University of Chicago: The Ghost of Greatness
The University of Chicago Maroons represent one of the most fascinating and unique stories in college football history. Today, they are a small Division III team, but in the sport's infancy, they were a national powerhouse that stood among the giants.
Legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg built the Maroons into a founding member and dominant force in the Big Ten Conference (before it was the Big Ten).
From 1892 to 1932, Stagg’s teams won two national championships and seven conference titles. The program also produced the sport's first-ever Heisman Trophy winner when Jay Berwanger claimed the award in 1935.
Just four years later, in a move that shocked the athletic world, the university abolished the program, believing big-time football had become incompatible with its academic mission.
Though the Maroons eventually returned to the field, their early history serves as a powerful reminder of their time as a titan of the sport and a central part of the debate over academics and athletics in college football history. 🏈
