The 1881 Princeton Tigers football team represented the College of New Jersey, then more commonly known as

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

, in the

1881 college football season The 1881 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing Princeton and Yale as having been selected national champions National champions are corporations which are technica ...

. The team finished with a 7–0–2 record and was retroactively named national champion by the

Billingsley Report The Billingsley Report is a college football rating system developed in the late 1960s to determine a national champion. Billingsley has actively rated college football teams on a current basis since 1970. Beginning in 1999, Billingsley's ratings ...

and as co-national champion by Parke H. Davis. This season marked Princeton's 11th national championship in a 13-year period between 1869 and 1881. P. T. Bryan was the captain of the team. No goals were scored against the Tigers in 1881 and the season ended as it had for the fourth time in five years; a 0–0 tie against

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

in or near New York.

Schedule

Game summaries

November 4: Princeton 1, Michigan 0

The Michigan Wolverines toured the east in 1881, playing the first games between western and eastern teams. Michigan played at Harvard on October 31 and at Yale on November 2, 1881, losing both games. The trip was planned to end after the Yale game, however a Princeton representative attended the game in New Haven and challenged Michigan to a game in two days. Michigan's captain and quarterback Walter S. Horton did not want to accept, but the team over-ruled him. Horton then refused to play, and substitute Henry S. Mahon had to fill in for him. Michigan forward

Fred Townsend Frederick Townsend (July 1, 1862 – November 21, 1918) was an American football player, lawyer and politician. Townsend was born in 1862 at Albia, Iowa. He was the son of John Selby Townsend, a district judge and legislator in Iowa. Townse ...

wrote about the game in 1901, reporting that Princeton scored a goal in the first half on a long kick aided by the wind. Michigan could not score any goals or touchdowns throughout the contest, while late in the second half Princeton scored two touchdowns. A New Jersey newspaper reported: "The Princeton College team were victorious Thursday icin a football match with the team of the University of Michigan after an exciting struggle." The ''Daily State Gazette'' wrote: "A finely contested game of football at the University grounds Friday, between Princeton and University of Michigan resulted in a victory for the home team, Princeton 1 goal, 2 touchdowns; University of Michigan 0."

References

{{College Football National Champion pre-AP Poll navbox

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

Princeton Tigers football seasons College football national champions College football undefeated seasons

Princeton Tigers football The Princeton Tigers football program represents Princeton University and competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I Football Championship, Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member ...