Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football, 1900–09

The Delaware football team represented Delaware College (now the University of Delaware) in college football competition. Playing their home games in Newark and Wilmington, Delaware, the football program started in 1889. Delaware was coached by Herbert Rice from 1900 to 1901, Clarence A. Short in 1902 and 1906, Nathan Mannakee in 1903 to 1905, E. Pratt King in 1907, and William McAvoy from 1908 to 1909. The five head coaches compiled a 27−41−7 record from 1900−1909. Rice recorded a combined 7−7−1 record from 1900 to 1901, finishing his Delaware coaching career with a 16−20−4 record in five seasons. Short had an 8−6−1 record in his two years as coach, Mannakee posted an 8−13−2 record in three seasons, Pratt had a 0−5−1 record in his one year, and McAvoy tallied a 4−10−2 record in his first two seasons as head coach. McAvoy went on to have a 42−43−13 as Delaware head coach in twelve total seasons.

Contents:	1900 -1901 - 1902 - 1903 - 1904 - 1905 - 1906 - 1907 - 1908 - 1909

1900

1900 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1900 record	2–3–1
Head coach	Herbert Rice (4th year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 6	at Franklin & Marshall	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	L 10–28
October 13	at Johns Hopkins	Baltimore, Maryland	L 0–5
October 27	at Pennsylvania Military College	Chester, Pennsylvania	W 17–0
November 7	at Haverford	Haverford, Pennsylvania	T 5–5
November 10	at Ursinus	Collegeville, Pennsylvania	L 0–12
November 29	Hahnemann	Newark, Delaware	W 34–0

1901

1901 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1901 record	5–4–0
Head coach	Herbert Rice (5th year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 21	Williamson	Newark, Delaware	W 5–0
October 5	Maryland Agricultural College	Newark, Delaware	W 24–6
October 12	at Swarthmore	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	L 0–10
October 19	Haverford	Newark, Delaware	W 6–0
October 29	Franklin & Marshall	Newark, Delaware	L 2–21
November 2	at Rutgers	New Brunswick, New Jersey	W 6–5
November 9	Johns Hopkins	Newark, Delaware	L 0–28
November 16	St. John's	Newark, Delaware	L 5–32
November 29	Lebanon Valley	Newark, Delaware	W 5–0

1902

1902 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1902 record	3–5–1
Head coach	Clarence A. Short (1st year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 4	at Swarthmore	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	L 0–12
October 11	Washington	Newark, Delaware	W 27–0
October 18	at Haverford	Haverford, Pennsylvania	L 0–41
October 25	Maryland (Baltimore)	Newark, Delaware	W 6–0
November 1	at Fordham	New York, New York	W 17–10
November 8	at St. John's	Annapolis, Maryland	L 0–10
November 15	Rutgers	New Brunswick, New Jersey	L 12–15
November 19	at Pennsylvania Military College	Chester, Pennsylvania	L 12–17
November 28	Maryland Agricultural College	College Park, Maryland	T 0–0

1903

1903 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1903 record	4–4
Head coach	Nathan Mannakee (1st year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 3	Washington	Newark, Delaware	W 27–0
October 10	Rutgers	Wilmington, Delaware	W 5–0
October 14	Wilmington Conference Academy	Newark, Delaware	W 23–0
October 17	at Swarthmore	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	L 0–11
October 24	St. John's	Wilmington, Delaware	L 0–5
November 7	Western Maryland	Wilmington, Delaware	L 6–16
November 14	at Haverford	Haverford, Pennsylvania	L 0–37
November 27	Maryland Agricultural College	Wilmington, Delaware	W 16–0

1904

1904 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1904 record	1–5–1
Head coach	Nathan Mannakee (2nd year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 8	at Pennsylvania Military College	Chester, Pennsylvania	L 0–4
October 15	at Swarthmore	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	L 0–41
October 22	at Fordham	New York, New York	L 0–12
October 29	at Seton Hall	South Orange, New Jersey	L 0–26
November 5	at Rutgers	New Brunswick, New Jersey	T 6–6
November 11	at Haverford	Haverford, Pennsylvania	L 0–17
November 24	Maryland Agricultural College	Wilmington, Delaware	W 18–0

1905

1905 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1905 record	3–4–1
Head coach	Nathan Mannakee (3rd year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 7	Williamson	Newark, Delaware	W 17–0
October 14	at Johns Hopkins	Baltimore, Maryland	L 0–11
October 21	at Washington	Chestertown, Maryland	T 6–6
October 28	Rutgers	Newark, Delaware	L 0–10
November 4	Washington	Newark, Delaware	W 11–0
November 8	at Pennsylvania Military College	Chester, Pennsylvania	L 6–12
November 18	at Fordham	New York, New York	L 0–4
November 30	Maryland Agricultural College	Newark, Delaware	W 12–0

1906

1906 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1906 record	5–1–0
Head coach	Clarence A. Short (2nd year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 29	Medico–Chirurgical College	Newark, Delaware	W 10–0
October 13	at Johns Hopkins	Baltimore, Maryland	W 5–0
October 20	at Washington	Chestertown, Maryland	W 9–0
October 27	at Rutgers	New Brunswick, New Jersey	W 4–0
November 3	at Pennsylvania Military College	Chester, Pennsylvania	W 12–0
November 10	at Fordham	New York, New York	L 4–16

1907

1907 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1907 record	0–5–1
Head coach	E. Pratt King (1st year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 5	Williamson	Newark, Delaware	L 0–5
October 12	at Haverford	Haverford, Pennsylvania	L 0–12
October 17	Western Maryland	Newark, Delaware	L 0–22
October 26	Rutgers	Newark, Delaware	L 0–39
November 2	at Franklin & Marshall	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	L 0–28
November 9	at Johns Hopkins	Baltimore, Maryland	T 0–0

1908

1908 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1908 record	3–4–1
Head coach	William McAvoy (1st year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 3	Williamson	Newark, Delaware	L 0–6
October 10	at Haverford	Haverford, Pennsylvania	L 0–11
October 17	at Bucknell	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	L 0–13
October 31	Washington	Newark, Delaware	W 12–0
November 7	at Rutgers	New Brunswick, New Jersey	T 6–6
November 14	at Johns Hopkins	Baltimore, Maryland	W 9–0
November 21	Franklin & Marshall	Newark, Delaware	W 15–0
November 26	at Western Maryland	Westminster, Maryland	L 4–15

1909

1909 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
1909 record	1–6–1
Head coach	William McAvoy (2nd year)

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 2	Williamson	Newark, Delaware	T 0–0
October 9	at Haverford	Haverford, Pennsylvania	L 0–3
October 23	at Gettysburg	Gettysburg, Pennsylvania	L 10–23
October 30	at Swarthmore	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania	L 0–46
November 6	at Washington	Chestertown, Maryland	L 0–34
November 13	Western Maryland	Newark, Delaware	L 6–11
November 20	at Franklin & Marshall	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	L 0–23
November 25	Lebanon Valley	Newark, Delaware	W 6–0

Decade totals

• Final record:27–41–7
• Points scored:458
• Points against:790
• Point differential:–332