A Legacy of Purple: Charting the History of Northwestern Wildcats Football

The Northwestern Wildcats football team represents Northwestern University, competing in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois, the Wildcats have a long and storied, albeit often challenging, history. This article delves into the key moments, figures, and trends that have shaped the Northwestern football program.

Early Years and Conference Founding

Football made its debut at Northwestern University on February 22, 1876, during an exhibition game between NU students and the Chicago Football Club. There was a growing interest for football on Northwestern's campus. Until Northwestern's first intercollegiate game against Lake Forest in 1882, football was played entirely as an intramural sport. From 1882 to 1887, the team mostly practiced and did not play teams outside of NU. In 1891, Sheppard Field-complete with a grandstand-was built at Northwestern and dedicated in 1892. Also in 1892, the university chose royal purple as the school's official color, and the team recorded its first significant win, beating Michigan 10-8.

In 1896, along with six other schools, Northwestern became a charter member of the Western Conference, the predecessor of the Big Ten. NU's first conference season was a huge success, posting a 46-6 win against then-powerhouse University of Chicago and finished second to Wisconsin. The team's success in 1896 carried through the turn of the century. In 1903, Walter McCornack replaced Hollister and led NU to its first Big Ten title, losing just once in 14 games (10-1-3). Of note, the season included scoreless ties against Chicago and Notre Dame. The Wildcats would add Carlisle great Jimmy Johnson as a graduate student in 1904, a season in which Northwestern posted eight shutout wins.

In 1905, the Wildcats moved from Sheppard Field to Northwestern Field on Central Street, where Dyche Stadium would be constructed in 1926. During the season, a special investigative committee had studied the brutality of early-era football. Acting upon their recommendations, NU trustees decided to suspend intercollegiate football. The school did not field a varsity football team in 1906 or 1907. Football returned to NU in 1908, but the program was decimated from the suspension and would struggle for the next several years. Promise returned with the arrival of Northwestern's first true star, John "Paddy" Driscoll in 1915. Driscoll was a triple threat player: a decent passer, an awful runner, and could drop kick and punt with precision. Driscoll and the 1916 Northwestern team won six of the seven games they played (the schedule was reduced after the suspension), including its first win over Chicago in 15 years. Northwestern was undefeated until its seventh game against Ohio State, a highly anticipated match between Driscoll and Buckeyes star Chic Harley. Ohio State won 23-3, costing NU a Big Ten title.

The "Wildcats" Nickname and Early Successes

Following a winless 1921 season, Northwestern set up a committee to investigate the problem with its football team. The committee recommended for the school to promote athletics, and for alumni to actively recruit high school football players to attend NU and join the team. Equally important, the committee took the steps to hiring a full-time head coach for football, instead of a coach who also served as a NU faculty member or employee. Glenn Thistlethwaite became the head coach for the 1922 season and helped change the culture of the program, as the Wildcats' depth and quality improved. Another key factor to NU's gridiron improvement was the leadership of NU President Walter Dill Scott Scott, who was a guard on NU's football team as an undergrad during the 1890s, was a strong supporter of athletics. Of importance, Scott helped raise money for a new football facility, Dyche Stadium. The 1924 team, led by center Tim Lowry and triple threat halfback Ralph Baker, was very competitive and finished with a 4-4 record. In fact, the team's performance against Chicago earned NU the nickname "Wildcats" after Chicago Sun-Times writer Wallace Abbey wrote that Chicago was stopped by a "wall of Purple Wildcats."

In 1925, Northwestern pulled off a huge upset against Michigan, winning 3-2 at Soldier Field. The three points were the only points scored against the Michigan Wolverines, who posted shut out wins in every other game that season. The following season, the Wildcats celebrated their inaugural season at Dyche Stadium by sharing the 1926 Western Conference Title with Michigan. Richard E. "Dick" Hanley was the head coach for the Wildcats for eight years, starting in 1927. Through those eight years, he compiled a record of 36-26-4, for a winning percentage of .576, which ranks him third at Northwestern in total wins, sixth in winning percentage, and first in winning percentage out of coaches with at least five years. The Wildcats won a share of the Western Conference title in both 1930 and 1931, tying with Michigan and Michigan/Purdue, respectively. Lynn O. "Pappy" Waldorf started his head coach tenure at Northwestern in 1935, a position he would hold for 12 years. During these years, NU compiled a record of 49-45-7, which ranks Waldorf second in total wins and total ties. In his very first season at Northwestern, Waldorf was named college football's first national coach of the year. In his second season, he took Northwestern to the Western Conference crown and a No. 7 ranking in the final AP poll. While at Northwestern, Waldorf convinced both Bill DeCorrevont, the No. 1 prep player who brought 120,000 spectators to Soldier Field for a high school football game, as well as future legend Otto Graham to try out for football.

The 1949 Rose Bowl Victory

Robert W. "Bob" Voigts became the head coach of NU starting in 1947. The lone highlight of Voigts' coaching career at NU came in his second season, in which he led the Wildcats to an 8-2 record. Northwestern finished second in the conference and played in their first bowl game, the Rose Bowl. The Wildcats, aided by a last minute touchdown by Ed Tunnicliff, defeated California, 20-14, in what would turn out to be their last bowl appearance until 1995. Until the 2012 season, this remained Northwestern's only bowl win. NU finished 7th in the final AP poll. During these years, Northwestern compiled a record of 33-39-1. Gaspar Perricone played a key role on Northwestern’s winning 1949 Rose Bowl-winning team.

The Ara Parseghian Era

Miami (OH) head coach Ara Parseghian was the 20th head coach of the Northwestern Wildcats football team and was the youngest coach in the Big Ten when he took the job at 32 years old in late 1955. His Northwestern career began in 1956 with just one win in his first six games. The Wildcats put together three wins at the end of the season, however, and finished with a 4-4-1 record. Northwestern proceeded to lose all nine of its games in the 1957 season. Bo Schembechler-a member of the 1957 Northwestern staff and teammate of Parshegian's at Miami-called Parshegian's performance during the 1957 season the best job of coaching Schembechler ever witnessed. Despite the losses (many of them by close margins), Parshegian kept his team united and focused. The following four seasons brought a mix of success and challenges. At Northwestern, Parseghian developed a reputation as an affable, down-to-earth coach. While he took his job seriously, he cultivated an informal rapport with players, who called him "Ara" rather than "coach" or "Mr.". Thomas Welborn Myers was the starting quarterback for the Wildcats in the 1962 season under coach Ara Parseghian.

The Agase and Green Years

Alex Agase's head coaching career at Northwestern did not begin well, with the Wildcats finishing no higher than 6th in the conference in his first five years, and compiling losing records in his first six. In the 1970 and 1971 seasons, Northwestern finished second in the Big Ten, with overall records of 6-4 and 7-4. However, the following year, Northwestern would begin a streak of failure, achieving a record of 2-9. During the offseason, Stanford offensive coordinator Dennis Green was hired to replace Venturi, becoming the first black coach in the history of the Big Ten.

The Infamous Losing Streak

The Wildcats have experienced futility for much of its existence. The team has several winless seasons, including setting an NCAA Division I record for consecutive losses when it lost 34 straight games from 1979 to 1982. Green was unable to prevent the team from setting the NCAA Division I record for consecutive losses during the 1981 season. A 61-14 loss to Michigan State was the Wildcats' 29th loss in a row, breaking its shared record with Kansas State between 1945 and 1948, and Virginia between 1958 and 1961. At the close of the game, Northwestern students rushed the field to "celebrate", and chanted "we're the worst!". It was also during the 1981 season that someone had changed an "Interstate 94" highway sign by adding below it "Northwestern 0". Finally, on September 25, 1982, "the Streak" ended at 34 consecutive games with a win over Northern Illinois. Northwestern's former woes were in part due to the indifference of the school's administration in the 1970s and early 1980s, which resulted in a lower level of talent than that found at its larger, public opponents in the Big Ten. Northwestern is the lone private school in the Big Ten. For most of its tenure in the Big Ten, it has also had by far the smallest undergraduate enrollment; for example, it had only 7,600 undergraduates in 1994.

Read also: Northwestern Kellogg Programs

The Francis Peay Era

Francis Peay took over the NU football program after Green's departure. Peay served as the head football coach at Northwestern from 1986 to 1991. He was the second black head coach in the Big Ten Conference, after his predecessor Dennis Green. His coaching record at Northwestern was 13 wins, 51 losses, and two ties.

The Gary Barnett Turnaround

Barnett made good on that boast in 1995. Led by the trio of quarterback Steve Schnur, running back Darnell Autry, and linebacker Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern accomplished one of the most dramatic one-season turnarounds in college football history. "Expect Victory" was the motto, even as Northwestern began the season as 28-point underdogs. A shocking 17-15 season-opening win over the heavily favored No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, along with other unbelievable wins over No. 7 Michigan (19-13) and No. 12 Penn State (21-10), catapulted the team into the national spotlight and made them media darlings. Northwestern ultimately finished with a 10-2 record. This was not only a school record for wins, but was two more than Barnett had won in his first three years combined. They achieved a ranking of No. 3 in the nation and their first Big Ten title since 1936. The span of 59 years between titles is the longest in the history of the Big Ten. Northwestern faced off against No. 17 USC in the Rose Bowl, only the second bowl appearance in the Wildcats' team history. The Cinderella season ended with the Wildcats losing 41-32. The subsequent 1996 season lived up to expectations, with the Wildcats repeating as Big Ten Champions (sharing the title with Ohio State). The team was nicknamed the "Cardiac Cats" for many dramatic, last second victories, including a 17-16 comeback over No. 6 Michigan. Down 16-0 entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points, culminating with heart-stopping fourth down conversions and a last second field goal to complete the comeback. Due to Barnett's success at Northwestern, he became a hot coaching commodity. Barnett rejected interest from such legendary college programs as Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. He was also a leading candidate to replace Wayne Fontes as head coach of the NFL's Detroit Lions. Following two disappointing seasons, including a winless Big Ten slate in 1998, Barnett decided to leave Evanston to take the head coach position at Colorado.

The Randy Walker Era and the Spread Offense

Coach Walker, a former standout tailback at Miami University, placed special emphasis on developing Northwestern's offense, especially at the running back position. Walker ran a conventional pro style offense during the 1999 season, which resulted in a 3-8 record. Following the season Coach Walker and offensive coordinator, Kevin Wilson, visited Rich Rodriguez and Tommy Bowden at Clemson to learn from the offense that they were running. He also made a trip to meet with Mike Martz from the St. Louis Rams to pick up ideas. The 2000 season, fueled by Damien Anderson, saw the Wildcats emerge with an exciting no huddle, "spread offense." The spread offense employed many wide receivers to spread out the defense, thus allowing more cracks in the defense for running or passing plays. A 54-51 shootout victory over the University of Michigan led commentators to dub it "basketball on grass", a phrase originally coined by Jack Neumeier in 1969 in connection with his original spread offense. That game became an ESPN Instant Classic and was representative of the season, which saw frequent high scores and dramatic finishes. The high-scoring offense usually was enough to overcome the porous defense, and the Wildcats earned their third Big Ten title in six years (co-champions). Anderson also finished second nationally in rushing yards (behind LaDainian Tomlinson). However, the Wildcats were blown out by the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Alamo Bowl 66-17. Coach Walker's offense revolutionized college football. The 2001 season brought high expectations for the Wildcat program. The offense returned 10 of 11 starters. The untimely death of defensive back Rashidi Wheeler, during preseason workout drills, cast a cloud over the season. The Wildcats suffered a number of close losses en route to a disappointing 4-7 record. The Wildcats did not make the postseason again until December 26, 2003, when they lost to Bowling Green by a score of 28-24 in the Motor City Bowl. In 2004, the Wildcats beat then-ranked No. 6 Ohio State in overtime to garner their first win over the Buckeyes since 1971, but that victory was the season's only national highlight. The team appeared in the AP and Coaches' polls for the first time since October 2001. The Wildcats earned an invitation to the Sun Bowl, only to lose to UCLA, 50-38.

The Pat Fitzgerald Era

Following the sudden death of football coach Randy Walker in 2006, 31-year-old and former All-American Northwestern linebacker Pat Fitzgerald was promoted from linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator to head coach on July 7, 2006, and became the youngest Division I FBS coach at the time. Walker's death was not the team's only loss; the Wildcats also had to replace their offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and Brett Basanez, the team's former four-year starter at quarterback and holder of dozens of school records.

Facilities and Academic Excellence

Northwestern consistently ranks among the national leaders in graduation rate among football teams, having received the AFCA Academic Achievement Award four times since 2002. The Wildcats first played their home games at Northwestern Field, which was replaced by the original Ryan Field (formerly Dyche Stadium) in 1926. After the 2023 season, Ryan Field was demolished to make way for a new stadium on the site. The Wildcats played the 2024, 2025, and two games of the 2026 seasons at Martin Stadium, a facility on the school's lakefront campus intended to be temporary, with select games at Wrigley Field.

Read also: GPA and SAT/ACT for Northwestern

Seasons

This is a list of seasons completed by the Northwestern Wildcats football team of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Northwestern originally competed as a football independent.

tags: #northwestern #wildcats #college #football #history