David Stameshkin writes that “football, which emerged periodically in the 1870s as an informal intramural activity, suffered at times from a lack of adequate equipment: for example, in the fall of 1880, ‘one little pin hole’ flattened the students’ only ball and ended gridiron action for that year” (172).

In 1886, Middlebury’s first official football team was organized. In 1893, Middlebury participated in its first intercollegiate football match. Over time, football rivalries with the University of Vermont and Norwich University served to unify the campus community and also promoted fellowship between college students and Middlebury townspeople.