The 1894 Nebraska Bugeaters football team represented the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

in the

1894 college football season The 1894 college football season was the season of American football played among colleges and universities in the United States during the 1894–95 academic year. The 1894 Yale Bulldogs football team compiled a perfect 16–0 record, outscore ...

. The team was coached by second-year head coach

Frank Crawford Frank Crawford (March 12, 1870 – November 25, 1963) was an American college football coach, lawyer, and law professor. He served as the first full-time head football coach at both Michigan and Nebraska, and also coached Wisconsin, Baker, and Tex ...

and played their home games at the "M" Street Park in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. They competed as members of the

Western Interstate University Football Association The Western Interstate University Football Association (WIUFA) was one of the first intercollegiate Conference (sports), athletic conferences in the United States, existing from 1892 to 1897. Formation, history and evolution The football teams fro ...

. For the first time in program history, Nebraska started the season with a returning head coach. Crawford left after the season to become the head football coach at

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. NU played a pre-season exhibition game against Lincoln High.

Schedule

Coaching staff

Roster

Game summaries

Lincoln High

For the first time, Nebraska played an exhibition game prior to the regular season. Results and statistics from this game did not count toward the season.

Grinnell

Grinnell had won four of the previous five Iowa state championships prior to their first game against Nebraska. A hard-fought first half ended scoreless, but the underdog Bugeaters used three second-half touchdowns by George Flippin to pull away.

Doane

Doane scored once in each half to upset the Bugeaters.

At Missouri

Nebraska's first conference game in 1894 was a trip to Missouri. The Tigers won 18–14.

At Omaha YMCA

Nebraska's first-ever football game was a tightly contested game against the Omaha YMCA, but by 1894 the Bugeaters outmatched the YMCA's team of high school students and other Omaha residents. Nebraska led 30–0 lead at halftime, and won the game 36–6.

At Kansas

An officiating dispute delayed kickoff, but once underway Kansas took an early 6–0 lead. The Bugeaters pulled ahead 8–6 by halftime and kept the Jayhawks off the scoreboard in the second half to win for the first time against Kansas. University of Kansas records suggest this game was played on November 22, 1894 in Lincoln.

At Ottawa

Though the game was planned just one week ahead of time, efforts were made to publicize the match, drawing over 400 locals from the area to watch. Nebraska padded its roster in preparation, adding head coach Frank Crawford as a quarterback and another (unnamed) football coach as a fullback. Nebraska's first half touchdown was the only scoring of the day. This was the only game ever played between Nebraska and Ottawa.

Iowa

Nebraska's final conference game was a trip to Omaha to meet Iowa. Nebraska, led by future

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

governor and

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...

George Dern, dominated the game en route to a 36–0 win. The win gave Nebraska a share of its first conference championship. University of Iowa records suggest the final score of this game was a 14–12 Nebraska victory.

At Omaha YMCA

After a dominating Nebraska victory just weeks prior, the Omaha YMCA nearly upset the Bugeaters in a Christmas Day rematch. The YMCA led 6–0 at halftime but Nebraska answered with 10 points in the second half to win.

References

{{Western Interstate University Football Association champions

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Nebraska Cornhuskers football seasons Nebraska Bugeaters football