The Case Western Reserve Spartans football team is the varsity intercollegiate

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team representing the

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

, located in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, United States. They compete in the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) at the

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

level and hold dual membership in both the

Presidents' Athletic Conference The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Of its 11 current member schools, all private, liberal arts institutions of higher learning, nine are located in Western Pennsylvania. Th ...

(PAC) and the

University Athletic Association The University Athletic Association (UAA) is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. Member schools are highly selective universities located in Georgia, Illinois, Mis ...

(UAA). They are coached by

Greg Debeljak Greg Debeljak is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Case Western Reserve University, a position he has held since 2004. Debeljak and his Spartans compete at the NCAA Division III level as a member of th ...

. Home games are played at DiSanto Field. The team in its current form was created in 1970 after the federation of Western Reserve University and Case Institute of Technology.

History

Mascot names

Case, originally known as Case School of Applied Science, carried the name ''Scientists'' from 1918 to 1939. In 1940, the mascot was changed to the ''Rough Riders'', in honor of their head coach Ray A. Ride. Case formally updated their school name in 1947 to Case Institute of Technology. Western Reserve originally used the mascot ''Pioneers'' from 1921 to 1927, until being forced to change by

Marietta College Marietta College (MC) is a private liberal arts college in Marietta, Ohio. It offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across the arts, sciences, and engineering, as well as Physician Assistant, Psychology, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, an ...

, who claimed earlier usage of the namesake. The famous ''Red Cats'' mascot was then used beginning in 1928. Upon the merger of the two schools, the ''Spartans'' name was adopted in 1970, as the team is now known.

Pre-merger (1890–1969)

Western Reserve played its first season in 1890 and Case began the following year in 1891. Physically bordering each other, the two schools became instant rivals. From 1894–1953, the rivalry game was played mostly on Thanksgiving Day, creating a

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

tradition. Due to high civic interest and large crowds, the games were often held at larger

city venues, such as

League Park League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Dunham Street (now known as East 66th Street) and Lexington Avenue in the Hough, Cleveland, Hough neighborhood. It was built ...

and

Cleveland Municipal Stadium Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball an ...

. Western Reserve led the all-time series 49–20–5. In 1892, Western Reserve declined Clevelander

John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...

's offer to be their head coach, and then ironically faced him and his

Oberlin Yeomen Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest coeducational liberal arts college in the United States and the second oldest continuously operating coeducational institute of higher ...

during the season opener, getting destroyed 38–8. Western Reserve would have their revenge two years later in

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

, finally defeating

Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

while at home in

, ending the season with a 7–0 undefeated record. In fact, the team outscored opponents a combined 232–8, and posted five shutouts. Only Oberlin and

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

scored on Western Reserve that year. Interestingly, the undefeated 1893 Case team handed coach John Heisman his first career loss after he started his coaching career with a 13–0 record. Michigan Wolverines Case Western Reserve Spartans football 1916 John Maulbetsch

Michigan Wolverines Case Western Reserve Spartans football 1916 John Maulbetsch

When the

Ohio Athletic Conference The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) was formed in 1902 and is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States. Its current commissioner is Sarah Otey. Former commissioners include Mike Cleary, who was the first General Manager of a profe ...

was formed in 1902, Case dominated the early years winning its first four titles (1902–1905), posting a combined 18–1–1 league record, led by

Chester Orr Chester "Chet" Andrew Orr (December 6, 1882 – October 10, 1950) was an American football player and industrialist. Early life Chester Orr was born in Syracuse, New York, Syracuse, New York (state), New York on December 6, 1882. He graduated h ...

and

Peggy Parratt George Watson "Peggy" Parratt (March 21, 1883 – January 3, 1959) was a professional football player who played in the "Ohio League" prior to it becoming a part of the National Football League. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Parratt played quarterb ...

, a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

who would later throw the first forward pass in professional football history. The 1902 team scored the first touchdown against

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

's legendary coach

Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American football player, coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...

, who began his coaching career posting twelve consecutive shutouts. In fact, the headline in the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' referred not to Michigan's victory but instead read, "MICHIGAN'S GOAL LINE CROSSED." Western Reserve emerged to win league titles in both

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

and

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

, and again in

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

. Finally in OAC play, Case would win two more titles—first in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

, ironically losing only to Western Reserve who exited the conference in 1931—and another in

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

, again suffering their only loss to rival Western Reserve. Ohio State vs Case football 1918

Western Reserve is the only Ohio team with a winning record, 6–5–1, against the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

, playing from 1891–1934.

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

's only death of a player from game-related injuries, team captain John Sigrist, occurred against Western Reserve in 1901. Case Tech holds a 10–11–2 all-time record against the

, with Coach

Joe Fogg Joseph Graham Fogg (July 6, 1882 – December 2, 1946) was an American football player for the Wisconsin Badgers and the Akron East Ends. Born in Mount Vernon, Iowa, he was also the founder and president of the Cleveland Touchdown Club as well as ...

posting a perfect 4–0 record during his tenure. Famed Notre Dame coach,

Knute Rockne Knut (Norwegian and Swedish), Knud (Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used whi ...

, made his head coaching debut on September 28, 1918 against Case held at

University Circle University Circle is a district in the neighborhood of University on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. One of America's densest concentrations of cultural attractions and performing arts venues, it includes such world-class institutions as the Cl ...

's Van Horn Field. George "The Gipper" Gipp led the

Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

to a 26–6 victory rushing for two touchdowns. Although the home team could not play spoiler in his debut, Case lays claim to scoring the first touchdown against

Rockne The Rockne was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1932 to 1933. The brand was named for University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and were produced in Detroit, Michigan. U ...

. The AP story recounted the scoring drive: "Case scored in the opening period when brilliant open field running by Hale and a forward pass, Hale to Wolf, placed the ball on Notre Dame's two-yard line. Capt. McCune plunged over." In 1920, The

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

played their first ever game in the

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

's Van Horn Field against Case, mainly due to coach

Xen C. Scott Xenophon Cole "Xen" Scott (July 6, 1882 – April 21, 1924) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and a sportswriter. He served as the head football coach at Western Reserve University in 1910, at the Cas ...

, prior coach of both Case and Western Reserve, wanting to showcase his new team to the

audience.

had its own ''Big Four Conference'', which was formed in 1933 consisting of Baldwin-Wallace, Case Tech,

John Carroll John Carroll may refer to: People Academia and science *Sir John Carroll (astronomer) (1899–1974), British astronomer *John Alexander Carroll (died 2000), American history professor *John Bissell Carroll (1916–2003), American cognitive sci ...

, and Western Reserve. Some of the highest attended games in school history occurred during this decade, needing to be played at

and

to handle the larger crowds. The champion received the Douglas S. Campbell Trophy. Case Tech won the inaugural in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

and then Western Reserve won eight out of the next nine—

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

, and

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

. The local tradition came to an end due to the interruption of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The Bill Edwards era (1936–1941) propelled Western Reserve into the national spotlight, achieving three undefeated seasons (

, and

), a 28-game win streak, and the school's only bowl game — 1941 Sun Bowl, played Jan 1, 1941. The undefeated teams featured strong play from

Ray Zeh Raymond Fredrick Zeh (October 22, 1914 – December 23, 2003) was an American football quarterback and kicker who played college football for Western Reserve University—now known as Case Western Reserve University—from 1934 to 1936. During th ...

, Frank "Doc" Kelker,

Phil Ragazzo Philip John Ragazzo (June 24, 1915 – October 3, 1994) was an American football lineman who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the New York Giants. He played college football at ...

, Albie Litwak, Johnny Ries, Gene Myslenski,

Mike Rodak Michael Rodak (February 11, 1917 – December 31, 1980) was an American football player. Rodak, born in Orient, PA, played high school football for the Weir High School in Weirton, WV. He then played his college football at Western Reserve fr ...

Dick Booth Richard Thomas Booth (July 13, 1918 – November 25, 1987) was an American football player who played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions in 1941 and 1945. Booth was born in Newell, WV, before movi ...

, and Johnny Wilson. During the

1935 college football season The 1935 college football season was the last one before the Associated Press writers' poll was used in selecting the national champion. There were seven contemporary math system selectors that year who are informally recognized by the NCAA as "n ...

led the nation in

scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

with 112 points. Over his six-year tenure, Coach Edwards guided the team to a 49–6–2 (0.877) record, earning a spot in the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

before heading off to coach the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. After a short hiatus during

, football resumed in 1946 where Western Reserve pushed hard to elevate the program to the national stage scheduling teams such as

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

, Miami of Ohio,

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Michigan, Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region a ...

, Colgate,

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

, and Duquesne. In 1946, Western Reserve became a charter member with the formation of the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

, in conjunction with

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

, and Wayne State. Ohio’s first ever intercollegiate TV football game aired on October 23, 1948, where Western Reserve battled

to a 14-14 tie. In 1954, Western Reserve withdrew from the MAC, citing the need for the school to focus more energy on academics and the high cost of running a big time program spearheaded by President

John S. Millis John Schoff Millis (November 22, 1903 – January 1, 1988) was the tenth and last President of Western Reserve College, now Case Western Reserve University. Millis was born in Palo Alto, California on November 22, 1903. He entered the Unive ...

. In conjunction with reviving the Case Institute program who had disbanded in 1954, both teams helped form the

as charter members in 1955, with Western Reserve winning conference titles in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

, 1958, and 1960.

Post-merger (1970–present)

The football teams combined in 1970, a few years after the federation of the two universities. Both the Red Cats and Rough Riders names were dropped, and the new mascot, Spartans, was adopted. A new rivalry game emerged in 1970 against the

Carnegie Mellon Tartans Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

. In 1986, the annual game and trophy was officially dubbed the Academic Bowl. Another rivalry against the

College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

began in 1984, where the winner holds on to the

Baird Brothers Trophy The Baird Brothers Trophy is awarded the winner of the annual college football game between the Spartans of Case Western Reserve University and the Fighting Scots of The College of Wooster. The idea for the trophy originated with brothers ...

. The Spartans played in the PAC until 1983. The following season, they helped charter their fourth conference, the

North Coast Athletic Conference The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of colleges located in Ohio and Indiana. When founded in 1984, the league was a pioneer in gender equality, offering competition in a then-unprecede ...

. During the league's first year in 1984, the Spartans achieved a 9–0 undefeated season, winning the first conference title led by two-time All-American quarterback Fred DiSanto. The most successful coach by winning percentage in the post-merger era was Coach

Jim Chapman Jim Chapman may refer to: * Jim Chapman (congressman) (born 1945), American businessman and politician ** Jim Chapman Lake, a lake in Texas named after the politician * Jim Chapman (footballer) (born 1965), Scottish footballer * Jim Chapman (Intern ...

, who amassed a 36–7–1 (0.830) record from 1982–1986, including a 14-game win streak. In conjunction with other top research universities in the country,

became a charter member of its fifth and final conference, the

, being joined by the football teams of

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, and

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

in 1986. Conference titles were won in 1988 and 1996. The Spartans played as a member of both the NCAC and UAA, until finally departing the NCAC in 1999. In 2004, Coach

moved into the head coaching role, where he set and holds the record for most wins in post-merger era history. Within a few years, the Spartans achieved three consecutive 10–0 undefeated seasons in (2007, 2008, and 2009), which helped set an all-time school record of a 38-game regular season win streak, leading to the school's first NCAA DIII playoff appearances (2007, 2008, and 2009) and playoff win (2007). Six UAA conference titles (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016, and 2017) have been won. In 2017, he recorded another perfect 10–0 regular season, sharing the PAC conference title with

Washington and Jefferson Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washingt ...

, also earning another playoff victory. Coach

holds a 10–6 record against rival

Carnegie Mellon Carnegie may refer to: People * Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name * Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie *Carnegie Building (Troy, New York), on the campus of Rensselaer Polyt ...

. After a couple decade hiatus, the team rejoined the PAC in 2014 while retaining its membership in the UAA.

Postseason and conference championships

Conference titles

A total of eleven undefeated seasons have been recorded—Western Reserve (

, and

) and Case (

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

) both while Independent and Case Western Reserve while in the NCAC or UAA (

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, 2007, 2008, 2009, and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

). A total of 23 conference titles have been earned—9 ( OAC), 8 ( UAA), 5 ( PAC), and 1 ( NCAC).

1941 Sun Bowl

Arguably the most significant game in school history was played between Western Reserve University and

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 ...

in the 1941 Sun Bowl. For the Red Cats,

Steve Belichick Stephen Nickolas Belichick (January 7, 1919 – November 19, 2005) was an American football player, coach, and scout. He played college football at Western Reserve University, now known as Case Western Reserve University, from 1938 to 1940 and ...

, father of NFL coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

, scored the first touchdown. Johnny Ries led the Red Cats offense with two rushing touchdowns. Four other future NFL players played in the game for Western Reserve, Dom "Mickey" Sanzotta, Stan Skoczen,

, and Andy Logan. This would become both the only bowl game played and won in school history, ending in a 26-13 victory.

NCAA Division III playoffs

The Spartans reached the playoffs during the 2007, 2008, and 2009 seasons, led by quarterback

Dan Whalen Dan Whalen (born August 6, 1988) is a former American football quarterback from Willoughby, Ohio. High school career Dan played high school football at Willoughby South High School. He only started one year, leading the Rebels to a 10-0 regular ...

. The lone playoff victory during this stretch occurred in 2007, with a thrilling 21-20 victory over

Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...

In the first round of the 2017 playoffs, the Spartans traveled to and shut out Illinois Wesleyan 28-0. In the second round, they were defeated by 45-16 by Mount Union.

Conference affiliation

Founding charter members of five conferences: *

(OAC), 1902 (Case Tech and Western Reserve) *

(MAC), 1946 (Western Reserve) *

(PAC), 1955 (Case Tech and Western Reserve) *

(NCAC), 1984 (Case Western Reserve) *

(UAA), 1986 (Case Western Reserve) DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1890 till:2017 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<# Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:AssocF from:1890 till:1901 text:Independent (1890–1901) bar:3 color:AssocF from:1902 till:1931 text:

(1902–1931) bar:5 color:AssocF from:1932 till:1942 text:Independent (1932–1942) bar:7 color:AssocF from:1943 till:1945 text: No team (1943–1945) bar:9 color:AssocF from:1946 till:1954 text:

(1946–1954) bar:11 color:AssocF from:1955 till:1969 text:

(1955–1969) bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1891 till:1901 text:Independent(1891–1901) bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:1902 till:1948 text:

(1902–1948) bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:1949 till:1953 text:Independent (1949–1953) bar:8 color:OtherC2 from:1954 till:1954 text: No team (1954) bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:1955 till:1969 text:

(1955–1969) bar:12 color:Full from:1970 till:1983 text:

(1970–1983) bar:13 color:Full from:1984 till:1999 text:

(1984–1999) bar:14 color:Full from:1986 till:End text:

(1986–present) bar:15 shift:(-200,-5) color:Full from:2014 till:End text:

(2014–present) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1890 TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center) text:^"Conference history (1890–present)" #> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <#

Notable affiliates and alumni

—Father of

* Tom Davies * Bill Edwards—

inductee coach and former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

head coach of the

* Frank "Doc" Kelker—

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

All-American unable to play professional football due to existing

color barrier Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Internati ...

* Ray Mack (Mlckovsky)—Drafted in the 1938 NFL Draft by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

(Round 11, Pick 100), but declined to play

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Gordon McCarter Gordon McCarter (May 26, 1931 − December 20, 2002) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1967 to 1995. He joined the NFL as a line judge and back judge (now known as the field judge) in 1967 before being pro ...

* Frank Ryan Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Case 1967-1971, Quarterback

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

1962-1968 * Tommy Zagorski—Offensive Coordinator for

Akron Zips football Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

Lou Saban Louis Henry Saban (October 13, 1921 – March 29, 2009) was an American football player and coach. He played for Indiana University in college and as a professional for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference between 1946 a ...

—Former

head coach of

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

Mike Scarry Michael Joseph “Mo” Scarry (February 1, 1920 – September 9, 2012) was an American football player and coach. He grew up in Pennsylvania, and played football in college at Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania and went on to join t ...

Jerry Schuplinski Jerry Schuplinski (born April 4, 1977) is an American football coach who is the tight ends coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Jerry was an assistant coach for Case Western Reserve for six seasons before becomi ...

—Assistant quarterbacks coach for the

. *

Charley Winner Charley Winner (born July 2, 1924) is a former American football player and coach. Winner was born in Somerville, New Jersey and, during World War II, flew seventeen missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress plane, spending six weeks in a German prison ...

—Former

head coach of

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

Former NFL Players: * Johnny Badaczewski (1946 - 1953) *

(1941 - 1941) *

(1941 - 1945) * Hal "Candy" Carroll — Drafted in the 1956 NFL Draft by the

*Frank Civiletto (1923 - 1923) *Ken Fryer (1944 - 1944) * Erwin Grabisna—Drafted in the

1988 NFL Draft The 1988 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988, at the Marriot Marq ...

by the Raiders (Round 6, Pick 143).

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

champion (

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

) *Billy Gribben (1926 - 1926) *

Ed Kagy Edmund Leroy Kagy (April 21, 1889 – November 16, 1960) was a professional American football player in the Ohio League, which was the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League, from 1912 until 1915. During that time he played wit ...

(1912 - 1917) * Roger "Red" Kirkman (1933 - 1935) *

Bill Laub William John Laub (August 9, 1878 – January 1, 1963) was the Mayor of Akron, Ohio, 1916–17, and an early professional American football player-coach. Laub was the first head coach of the Canton Bulldogs (known then as the Canton Athletic Club) ...

(1902 - 1905), first head coach of the

Canton Bulldogs The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Leag ...

, former mayor of

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

Warren Lahr Warren Emmett Lahr (September 5, 1923 – January 19, 1969) was a professional American football defensive back who played for the Cleveland Browns for 11 seasons, mainly in the 1950s. When he retired, he had the most career interceptions in ...

(1949 - 1959)—

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...

, NFL Champion (3X), AAFC Champion *Bob Linn — Drafted in the

1952 NFL Draft The 1952 National Football League Draft was held on January 17, 1952, at Hotel Statler in New York. Selections made by New York Yanks were assigned to the new Dallas Texans. This was the sixth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick de ...

by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

*Andy Logan (1941 - 1941) *

Bill Lund William Harold Lund ( – ) was an American professional American football, football player who was a halfback (American football), halfback for two seasons for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Lund grew up i ...

(1946 - 1947)—AAFC Champion (2X) *

(1905 - 1916)—Credited for throwing the first legal

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...

in professional football history *

(1938 - 1947) *

(1939 - 1942) *

George Roman George Roman ( – ) was a professional American football defensive tackle who played three seasons for Boston Yanks/New York Bulldogs and New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL). Roman was born in Rankin, Pennsylvania and gr ...

(1948 - 1950) * Dom "Mickey" Sanzotta (1942 - 1946) *Stan Skoczen (1944 - 1944) * E. J. "Doc" Stewart (1903 - 1906) *Saul Weinberg (1923 - 1923) *

Del Wertz Dwight Lyman Moody "Del" Wertz (October 11, 1888 – May 26, 1958) was a right-handed baseball shortstop for the Buffalo Buffeds of the Federal League in 1914 and a professional football player in the Ohio League. Early life Dwight "Del" Wertz ...

(1912 - 1914) * Johnny Wilson (1939 - 1942) *Milton "Muff" Portmann (1915-1916)

References

External links

* {{Case Western Reserve University * American football teams established in 1890 1890 establishments in Ohio