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:
