History isn't always pretty. When you walk past the massive concrete rotunda of Ohio Stadium today, it’s easy to imagine that the Buckeyes were born as a powerhouse. You see the eight national championship trophies and the dozens of Big Ten titles and assume greatness was there from the jump. Honestly? It wasn't. The first Ohio State game was a mess. It was a cold, muddy affair played on a cow pasture in May—not October—and almost nobody in Columbus even knew it was happening.
The date was May 3, 1890. Ohio State University (then just a fledgling land-grant school) traveled to Delaware, Ohio, to face Ohio Wesleyan. There were no marching bands. No Brutus Buckeye. No Script Ohio. There weren't even official uniforms. The "team" was basically a group of students who had spent a few weeks practicing on a patch of grass near Mirror Lake after being inspired by the growing popularity of Eastern football powers like Princeton and Yale.
What Actually Happened at the First Ohio State Game
The Buckeyes didn’t just lose. They got handled. But the context is what makes it fascinating. Football in 1890 looked more like a legalized riot than the sport we watch on Saturdays now. The forward pass didn't exist. Players didn't wear helmets. They wore quilted pads if they were lucky, and most just grew their hair out long to provide a "natural" cushion for their skulls.
Ohio Wesleyan won 20-0.
Think about that for a second. The program that now prints money and dominates the national landscape started with a shutout loss against a small private college. The game took place at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. According to local archives and the Ohio State Lantern, the Buckeyes were significantly outweighed and outmatched in terms of experience. Alexander S. Lilley, the man credited as the first coach, didn't even have a playbook yet. He was just trying to make sure his guys didn't get killed in the "flying wedge" formations that were common at the time.
The field was barely marked. Reports from the era suggest the "crowd" consisted of a few hundred curious locals and students who happened to be nearby. It wasn't a "Big Event." It was an experiment.
Why the Buckeyes Played in May
You've probably noticed that football is a fall sport. So why the hell was the first Ohio State game played in May?
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In the late 19th century, schedules were chaotic. Schools didn't have conferences or "seasons" in the modern sense. If a group of guys at one school wanted to play, they sent a letter to another school and asked for a date. Since baseball was the king of spring sports, football was often used as a filler or a curiosity. It took a few more years for the Western Conference (the precursor to the Big Ten) to form and actually standardize when these games should happen.
The Logistics of 19th-Century Football
Imagine traveling to an away game in 1890. There were no luxury buses. The team piled onto a train in Columbus for the trek up to Delaware. They carried their own gear.
The ball wasn't the sleek, aerodynamic Wilson "Duke" we see today. It was a prolate spheroid that looked more like a bloated watermelon. Kicking was the primary way to move the ball, and "downs" worked differently. You only had three tries to gain five yards. If you couldn't do it, you gave the ball up. Because the rules were so loose, games often devolved into wrestling matches.
- No Helmets: Players used "nose masks" made of rubber to keep their faces from being crushed, but heads were unprotected.
- Mass Momentum: Plays involved the entire team locking arms and charging forward in a human V-shape.
- The Scoring: A touchdown was only worth four points. The kick after was worth two.
It was a brutal, slow, and grinding version of the sport. Despite the 20-0 loss, the students who played in that first Ohio State game came back to Columbus hooked. They realized that if they wanted to beat the established teams in the East, or even their neighbors in Delaware, they needed organization.
Misconceptions About the "First" Game
A lot of people think the rivalry with Michigan started immediately. It didn't. That first Ohio State game against Ohio Wesleyan was the only game they played in the spring of 1890. They played three more games that fall (losing to Wooster and Denison but finally beating Kentucky University—now Transylvania University).
The Michigan "rivalry" wouldn't even start until 1897. Back then, Michigan was already a powerhouse, and Ohio State was the scrappy underdog that nobody took seriously. In fact, Michigan won that first meeting 34-0. It took decades for the Buckeyes to become the "Villain" or the "Powerhouse" that the rest of the country sees today.
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Another myth? That the colors were always Scarlet and Gray. While the colors were chosen in 1878, the team's "uniforms" for the first game were basically whatever rugged clothes the boys had. It took years for the iconic look to solidify.
The Cultural Impact of 1890
If those students hadn't lost that first Ohio State game, would the program exist today? Probably. But that loss served as a reality check. It turned a casual student club into a legitimate athletic endeavor. By the turn of the century, the school was hiring professional coaches and building dedicated fields.
We often talk about the "tradition" of Ohio State. But tradition has to start in the mud. It starts with twenty kids losing a game on a fairground track and deciding to try again.
Key Figures from the Early Years
- Alexander Lilley: He coached for free. He was a volunteer who just loved the game.
- Jack Ryder: A later coach who helped transition the team into the Big Ten era.
- Chic Harley: He didn't play in the first game (that was 1916), but he was the one who made the program "big time," leading to the construction of Ohio Stadium.
Evolution of the Venue
The first Ohio State game was played at a fairground, but the team soon moved to Recreation Park near downtown Columbus. Later, they played at Ohio Field on High Street. Ohio Field was where the "craze" truly began. By the time they outgrew that 14,000-seat wooden stadium, the university knew they needed something massive.
The Horseshoe, which opened in 1922, was a direct result of the momentum that started on that May day in 1890. Without the 20-0 loss to Ohio Wesleyan, the "House that Harley Built" might never have been funded.
How to Respect the Roots
If you’re a die-hard fan, you should probably visit Delaware, Ohio, sometime. There’s a marker near the site of that first game. It’s a quiet reminder that every giant was once a beginner.
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The stats from 1890 don't count toward modern Heisman races, and nobody is wearing a 1890 "throwback" jersey with any regularity. But that game is the DNA of the program. It represents the transition of the university from a small agricultural college to a major cultural institution.
Football was the vehicle for that growth.
What You Should Do Next
To truly understand the weight of Buckeye history, don't just watch the highlights from last year. Dig into the archives.
- Visit the Jack Park Collection: Jack Park was the preeminent Ohio State football historian. His books provide the most accurate, play-by-play breakdowns of the early years.
- Check out the University Archives: They have digitized photos of the early teams (though sadly, no photos of the actual May 3, 1890 game exist—photography was a bit slow for a live sporting event back then).
- Walk the Fairgrounds: If you're ever in Delaware, visit the fairgrounds. Stand near the track and imagine a bunch of college kids in wool sweaters hitting each other for the first time.
The first Ohio State game wasn't a triumph of score, but it was a triumph of existence. It's the reason 100,000 people pack the stadium today.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Fact Check: When someone says Michigan is the "older" program, they're right. Michigan started in 1879. Use this to appreciate the "come up" Ohio State had to make.
- Support the History: Support the Ohio State University Archives. They preserve the letters and journals of the players who actually took the field when "Buckeye Football" was just an idea.
- Watch for 1890 References: Occasionally, the university will mention the 1890 season during anniversary years. These are the best times to find limited-edition merchandise that pays homage to the original Delaware match.