In past years there had been some discussion about the UA having a football team. In the fall of 1899 enough players were recruited to make the first-year team. Many of the potential players had never seen a game. Judging by the rounded football held by captain, George Parker, and striped shirts worn by the members as the team uniform, the game some of them saw must have been Rugby Football.
Seventeen team members are pictured below; six were preparatory students, five special mining students and six were college students, including Charles Richmond, a senior and the manager.
A noseguard is more than a playing position. Courtland Day and Willard Brown (standing left) are not wearing short neckties but a leather guard that covered the nose and was clenched in the teeth during scrimmage. Tucson merchants were asked for donations to buy uniforms. The canvas pants had some padding. For shoulder pads old shirts were stuffed under the jerseys. Some players wore canvas vests. No donation was necessary to buy helmets because none were worn. For footwear, players took old high-top shoes to the cobbler to have nails put in for cleats. This may be the reason most of the players are wearing shinguards.
Rockwell, Ross Russell, Charles French, Garnett Holmes, William Angus, Tom Marshall
and Charles Richmond manager. Seated: Rudolph Casteneda, William Olney, Captain
George Parker (holding football), Duncan Campbell, Benito Suarez and Frank Fish.
Seated on the floor: Edward Stafford and Newton Robinson. TKMPC
Standing, back row: Manager Quentis Anderson, Tom Marshall, W. G. Reynolds, Coach
W. W. Skinner, Ross Russell, Will Olney, F. C. Christy. Seated: Edward Stafford, Kirk
Moore, Benito Suarez, Captain Cortland Day, B. L. Smith, O. K. Dunham, Leslie Gilbert.
Seated on the floor are: Duncan Campbell, James Robinson, George Parker. Photo courtesy
Special Collections, University of Arizona Library. Athletics football, 1900 N-10, 868.
The 1900 football team in a less formal pose than the above picture. The football is different, the ends are pointed. Perhaps more of the players had seen a real football game.
In a June 1990 visit with Frank Fish, Jr., he recalled for me some of his father's school memories when his father was enrolled as a special mining student at the university.
They are seated on the steps of Old Main. This is Tom's own copy, 107 years later, but with
no names on it. Names for another copy of this same picture, in Special Collections at the
University Library, were given by Will Olney in 1960 to J. F. McKale, long-time athletic
director, coach and the department historian. From left, back row: Newton Robinson,
Ross Russell, Benito Suarez, Professor W. W. Skinner, George Parker, Ed Stafford,
Bill Olney. Middle row: Duncan Campbell, William Reynolds, Bert Smith, C. F. Day, Fred
Christie, Kirk Moore, W. E Marler. Front row: Tom Marshall, Leslie Gilette and O. K. Dunham.
of the Battalion officers. Photo from the 1903 Burro