Knox College Athletics

Perhaps most famous for defeating Notre Dame, the 1902 football team may be the best football team Knox has ever fielded. A season record of 9-2 is certainly impressive, but the only losses came from two of the top five teams in the country.

In 1901, John Frederick McLean arrived at Knox to serve as athletic director and football coach. McLean brought with him a new style of play and a knack for inducing community involvement and support. McLean only coached at Knox for two years, but his .761 winning percentage is the best in Knox history of coaches that served multiple seasons.

“Teams of the Big Nine (now the Big Ten) were given the severest jolting that they have ever experienced from a small college,” noted the 1902 Knox College Yearbook noted,  adding, “The schedule was exceptionally heavy. Five out of a total of 11 games were played with the large universities, and three of those resulted in victory to Knox by a goodly margin.”

A 5-0 loss to University of Chicago in the third game of the season and a 7-0 loss to Nebraska were the only blemishes in an excellent 1902 football season. Knox outscored opponents 238-22, including a 15-0 win over Northwestern, a 5-0 victory over Kansas, and a 12-5 triumph over the aforementioned Notre Dame. The 1902 power rankings rank Knox at #9, while Nebraska was #2 and Chicago was #5. Notre Dame came in at #21.

In 1902, The Knox Student reported, “McLean advanced ideas that have done more for Knox than all his team work. He got Galesburg men squarely behind Knox and solicited successfully their support. As a result, Knox now stands as it never has before and old Knox owes much to her director of athletics.”