# Michigan State Normal Normalites football, 1891–1899

The Michigan State Normal Normalites football teams (later known as the Eastern Michigan Eagles) represented the Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) in American football during the program's first decade from 1891 to 1899. Highlights of the decade include the following:
* On October 24, 1891, the school played its first game, losing by a 30–4 score to Ann Arbor High School.
* In 1892, the team achieved the first two victories in program history, defeating the Michigan junior laws (6–4) and Albion College (30–10).
* The 1896 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team compiled a 5–1 record and won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. The sole loss was to the Michigan Wolverines.
The team's most common opponents of the 1890s were Ann Arbor High School (seven games), the University of Michigan (four games), Albion College (three games), Hillsdale College (three games), the Toledo YMCA (three games), Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University, two games), the Detroit Athletic Club (two games), and Ypsilanti High School (two games).

## 1891

The 1891 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1891 college football season. In the first season of intercollegiate football at Michigan Normal, the Normalites played only two games, losing to Ann Arbor High School (30–3) and the University of Michigan literary team (30–0). James M. Swift was the team's coach.
The school's 1893 yearbook credits coach Swift with introducing "scientific football" to the school.
The Detroit Free Press reported on the first Michigan Normal football game as follows: "Today witnessed the inaugural game of foot ball in this city [Ypsilanti] between the Ann Arbor High School and the Normals. The Normals began practicing less than a fortnight ago with some good material, including Paton, formerly manager of athletic sports at Oberlin College, and Swift, of Massachusetts, a noted player. Dergan, the norma sprinter, has turned out to be an excellent quarter-back, and the entire team with little practice will surely develop into a winning eleven." Dorgan scored a touchdown in the first half (counting for four points at that time) for the first points scored in the program's history.
The players who participated in Michigan Normal's first season of college football included George H Adams, Walter M. Adrion, Frank E. Angevine, Frank E. Arthur, and James M. Swift.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 24 | Ann Arbor High School | Ypsilanti, MI | L 4–30 |
| | Michigan Lit | | L 0–30 |

## 1892

The 1892 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1892 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Dean W. Kelley, the Normalites compiled a record of 2–1 and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 36 to 30. George L. Wilson was the team captain.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 15 | at Ann Arbor High School | Ann Arbor, MI | L 0–16 |
| | at Michigan junior laws | Ann Arbor, MI | W 6–4 |
| October 29 | Albion | Ypsilanti, MI | W 30–10 |
| November 10 | at Michigan Athletic Association | Detroit, MI | Cancelled |

## 1893

The 1893 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1893 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Ernest P. Goodrich, the Normalites compiled a record of 4–2, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 116 to 100. J. M. Swift was the team captain.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| | Lit. Students '96 | Ypsilanti, MI | W 16–8 |
| October 28 | at Hillsdale | Hillsdale, MI | L 0–28 |
| November 4 | at Detroit High School | Fair groundsDetroit, MI | W 14–10 |
| November 11 | Ann Arbor High School | Ypsilanti, MI | W 42–12 |
| November 18 | Michigan Military Academy | Ypsilanti, MI | L 22–36 |
| | at Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, IN | W 22–6 |

## 1894

The 1894 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1894 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Verne S. Bennett, the Normalites compiled a record of 5–2 and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 176 to 70. Charles D. Livingston was the team captain.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| September 29 | Ann Arbor High School* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 18–0 |
| October 6 | at Olivet | Olivet, MI | L 0–48 |
| October 13 | Michigan reserves* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 18–4 |
| October 27 | Ypsilanti High School* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 36–0 |
| November 3 | Toledo Athletic Association* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 76–0 |
| November 17 | at Michigan Athletic Association* | Detroit, MI | W 18–6 |
| November 24 | at Ann Arbor High School | Ann Arbor, MI | L 10–12 |
| *Non-conference game |||||

## 1895

The 1895 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1895 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Marcus Cutler, the Normalites compiled a record of 3–3, and outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 119 to 54. Benjamin J. Watters was the team captain.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 4 | at Atlantis | | W 9–8 |
| October 5 | at Ann Arbor High School | Ann Arbor, MI | W 32–0 |
| October 12 | at Michigan reserves | Ann Arbor, MI | L 0–10 |
| October 26 | at St. Mary's | | L 10–24 |
| November 2 | Michigan Lits | Ypsilanti, MI | W 56–6 |
| November 16 | at Detroit Athletic Club | Detroit, Michigan | L 12–16 |

## 1896

The 1896 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1896 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Fred W. Green, the Normalites compiled a record of 5–1, shut out five of six opponents, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 116 to 18. Benjamin J. Watters was the team captain.
As of September 27, 1896, as the football season began, the enrollment at Michigan State Normal School was approximately 800 students.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| September 27 | Hillsdale | Ypsilanti, MI | W 18–0 |
| October 3 | at Michigan* | Regents FieldAnn Arbor, MI | L 0–18 |
| October 17 | at Ann Arbor High School* | Ann Arbor, MI | W 30–0 |
| November 7 | Albion | Ypsilanti, MI | W 52–0 |
| November 14 | Detroit Athletic Club* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 10–0 |
| November 26 | Ypsilanti Stars* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 6–0 |
| *Non-conference game |||||

## 1897

The 1897 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1897 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Andrew Bird Glaspie, the Normalites compiled a record of 2–3 and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 62 to 36. George L. Wilson was the team captain.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 25 | Michigan alumni | Ypsilanti, MI | W 24–0 | |
| October 2 | at Michigan | Regents FieldAnn Arbor, MI | L 0–24 | 1,200 |
| October 30 | at Albion | Albion, MI | L 0–18 | |
| November 6 | at Toledo YMCA | Toledo, OH | W 12–4 | |
| November 30 | Kalamazoo | Ypsilanti, MI | L 0–16 | |

## 1898

The 1898 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal School (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1898 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Enoch Thorne, the Normalites compiled a record of 1–5–2, failed to score in five of eight games played, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 100 to 19. Fred Q. Gorton was the team captain.
Enrollment at Michigan State Normal reached 915 students in October 1898.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 1 | at Michigan* | Regents FieldAnn Arbor, MI | L 0–25 |
| October 8 | Michigan Agricultural | Ypsilanti, MI | L 6–11 |
| October 15 | at Toledo YMCA* | Toledo, OH | L 0–16 |
| October 29 | Toledo YMCA* | Ypsilanti, MI | T 0–0 |
| November 12 | Alumni* | Ypsilanti, MI | T 0–0 |
| November 15 | at Ypsilanti High School* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 7–0 |
| November 19 | at Michigan Agricultural | East Lansing, MI | L 6–24 |
| | at Hillsdale | Hillsdale, MI | L 0–24 |
| *Non-conference game |||||

## 1899

The 1899 Michigan State Normal Normalites football team represented Michigan State Normal College (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1899 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach Dwight Watson, the Normalites compiled a record of 1–1–1 and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 29 to 23. George L. Wood was the team captain. They played the University of Michigan freshman team to 5-5 tie, lost to Michigan Agricultural College by an 18-0 score, and defeated the Toledo YMCA team, 24-0.

### Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
| October 30 | at Michigan freshmen* | Ann Arbor, MI | T 5–5 |
| November 11 | Michigan Agricultural | Ypsilanti, MI | L 0–18 |
| November 18 | Toledo YMCA* | Ypsilanti, MI | W 24–0 |
| *Non-conference game |||||