Northwestern University Football History
While the history of Northwestern football has some ups and downs associated with it, the fact is that most of the school's history has been full of downs. By and large, Northwestern has been one of the most futile football teams in college football. However, there have been some bright spots throughout the years, as well. Despite the successes (or lack of them), Northwestern is one of the oldest football programs in the United States and features passionate fans.
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Early History
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Even though the first college football game was played in 1869, the game did not become a part of Northwestern University until 1882. Lake Forest College challenged Northwestern to a game that year and proposed a schedule that would allow one game at each school. Ominously, Northwestern lost the first game. However, the game in 1883 found Northwestern victorious.
Superstars
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There have not been many superstars that have come from Northwestern. Perhaps the best-known Northwestern football player was also its first superstar. Paddy Driscoll played for Northwestern beginning in 1915. Driscoll was an All-American fullback at northwestern. He later had a successful playing and coaching career in the NFL and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Other great players included Darnell Autry and Pat Fitzgerald.
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Bowl Games
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In the more than 100 years that Northwestern has had an established football team, the university has won only one bowl game--the 1949 Rose Bowl against California. Despite this, Northwestern has definitely seen more action in bowl games in recent years. Between 1949 and 1995, Northwestern played in zero bowl games. Between 1995 and 2008, Northwestern played in six bowl games, although the team has failed to win any of them. Northwestern narrowly lost the 2008 Alamo Bowl against Missouri in overtime with a final score of 23 to 30.
Successes
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Although Northwestern has had its share of poor seasons, there have been a few memorable successful seasons. There were points in the 1936 and 1962 seasons when the team was ranked No. 1 in the country. Likewise, the 1995 season came as a shock to college football watchers across the country. During this season, not only did Northwestern defeat Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State, but it also won the Big Ten conference championship and was ranked No. 3 in the country.
Identification
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Northwestern University's mascot is the wildcat. Their uniforms are purple and white. Their home uniform includes a white shirt, white pants, and purple lettering and wildcat logos. The home helmet is purple.
The players' uniforms for away games is the opposite. While the pants are still white and the helmets are still purple, the shirts are purple and the lettering and logos are white. Although modifications to the uniform and logo have been made over the years, the school's colors have not changed.
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