While it may be the fantasy of every Cardinal fan, it usually ends when they wake up and realize it was all a dream, and Otterbein didn’t actually happen. But in fact, it did happen, and not only once, but three times. A shock that the Buckeyes don’t even acknowledge in their record book.
Both Otterbein and Ohio State started football in 1890. The Buckeyes’ record that first year was 1-3, while Otterbein was 0-2. In 1891 both teams started the season with a showdown on Saturday, Oct. 17, doing battle on the Otterbein athletic fields behind Towers Hall. By that time OSU, for some reason, was full of bravado and confidence. The week before the game the mighty Buckeyes looked at the game against lowly Otterbein as a pushover.
Ernest Barnard, class of 1895, was known as the “Father of Otterbein Athletics.” He was a founding member of the varsity football team in 1889 and led it to a winning season in 1891 — including a victory over The Ohio State University, 42-6. In that same year, tan and cardinal were chosen as Otterbein’s school colors.
“Unfortunately, the OSU boys were severely guyed and jeered by the spectators, because of the spirit in which they came to play,” The Columbus Dispatch reported two days later. “It had been published in a daily paper that they were going up to ‘practice on’ the Otterbein team, and they further made boasts that they would win the game by a score of 69 to 0. These things, probably thoughtless, spread among the (Otterbein) students and citizens like wildfire and caused a rather unpleasant feeling.”
At 2 p.m., Ohio State kicked off to Otterbein to start the game. Surprisingly, the Cardinals marched down the field to the Ohio State goal line when quarterback Garst scored in exactly two minutes. Otterbein manhandled the Buckeyes the whole first half with the score being 22-0 at the half.
The Ohio State Lantern, the student newspaper, of course, had a different view of the game.
At call of time by Referee E. S. Bernard, Otterbein put the ball in play by a well-organized rush, which O. S. U. could not stop before ten yards had been gained. This feat the crowd cheered lustily, the ladies waving their handkerchiefs with loyal vigor. After rapid, puzzling passing, Garst, G. B., ran around left end and made the first “touch down” for Otterbein in less than three minutes from the beginning of the game. Capt. Thompson, Otterbein, then kicked “goal” amid ringing cheers. The O. S. U. ‘ s thereafter were subjected to insulting remarks and ridicule on part of the crowd, wholly unworthy of college students. Indeed, the unfair and unmannerly conduct was of such a nature as to call for a voluntary explanation and apology from members of the Otterbein Team. One person in particular, made himself especially obnoxious to the visitors and all fair-minded people by his offensive and impertinent conduct. The game throughout was but a repetition of this first touchdown. Rapid passes, splendid guarding, herculean rushes, good runs piled the lead for Otterbein, and at the end of the first half the score stood O. U., 22; O. S. U., 0. One thing was evident, O. S. U. were not playing in even their usual manner. They seemed nonplussed at the brilliant onset made by Otterbein, and were unable to recover themselves.
Otterbein kicked off to begin the second half, and Ohio State’s left halfback Beatty led the Buckeyes to their first score of the day. It began to look like the second half would belong to OSU, just as the first half had to Otterbein. “At beginning of second half O. S. U. started with the ball and were rapidly advancing to O. S. U. ‘ s goal, when Garst, Otterbein, captured the ball through fumbling of O. S. U. and started for Otterbein goal at other end of the field, Scott, H. B., O. S. U., in hot pursuit,” it was written in The Lantern. “The crowd was treated to a delightful sprint, the participants being Garst about 4 ft. 9 in. in height, Scott, 6 ft. Scott was unfortunately ‘tripped up’ by a rut in the grounds and was unable to prevent a touch down for O. U.”
The Cardinals pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and kept pouring it on scoring 20-points, making the final score Otterbein-42, OSU-6. The victory, as reported in the Otterbein Aegis, was credited to Otterbein captain, Thompson, right tackle, who developed a new system of communicating signals to the players.
Although humbled, OSU acted like gentlemen. However, they did try to redeem themselves by challenging the Otterbein eleven to a 100-yard dash after the game. The gauntlet was taken up, and the race pitted OSU’s Fullerton against Otterbein’s R.C. Kumler, neither of which played in the game. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Kumler easily won the race, thus sealing a total victory for the Cardinals.
According to the 1901 Sybyl, the first edition of Otterbein’s yearbook, this was even listed as the university’s first intercollegiate track event.
After O.S.U. had been defeated in football by a very large score, and laboring under the delusion that they had a man who could sprint some, they challenged us for (sic) a foot race, a one-hundred-yard dash. The ‘defi,’ was immediately accepted. O.S.U. presented a man by the name of Fullerton, while R.C. Kumler appeared against him for Otterbein. The result was never in doubt, and ‘Dick’ won in a ‘walk.’
The two teams didn’t meet again until Sept. 30, 1893, with Otterbein hosting OSU once again and winning for the second time 22-16. Two years later, in 1895, they met once again at Otterbein. After the previous two battles, the game was much anticipated according to the Dispatch.
Both teams have in other years attained much glory on the football field and they are believed to be nearly equally matched. It is a remarkable fact that the OSU rushers have never been able to conquer the lads at Otterbein. This may have been due to the peculiar fact that these two teams have never contested two years in succession, and it may have been that OSU was unfortunate enough to go up against Otterbein when the latter was especially strong, and when she herself was especially weak. However, this may be Otterbein now stands undefeated by the state university and the lads from the latter have made up their minds to secure a victory no matter what it may cost. These circumstances prophesy one of the most exciting contests ever witnessed on a football oval and hundreds, and perhaps thousands of people will go out from Columbus to see the spat.
Otterbein once again got the best of the Buckeyes, 14-6. But it would be the 1896 game that would be the most anticipated.
The United States was in the throughs of a depression, “The Panic of 1893.” It was an election year with the republican candidate, former Ohio governor William McKinley, taking on Nebraska congressman William Jennings Bryan. The depression was the main subject of debate during the campaign, with Bryan urging the country to go off the gold standard in favor of silver while McKinley favored the status quo. Bryan campaigned across the country. McKinley conducted a “front porch” campaign from his home in Canton. Less than a month before the Nov. 3 election, a “College Day” was held in Canton to show McKinley he had the support from college students and faculty from over the State of Ohio.
The Otterbein – Ohio State game was scheduled for Oct. 12 at Otterbein. It was decided on short notice to shift the game to Oct. 17 and move it to Canton and the Stark County Fairgrounds to take advantage of “College Day.” According to The Columbus Dispatch, it quickly became one of the most anticipated events of the weekend.
To-morrow the great football game between Otterbein and O.S.U. will be played upon the Canton gridiron. A special train will be run from this city to the scene of the contest, and it is estimated that hundreds of enthusiastic admirers of the sport will be present from all parts of the state. It is known that representatives from over 25 colleges will be on hand and the day will be given over to Mr. McKinley and football. . . Otterbein has defeated O.S.U. every time they have met in ’91, ’93 and ’95, and the rivalry between the two Columbus teams is to the swift
The Ohio State team left for Canton at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, with Otterbein leaving at 8 a.m. on game day, Oct. 17. The Otterbein train carried over 1,000 people with college delegations from OSU, Ohio Wesleyan, Capital, Kenyon, and Denison among other schools. After both teams met with the future president it was off to the gridiron for the afternoon’s 2:30 p.m. kickoff.
The game turned out to be a typical game played between the two schools. At halftime the score was 0-0. Both teams were playing hard tough football, but Otterbein showed the effects of fatigue from making the trip to Canton earlier that day. The Buckeyes’ play in the second half was a little more energetic, showing the wisdom of making the trip from Columbus the night before. Otterbein’s left end, Dempsey, “. . . entered the game in a dazed condition – the result of the long ride on the train in the morning – and in tackling (OSU’s) Crecelius on the sixth play of the game he received a broken nose. In spite of this he remained in the game, repeatedly making tackles that brought loud applause from the side lines.”
In the fourth quarter, Ohio State began wearing down Otterbein. They scored 12 unanswered points in rapid succession. With five minutes left in the game, both teams and officials decided to call the game due to darkness. Finally, after three defeats, Ohio State defeated Otterbein for the first time, 12-0.
Otterbein would never beat the Buckeyes again, though they would tie them three times. They played 19 times overall, with Otterbein having three victories, 13 defeats to the Buckeyes, with three ties. Not a good statistical record, but what a way to start — those exhilarating three days when Otterbein felt superior to Ohio State on the gridiron.
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