The 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season was the

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

games played by the members schools of the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

as part of 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 * ...

The season began on October 2. Conference play began on October 9 with

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

shutting out Clemson 24–0 in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. After the

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

game, Coach

R. G. Acton Robert Acton (July 26, 1867 – November 22, 1900) was Irish-American college football player and coach and physician. He attended Harvard Medical School and he played football as a left guard for the Crimson from 1893 to 1895 and was also a m ...

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's team ...

claimed the program's first ever conference title. This was followed by a challenge met by the other southern team to claim a championship,

South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

school

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

; which claims seven prior championships of the South. The game ended a 0–0 tie. Said Coach Acton, "It was the best game ever played in the South." Vanderbilt held all opponents scoreless. The Texas Longhorns averaged the most points per game in the conference. The 1897 season was one in which a member school,

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

, was barred from intercollegiate football participation by SIAA President, Dr. Dudley. This was part of a sanction handed down in response to the LSU game the previous season in which Tulane was forced to forfeit for having fielded an ineligible player. The season was also notable for the game Virginia played against Georgia, featuring the death of

Richard Von Albade Gammon Richard Von Albade Gammon (December 4, 1879 – October 31, 1897) was a University of Georgia football fullback who died after injuries sustained in a collegiate football game. Biography Richard Von Albade Gammon was born December 4, 1879 ...

Season overview

Results and team statistics

Key PPG = Average of points scored per game
PAG = Average of points allowed per game

Season overview

Results and team statistics

Regular season

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

Week Nine

Week Ten

Week Eleven

Week Twelve

Week Thirteen

Week Fourteen

Week Fifteen

Week Sixteen

References