Sunday, August 09, 2015

When Linfield resumed football in 1922

In 1896, McMinnville College played its first football game in a two game season. 

McMinnville played games in the 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904 and 1905 seasons. Then, after the 1905 season, the sport was suspended by the Linfield Board of Trustees.

(In Jan. 1922, McMinnville College became Linfield College.)

Here’s some of what Linfield Oak Leaves yearbooks say concerning Linfield’s reinstatement of football starting with the 1922 season:

1922 Oak Leaves:

After sixteen years, football will again be played at Linfield. Sixteen years ago, the roughness of the game and the death of one student here coming as direct result of football, caused the administration to put a ban on the game until such time as the rules had changed sufficiently to warrant the reinstatement of the spot. This year the board voted to allow football to be played here again and left the time of reinstatement with President Riley. Dr. Riley has decided to start football again next fall with two intercollegiate games to be played late in the season and with the introduction of class football.

1923 Oak Leaves:

Last year the Trustees of the College voted to permit the playing of football once more, leaving the time of reinstatement with President Riley. Dr. Riley decided to permit the booking of two inter-collegiate games in the athletic program for this year.

The season started out with a good supply of first class equipment, an excellent coaching staff, and a lot of green players.  The turn-out was large but most of the men had very little experience. But what was lacking in experience was made up with fighting grit, stick-to-it-iveness, and the indomitable Linfield Spirit.

Several practice games were played with the local high school boys thus giving the boys a taste of the real games which were coming.

According to the 1923 Oak Leaves, the Linfield team, led by Coach Maurice Pettit, won its first game, 20-0 over Pacific College (now called George Fox University). According to a story in the Oregonian, that game was played on Linfield’s home field. So, was the second game and final game of the season. In it, part of Linfield Homecoming, Willamette beat Linfield, 36-0.  
.............

==LINFIELD FOOTBALL RECORD BOOK
shows Linfield's first game of the 1922 season as a 20-0 win over Pacific University.

==OREGONIAN Nov. 5, 1922, shows the first game of the 1922 season as a 20-0 victory over Pacific College. See below: