1917 Denver Ministers football team

1917 Denver Ministers football
RMC co-champion
ConferenceRocky Mountain Conference
Record9–0 (6–0 RMC)
Head coach
Home stadiumUnion Park
Seasons
← 1916
1918 →
1917 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Denver $ 6 0 0 9 0 0
Utah Agricultural 4 0 0 7 0 1
Colorado 4 2 0 6 2 0
Colorado Mines 2 3 0 5 3 0
Colorado College 2 3 0 3 3 0
Utah 2 3 0 2 4 0
Wyoming 1 4 0 3 4 0
Montana State 0 1 2 0 2 2
Colorado Agricultural 0 7 1 1 7 1
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1917 Denver Ministers football team represented the University of Denver as a member of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) during the 1917 college football season. In their third season under head coach John Fike, the Ministers compiled a perfect 9–0 record (6–0 against conference opponents), shared the RMC championship with Utah Agricultural, and outscored opponents by a total of 226 to 45.[1]

At the end of the season, both Denver and Utah Agricultural were undefeated against RMC opponents. A game between the two teams was proposed to determine an undisputed conference champion, but Denver's faculty ruled against the game. Denver officials claimed the title and asserted that the Utah Aggies "have a right to claim nothing more than a tie for the honors."[2][3]

The 1917 team compiled the only perfect season in the program's history.[4]

  1. ^ "1917 Denver Pioneers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  2. ^ "Denver 'U' Cancels Game with Aggies". The Salt Lake Telegram. December 1, 1917. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ In games against three common conference opponents (Colorado, Wyoming, and Colorado A&M), Utah State won by a total margin of 120 points; Denver defeated the same three opponents by a total margin of only 31 points.
  4. ^ "Denver Pioneers School History". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 14, 2018.