting.
There are a few reasons you may not be giving it any thought today. First, college football has been played in the fall for as long as anyone can remember. Second, May the 4th is tomorrow, so that can hide a lot of things as we all discuss all things Star Wars. Even absent of those two things the current COVID-19 pandemic is on everyone’s minds.
So, we’ll forgive you.
Still, the first game in Ohio State football history was indeed played on this date 130 years ago against Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, OH. The Buckeyes played as a spring team for that game only, but it is an official contest. The team did not yet have a coach, but still won 20-14. After the game, the team did not play again until the fall when it participated in four more contests, losing them all.
Next … Facts about Ohio State’s first-ever football game
Here are some more interesting facts about that first historical contest and events surrounding it:
- Ohio Wesleyan invited the newly organized team to a contest as part of OWU’s May Day Weekend.
- The Ohio State team traveled to Delaware in horse-drawn wagons leaving Columbus at daybreak and returning by evening.
- There is a marker on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan commemorating the contest.
- The field where the game took place was eventually moved because the football often ended up in a creek just adjacent to the field.
- The game had to be played at Ohio Wesleyan because OWU faculty did not permit their students to play any intercollegiate games off-campus.
- A rulebook and ball were ordered from Spalding just prior to the contest by the Ohio State team.
Research and stats courtesy of the historical marking project and Ohio State Football: The Forgotten Dawn.
