# 1901 college football season

The 1901 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with NCAA-designated "major selectors" retroactively selecting Michigan and Harvard as national champions. The NCAA records book also erroneously lists Yale as Parke H. Davis's selection. Harvard beat Yale 22–0 the last game of the year.
* ↑ The NCAA Record Book states "Yale" for 1901 as having been solely selected by Parke Davis, which is an error that has been perpetuated since the first appearance of Parke Davis' selections in the NCAA book about 1995.
* ↑ Parke Davis' selection for 1901, as published in Spalding's Foot Ball Guide (to which he was a contributor until his death) for 1934 and 1935, was Harvard.

## Conference and program changes

| School | 1900 Conference | 1901 Conference |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | SIAA | Independent |
| Louisiana Industrial Bulldogs | Program Established | Independent |
| Oklahoma A&M Aggies | Program established | Independent |
| Stetson Hatters | Program established | Independent |

## Rose Bowl

The very first collegiate football bowl game was played following the 1901 season. Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game" what is now known as the Rose Bowl Game was first played on January 1, 1902, in Pasadena, California. Michigan defeated Stanford 49–0.

## Conference standings
### Major conference standings

1901 Colorado Football Association standings :
| 1901 Colorado Football Association standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Colorado $ 2 –0 –05 –1 –1 Colorado College 2 –1 –05 –1 –0 Colorado Mines 1 –2 –01 –4 –0 Colorado Agricultural 0 –2 –01 –2 –0 $ – Conference championColorado vs. Colorado Agricultural game not played due to alleged amateurism violation | 1901 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Vanderbilt $ 4 –0 –06 –1 –1 Clemson 2 –0 –13 –1 –1 LSU 2 –1 –05 –1 –0 North Carolina 2 –1 –07 –2 –0 Tulane 2 –1 –04 –2 –0 Alabama 2 –1 –22 –1 –2 Auburn 2 –2 –12 –3 –1 Tennessee 1 –1 –23 –3 –2 Mississippi A&M 1 –2 –02 –2 –1 Georgia 0 –3 –21 –5 –2 Cumberland (TN) 0 –1 –00 –3 –0 Kentucky State 0 –2 –02 –6 –1 Ole Miss 0 –4 –02 –4 –0 Texas 0 –0 –08 –2 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1901 Triangular Football League standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Williams $ 2 –0 –06 –4 –0 Wesleyan 1 –1 –03 –6 –1 Amherst 0 –2 –04 –6 –2 $ – Conference champion |
| 1901 Western Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Michigan + 4 –0 –011 –0 –0 Wisconsin + 2 –0 –09 –0 –0 Minnesota 3 –1 –09 –1 –1 Illinois 4 –2 –08 –2 –0 Northwestern 3 –2 –08 –2 –1 Indiana 1 –2 –06 –3 –0 Purdue 0 –3 –14 –4 –1 Chicago 0 –4 –18 –6 –2 Iowa 0 –3 –06 –3 –0 + – Conference co-champions |

### Independents

1901 Eastern college football independents records :
| 1901 Eastern college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Harvard   –  12 –0 –0 Yale   –  11 –1 –1 Cornell   –  11 –1 –0 Dartmouth   –  10 –1 –0 Massachusetts   –  9 –1 –0 Princeton   –  9 –1 –1 Syracuse   –  7 –1 –0 Holy Cross   –  7 –1 –1 Geneva   –  6 –1 –1 Army   –  5 –1 –2 Western U. of Penn   –  7 –2 –1 Lafayette   –  9 –3 –0 Swarthmore   –  8 –2 –2 Washington & Jefferson   –  6 –2 –2 Frankin & Marshall   –  7 –3 –1 Penn   –  10 –5 –0 Buffalo   –  4 –2 –0 Columbia   –  8 –5 –0 Fordham   –  2 –1 –1 Penn State   –  5 –3 –0 Bucknell   –  6 –4 –0 Pittsburgh College   –  3 –2 –0 Temple   –  3 –2 –0 NYU   –  4 –3 –1 Tufts   –  6 –6 –1 Vermont   –  5 –5 –1 Dickinson   –  3 –4 –0 Carlisle   –  5 –7 –1 Brown   –  4 –7 –1 Villanova   –  2 –3 –0 Drexel   –  2 –5 –1 Colgate   –  2 –5 –0 Boston College   –  1 –8 –0 Lehigh   –  1 –11 –0 New Hampshire   –  0 –6 –0 Rutgers   –  0 –7 –0 | 1901 Midwestern college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Saint Louis   –  10 –0 –0 North Dakota Agricultural   –  7 –0 –0 Marquette   –  4 –0 –1 Northern Illinois State   –  6 –1 –0 Notre Dame   –  8 –1 –1 Ohio Wesleyan   –  8 –2 –0 Kirksville Osteopaths   –  10 –3 –0 Nebraska   –  6 –2 –0 Ohio   –  6 –1 –2 Doane   –  3 –1 –0 Haskell   –  6 –2 –0 Lake Forest   –  10 –5 –0 Ohio State   –  5 –3 –1 Washington University   –  5 –3 –1 Ohio Medical   –  5 –3 –1 Iowa State Normal   –  5 –3 –2 South Dakota Agricultural   –  3 –2 –0 Beloit   –  5 –3 –3 Washburn   –  3 –2 –3 Carthage   –  1 –1 –0 Drake   –  4 –4 –0 Detroit College   –  3 –3 –0 Mount Union   –  5 –5 –1 Wittenberg   –  4 –4 –0 Kansas State   –  3 –4 –1 Michigan Agricultural   –  3 –4 –1 Iowa State   –  2 –6 –2 Kansas   –  3 –5 –2 Wabash   –  4 –7 –0 Fairmount   –  3 –6 –0 Heidelberg   –  1 –3 –1 Miami (OH)   –  1 –3 –1 Cincinnati   –  1 –4 –1 Case   –  2 –7 –0 Missouri   –  1 –6 –1 Butler   –  0 –1 –0 Chicago Eclectic Medical   –  0 –3 –0 | 1901 Southern college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Southwestern Louisiana Industrial   –  2 –0 –0 Stetson   –  1 –0 –0 Georgia Tech   –  4 –0 –1 Marshall   –  2 –0 –1 Kentucky University   –  7 –1 –1 VPI   –  6 –1 –0 Nashville   –  6 –1 –1 Virginia   –  8 –2 –0 Texas   –  8 –2 –1 Davidson   –  4 –2 –0 Baylor   –  5 –3 –0 Gallaudet   –  4 –2 –2 Sewanee   –  4 –2 –2 William & Mary   –  2 –1 –1 Navy   –  6 –4 –1 VMI   –  4 –3 –0 Oklahoma   –  3 –2 –0 West Virginia   –  3 –2 –0 Delaware   –  5 –4 –0 Georgetown   –  3 –3 –2 Kendall   –  2 –2 –0 Spring Hill   –  0 –0 –1 Wilmington Conference Academy   –  2 –2 –0 Oklahoma A&M   –  2 –3 –0 South Carolina   –  3 –4 –0 Arkansas   –  3 –5 –0 Add-Ran   –  1 –2 –1 Furman   –  1 –2 –1 Chilocco   –  2 –5 –0 North Carolina A&M   –  1 –2 –0 Texas A&M   –  1 –4 –0 Maryland   –  1 –7 –0 Richmond   –  1 –7 –0 Florida Agricultural   –  0 –1 –0 Louisiana Industrial   –  0 –2 –0 Tusculum   –   – |
| 1901 Far West college football independents records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wyoming   –  1 –0 –0 California   –  9 –0 –1 Arizona   –  4 –1 –0 Washington Agricultural   –  4 –1 –0 Utah   –  3 –1 –0 Montana Agricultural   –  2 –1 –0 New Mexico A&M   –  2 –1 –0 Utah Agricultural   –  3 –2 –0 Stanford   –  3 –2 –2 Washington   –  4 –3 –0 Nevada State   –  3 –3 –0 Oregon   –  3 –4 –1 Montana   –  2 –3 –0 New Mexico   –  0 –3 –1 USC   –  0 –2 –0 |

### Minor conferences

| Conference | Champion(s) | Record |
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Olivet | 7–0 |

## Awards and honors
### All-Americans

The consensus All-America team included:
| Position | Name | Height | Weight (lbs.) | Class | Hometown | Team |
| QB | Charles Dudley Daly | 5'7" | 152 | Jr. | Boston, Massachusetts | Army |
| HB | Robert Kernan | | | Jr. | Brooklyn, New York | Harvard |
| HB | Harold Weekes | 5'10" | 178 | Jr. | Oyster Bay, New York | Columbia |
| HB | Bill Morley | 5'10" | 166 | Sr. | Cimarron, New Mexico | Columbia |
| FB | Blondy Graydon | | | Jr. | Cincinnati, Ohio | Harvard |
| E | Dave Campbell | 6'0" | 171 | Sr. | Waltham, Massachusetts | Harvard |
| E | Ralph Tipton Davis | 5'7" | 168 | So. | Blossburg, Pennsylvania | Princeton |
| T | Oliver Cutts | | | Sr. | North Anson, Maine | Harvard |
| T | Paul Bunker | 5'11" | 186 | Jr. | Alpena, Michigan | Army |
| G | Bill Warner | 6'4" | 210 | Jr. | Springville, New York | Cornell |
| G | William George Lee | | | Sr. | Leavenworth, Kansas | Harvard |
| C | Henry Holt | | | Jr. | Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx, New York | Yale |
| C | Walter E. Bachman | | | Sr. | Phillipsburg, New Jersey | Lafayette |
| G | Charles A. Barnard | | | Sr. | Washington, D. C. | Harvard |
| G | Sanford Hunt | | | So. | Irvington, New Jersey | Cornell |
| T | Crawford Blagden | | | Sr. | New York, New York | Harvard |
| E | Edward Bowditch | | | So. | Albany, New York | Harvard |
| E | Neil Snow | 5'8" | 190 | Sr. | Detroit, Michigan | Michigan |

### Statistical leaders

* Player scoring most points: Bruce Shorts, Michigan, 123
* Rushing leader: Willie Heston, Michigan, 684
* Rushing avg. leader: Willie Heston, 10.2
* Rushing touchdowns leader: Willie Heston, 20