Posted on Oct 10, 2002

No one disputes that Union and Rensselaer first met on the football field in November of 1886. No one disputes the fact that this afternoon´s meeting is the 100th in what is New York State´s oldest collegiate football rivalry. No one disputes that this year´s 4-0 Engineer team can take a big step towards their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and its fifth Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association championship since the league was founded in 1995, if they can get by the home field jinx that has seen the visitors lose each of the last four games.

And, no one disputes that this afternoon´s game could very well wind up to be Union´s playoff game as the Dutchmen look to stop their current two-game losing streak.

There are, however, a couple of issues that are in dispute. Rensselaer claims an 11-4 win in the first meeting on November 19th, 1886 while Union says it won that game 4-0. Rensselaer´s books show a 5-4 Rensselaer win in 1888 while Union has no record of that game. Union´s archives show that the Dutchmen won two games in 1901 but Rensselaer´s records show only one game played that season, an 18-0 Union win.

Despite the disputes, the current won-lost-tied record from both schools (Union´s records claim a 75-20-4 Dutchman advantage while the Engineers´ archives claim only a 73-22-4 Union lead) add up to this being the 100th meeting. This is the 57^th consecutive year that the two teams have meet since October of 1946 and the 53^rd meeting since the introduction of the “Dutchman Shoes” Trophy prior to the 1950 contest. While Union holds a 41-11 “Shoes” advantage, Rensselaer is in possession of the coveted trophy thanks to last year´s 32-29 victory in Troy.

The Engineers also won the the 1999 Troy showdown, 16-13 while the Dutchmen captured the last two games played at Frank Bailey Field, 27-23, in 2000, and 33-9 in 1998, which marked Union´s sixth consecutive victory over RPI.

The series according to Union: 75-20-4

Date	Score
10/13/01	RPI 32, Union 29
(first meeting of undefeated teams, Union 5-0, RPI 3-0)
10/14/2000	Union 27, RPI 23
10/16/99	RPI 16 Union 13
10/17/98	Union 33, RPI 9
10/18/97	Union 30, RPI 7
10/19/96	Union 17, RPI 0
10/14/95	Union 16, RPI 13
10/15/94	Union 23, RPI 6
10/16/93	Union 19, RPI 16
10/17/92	RPI 23, Union 8
10/12/91	Union 35, RPI 10
10/13/90	Union 24, RPI 17
10/14/89	Union 28, RPI 3
10/15/88	Union 27, RPI 0
10/17/87	RPI 29, Union 17
10/11/86	Union 35, RPI 14
10/12/85	Union 35, RPI 6
10/13/84	Union 38, RPI 0
10/15/83	Union 35, RPI 0
10/16/82	Union 37, RPI 7
10/17/81	Union 21, RPI 7
10/11/80	RPI 14, Union 13
10/13/79	Union 13, RPI 3
10/14/78	Union 27, RPI 0
10/15/77	Union 22, RPI 13
10/16/76	Union 19, RPI 8
10/18/75	Union 21, RPI 0
10/19/74	RPI 17, Union 14
10/20/73	Union 18, RPI 14
10/21/72	Union 38, RPI 21
10/16/71	RPI 35, Union 18
10/17/70	Union 14, RPI 0
10/18/69	Union 23, RPI 16
10/19/68	Union 24, RPI 14
10/21/67	Union 37, RPI 25
10/15/66	Union 31, RPI 14
10/16/65	Union 48, RPI 14
10/17/64	Union 27, RPI 3
10/19/63	Union 29, RPI 6
10/20/62	Union 44, RPI 6
10/21/61	Union 10, RPI 8
10/15/60	Union 14, RPI 7
10/17/59	RPI 21, Union 0
11/18/58	RPI 21, Union 0
11/12/57	RPI 20, Union 19
10/20/56	Union 27, RPI 0
10/15/55	Union 32, RPI 12
10/16/54	Union 27, RPI 6
10/17/53	Union 32, RPI 6
10/18/52	Union 42, RPI 6
10/6/51	Union 21, RPI 14
10/7/50	Union 20, RPI 0
The Dutchman Shoes Trophy made its debut for the game in 1950.
10/15/49	Union 14, RPI 6
10/16/48	Union 35, RPI 7
10/18/47	RPI 33, Union 24
10/19/46	Union 27, RPI 7
10/7/44	RPI 27, Union 14
9/9/44	RPI 20, Union 6
10/24/42	Union 38, RPI 6
10/25/41	RPI 32, Union 0
10/26/40	RPI 12, Union 0
10/28/39	Union 26, RPI 6
10/22/38	Union 26, RPI 13
10/23/37	Union 6, RPI 6
10/24/36	Union 6, RPI 0
10/26/35	Union 21, RPI 0
10/27/34	Union 18, RPI 6
10/28/33	RPI 16, Union 0
10/22/32	Union 13, RPI 0
11/21/31	Union 21, RPI 0
10/25/30	RPI 0, Union 0
10/26/29	Union 7, RPI 2
10/27/28	RPI 14, Union 6
10/22/27	Union 21, RPI 3
10/23/26	Union 21, RPI 6
10/24/25	Union 40, RPI 0
10/25/24	RPI 7, Union 7
11/22/19	Union 0, RPI 0
11/23/18	RPI 14, Union 6
11/10/17	Union 19, RPI 3
11/4/16	Union 45, RPI 0
11/6/15	Union 7, RPI 0
10/31/14	Union 24, RPI 0
10/22/04	Union 21, RPI 0
10/31/03	Union 12, RPI 11
10/26/01	Union 18, RPI 0
10/5/01	Union 17, RPI 0
10/27/1900	Union 5, RPI 0
10/21/99	Union 6, RPI 0
9/30/99	RPI 6, Union 5
10/24/98	Union 22, RPI 0
10/24/95	Union 26, RPI 0
9/26/94	Union 37, RPI 0
10/7/93	Union 10, RPI 6
10/22/92	Union 20, RPI 4
10/1/92	Union 4, RPI 0
11/23/89	Union 10, RPI 0
11/19/1886	Union 4, RPI 0

Union-RPI Football Facts

This is the 100^th meeting of New York State´s Oldest Collegiate Football Rivalry.

The series, which began in November of 1886, is the:

• 5th oldest series among NCAA Division III Colleges: Williams-Amherst, 1881; Williams-Wesleyan, 1881; Amherst-Wesleyan, 1882; Wesleyan-Trinity, 1885; UNION-RENSSELAER, 1886
• 16^th longest series in terms of games played among NCAA Division III: Williams-Amherst, 116; Albion-Kalamazoo, 115; Bowdoin-Colby, 113; Monmouth (Ill)-Knox, 112; Coe-Cornell College, 111; DePauw-Wabash, 108; Williams-Wesleyan, 107; Amherst-Wesleyan, 107; Hampden-Sydney-Randolph-Macon, 107; Bowdoin-Bates, 104; Colby-Bates, 104; Occidental-Pomona-Pitzer, 103; Hamline-Macalester, 102; Wesleyan-Trinity, 101; Lawrence-Ripon, 101, UNION-RENSSELAER, 99
• oldest rivalry when compared to Division 1A: 1888 the oldest – North Carolina-Wake Forrest, –Miami (OH)-Cincinnati)
• 14^th longest series in terms of games played (Minnesota-Wisconsin, 111)
• 8^th oldest when compared to Division 1AA: Yale-Princeton, 1873 (124)
• 11^th longest series in terms of games played: Lafayette-Lehigh, 137 (1884)
• oldest rivalry when compared to Division II: (1889 the oldest – N. Dakota-N. Dakota State, Colorado Mines-Colorado College)
• 3^rd oldest series in terms of games played: N. Dakota-N. Dakota St., 108 (1894), and S. Dakota-S. Dakota State, 102,1889)

The above information taken from the 2002 NCAA Football Records Directory.

Other facts

This is the 57^th consecutive meeting since October of 1946.

This is the 53^rd meeting since the introduction of the “Dutchman Shoes” Trophy prior to the game in 1950. Union holds a 41-11 advantage since the introduction of the trophy.

By the decades

2000-01	tied 1-1
1990-99	Union was 7-3
1980-89	Union was 8-2
1950-59	Union was 7-3
1970-79	Union was 8-2
1960-69	Union was 10-0

Overall Series Records

According to Union: 75-20-4 in Union´s favor

According to RPI: 73-22-4 in Union´s favor

Shutout Wins: Union 28, RPI 5

Wins by 7 or less points: Union 20, RPI 6

Union´s biggest winning margin: Union, 45-0 in 1916

RPI´s biggest winning margin: RPI, 32-0 in 1941

Recent History

Last year´s game, won by Rensselaer, 32-29, marked the first time the two teams faced each other with undefeated records: Union was 5-0 while Rensselaer was 3-0. The home team has won the last four years.

DISPUTED GAMES

Rensselaer claims an 11-4 win in first meeting on November 27th, 1886; Union says it won that game 4-0.

Rensselaer´s books show a 5-4 Rensselaer win in 1888 while Union has no record of that game.

Union´s archives show that the Dutchmen won two games in 1901, but Rensselaer´s records show only one game played that season (an 18-0 Union win).

Despite the disputes, the current won-lost-tied record from both schools add up to this being the 100^th meeting.

DUTCHMAN SHOES TROPHY

Owning possession of “The Shoes” has been the winner´s right every year since 1950. While Union has had the trophy in its possession after 41 of the previous 52 meetings, Rensselaer has had possession twice in the last four years, including last season´s 32-29 victory. “The Shoes” are one of college football´s most prized possessions.