1917 Denver Ministers football team
The 1917 Denver Ministers football team represented the University of Denver as a member of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) during the 1917 college football season. In their third season under head coach John Fike, the Ministers compiled a perfect 9–0 record (6–0 against conference opponents), shared the RMC championship with Utah Agricultural, and outscored opponents by a total of 226 to 45.[1]
| 1917 Denver Ministers football | |
|---|---|
RMC co-champion | |
| Conference | Rocky Mountain Conference |
| Record | 9–0 (6–0 RMC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Union Park |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denver $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Agricultural | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado Mines | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado College | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana State | 0 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 0 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado Agricultural | 0 | – | 7 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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At the end of the season, both Denver and Utah Agricultural were undefeated against RMC opponents. A game between the two teams was proposed to determine an undisputed conference champion, but Denver's faculty ruled against the game. Denver officials claimed the title and asserted that the Utah Aggies "have a right to claim nothing more than a tie for the honors."[2][3]
The 1917 team compiled the only perfect season in the program's history.[4]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 6 | Camp Logan* | Denver, CO | W 45–0 | |||
| October 13 | Montana State | Denver, CO | W 33–7 | |||
| October 20 | Colorado | Denver, CO | W 7–0 | |||
| October 27 | at Colorado Agricultural | Fort Collins, CO | W 10–6 | |||
| November 3 | at Wyoming | Laramie, WY | W 18–0 | |||
| November 10 | at Kendall* |
| W 20–19 | [5] | ||
| November 17 | Colorado Mines |
| W 51–0 | [6] | ||
| November 24 | at Colorado Teachers* | Greeley, CO | W 14–6 | |||
| November 29 | Colorado College | Denver, CO | W 28–7 | |||
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References
edit- ^ "1917 Denver Pioneers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- ^ "Denver 'U' Cancels Game with Aggies". The Salt Lake Telegram. December 1, 1917. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ In games against three common conference opponents (Colorado, Wyoming, and Colorado A&M), Utah State won by a total margin of 120 points; Denver defeated the same three opponents by a total margin of only 31 points.
- ^ "Denver Pioneers School History". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
- ^ "One Point Gives Denver University Victory Over Kendall Collegians". Tulsa Daily World. November 11, 1917. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Denver University Defeats Miners, 51-0". Salt Lake Telegram. Salt Lake City, Utah. United Press. November 18, 1917. p. 8. Retrieved September 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
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