The 1890 Purdue football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1890 college football season. The team compiled a 3–3 record in the university's third season fielding an intercollegiate football team. Clinton L. Hare, a Yale alumnus who had been the coach of the Butler football teams that handed Purdue its sole losses in 1887 and 1889, was hired as Purdue's football coach in 1890.[1][2] On November 1, 1890, Purdue lost to Michigan, 34–6, in the first football game between two teams that would later become members of the Big Ten Conference.[3] Three weeks after losing to Michigan, Purdue defeated Illinois, 62–0. The team concluded its 1890 season with a loss to Butler, leaving Purdue 0–3 in three games against Butler football teams since 1887.[1]
| 1890 Purdue football | |
|---|---|
 1890 Purdue football team, pictured in Debris 1891, Purdue yearbook | |
| Conference | Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Record | 3–3 (2–1 IIAA) |
| Head coach |
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| Captain | Robert A. Lackey |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler $ | 3 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 2 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wabash | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Robert A. Lackey was the team captain.[2]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 18 | at Chicago All-University* | L 6–10 | [4] | ||||
| October 25 | Wabash | Lafayette, IN | W 54–0 | [5] | |||
| November 1 | at Michigan* | L 6–34 | |||||
| November 15 | at DePauw |
| W 32–0 | [6] | |||
| November 22 | Illinois* | Lafayette, IN (rivalry) | W 62–0 | [7] | |||
| November 27 | at Butler |
| L 10–12 | [8] | |||
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