The 1897 Arizona Normal Normals football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that represented the Arizona Normal School (later renamed

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

) as an independent during the

1897 college football season The 1897 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing Penn and Yale as having been selected national champions. Conference and program changes Conference establishments * ...

. In its first season of varsity football, the Tempe Normal team compiled a 0–1 record, losing to the Phoenix Indian School by a 38 to 20 score. The team captain was Walter Shute. The Arizona Normal football program was organized by Frederick M. Irish who came to Arizona Normal School in 1896 as a science teacher after graduating from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. He remained the football coach at Arizona Normal for the program's first seven years.

Schedule

References

{{Arizona State Sun Devils football navbox Arizona Normal Arizona State Sun Devils football seasons College football winless seasons Arizona Normal Normals football