| Wabash Little Giants football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1884; 141 years ago |
| Athletic director | Matt Tanney |
| Head coach | Jake Gilbert 2nd season, 0–1 (.000) |
| Stadium | Hollett Little Giant Stadium (capacity: 3,550) |
| Location | Crawfordsville, Indiana |
| Conference | NCAC |
| All-time record | 717–401–59 (.634) |
| Conference titles | |
| 13 | |
| Consensus All-Americans | 80 |
| Rivalries | DePauw (rivalry) |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Fight song | "Old Wabash!" |
| Website | wabash.edu/football |
TheWabash Little Giants football team representsWabash College in the sport ofcollege football at theNCAA Division III level. The Little Giants have competed as a member of theNorth Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) since 2000. Wabash plays home games at Hollett Little Giant Stadium inCrawfordsville, Indiana.Don Morel served as the team's head coach from 2016 to 2024, amassing a 61-20 record overall and a 54-15 record in conference play.Jake Gilbert (Wabash '98) will take over as head coach for the 2025 season.[1]
In1884, Wabash played its first game ofintercollegiate football when it defeated a team fromButler University on October 25, 4–0.[2] The first intercollegiate game in the state took place on May 31, between Butler andDePauw University.[3] From the 1890s to the 1910s, the Wabash football team played schedules against many much larger colleges, such asIllinois,Indiana andPurdue, against whom the Little Giants occasionally won impressive upsets. For instance Wabash won all five games against Purdue between 1906 and 1911.[4]
In 1903, the Wabash football team fielded its firstblack player, Samuel S. Gordon, and the following season added another, Walter M. Cantrell. Many opposing teams threatened boycotts, but school president William Patterson Kane insisted the men be allowed to play. Some opponents did cancel their games, but Gordon and Cantrell continued to play for Wabash. The1904 football team adopted the nickname the "Little Giants", which was the first time that moniker was used by the school. That season, Wabash won decisive victories overHanover, 81–0,Butler, 51–0, andEarlham, 35–0, and they lost close contests toIllinois,Notre Dame,Purdue, andMichigan Agricultural (Michigan State).[5]
The Little Giants' most prominent football game came againstNotre Dame atSouth Bend, Indiana on October 21,1905. Wabash took a first-half lead, 5–0, through a dominating performance by theirbackfield andlinemen. In the second half, Notre Dame advanced inside the Wabash five-yard line three times, but was repelled on each occasion. The Little Giants won, 5–0,[4] and it proved the only Notre Damehome-field loss in 125 games between 1899 and 1928.[6][7] The Little Giants andFighting Irish played several more times after that, and the last game took place in 1924.[4] Incidentally, both head coaches that season,Pete Vaughan of Wabash andKnute Rockne of Notre Dame, had played college football together for the Fighting Irish.[8][9] A further connection between the schools wasCollege Football Hall of Fame inducteeJesse Harper, who coached Wabash from 1909 to 1912, and then Notre Dame from 1913 to 1917.[7][10]Century Milstead played for the1921 team.
