Phil C
07-24-2008, 03:31 PM
That was the first football game UT ever played and it was on a Thanksgiving Thursday as Thanksgiving then was on November 30th. The team consisted of several players who coached themselves as there was no head coach that year and they were to play four games. That year some Texas players decided to form a team and the Dallas Club Football Team invited them to Dallas to play a game at the Dallas fairgrounds. Dallas was considered the Football Champions of Texas since they had not lost a game in several years and had been unscored on most of the times. Touchdowns and scoring was different then so I don't know what was used in these early games.
The Texas team caught a very early train to Dallas that day and then scored first on a strange play. On what was to be UT's first ever touchdown RB Adison Day ran to the goal and was hit before he crossed the goal line and fumbled. OL and Captain James Morrison picked up the ball and crossed the goal giving us our first td ever. This was legal then. Day was to score the rest of the points. Dallas kept fighting back and got ahead 16 to 12 but Texas scored last to go ahead 18 to 16 and held on to win. I think they had 45 minute quarters back then. After the game one of the Dallas players bowed his head and said "Our glory is over." and then went home. The UT team caught a train back to Austin. The crowd was estimated at 2000 which was the largest crowd up at that point to see a football game in Texas.
UT had four more games that year and were not to be scored on. On December 10, 1893 (Sunday) they beat another football club from San Antonio in Austin. Final UT 30 San Antonio 0. The teams had a rematch on February 3, 1894 (Saturday) in San Antonio with the final being Texas 34 San Antonio 0. There was another rematch with Dallas played in Austin on February 22, 1894 (Thursday) with the final this time being Texas 16 Dallas 0. This was the last game of our first season. It was the start of something big. Texas was to be one of the most successful college programs over the next 115 years and still counting. It was the start so far of 4 national champions, 2 Heisman Trophy winners, many top teams, many all-americans, many conference championships as well as many other awards and recognitions.
If anyone can help provide more research or links or information please post them. This was the best I could do and some of it is word of mouth. I couldn't find much information on research but this first game was the start of something big that even those players that caught that early train to Dallas in 1893 probably didn't realize what they were starting.
The Texas team caught a very early train to Dallas that day and then scored first on a strange play. On what was to be UT's first ever touchdown RB Adison Day ran to the goal and was hit before he crossed the goal line and fumbled. OL and Captain James Morrison picked up the ball and crossed the goal giving us our first td ever. This was legal then. Day was to score the rest of the points. Dallas kept fighting back and got ahead 16 to 12 but Texas scored last to go ahead 18 to 16 and held on to win. I think they had 45 minute quarters back then. After the game one of the Dallas players bowed his head and said "Our glory is over." and then went home. The UT team caught a train back to Austin. The crowd was estimated at 2000 which was the largest crowd up at that point to see a football game in Texas.
UT had four more games that year and were not to be scored on. On December 10, 1893 (Sunday) they beat another football club from San Antonio in Austin. Final UT 30 San Antonio 0. The teams had a rematch on February 3, 1894 (Saturday) in San Antonio with the final being Texas 34 San Antonio 0. There was another rematch with Dallas played in Austin on February 22, 1894 (Thursday) with the final this time being Texas 16 Dallas 0. This was the last game of our first season. It was the start of something big. Texas was to be one of the most successful college programs over the next 115 years and still counting. It was the start so far of 4 national champions, 2 Heisman Trophy winners, many top teams, many all-americans, many conference championships as well as many other awards and recognitions.
If anyone can help provide more research or links or information please post them. This was the best I could do and some of it is word of mouth. I couldn't find much information on research but this first game was the start of something big that even those players that caught that early train to Dallas in 1893 probably didn't realize what they were starting.