Wichita Shockers football
| Wichita State Shockers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First season | 1897 |
| Last season | 1986 |
| Stadium | Cessna Stadium |
| Seating capacity | 31,500 |
| Field surface | Grass |
| Location | Wichita, Kansas |
| Past conferences | Independent (1895–1923) Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (1924–1926) Independent (1927, 1940–1945, 1986) Central Intercollegiate (1928–1939) Missouri Valley (1945–1986) |
| All-time record | 375–402–47 (.484) |
| Bowl record | 0–3 (.000) |
| Conference titles | 14 |
| Colors | Black and Sunflower Yellow |
| Website | goshockers.com |
The Wichita State Shockers football team was the NCAA Division I football program of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. The Shockers fielded a team from 1897 to 1986.
The first official football game played by the school was in 1897 under the coaching of T. H. Morrison. The school defeated Wichita High School, now known as Wichita East, by a score of 12–4 in the only game played that year.
In the 1905 season, the Coleman Company set up temporary gas-powered lighting for a night game against Cooper College (now called the Sterling Warriors). It was the first night football game played west of the Mississippi River. Fairmount won the game 24–0.
On December 25, 1905, Wichita State (called "Fairmount College" at the time) played a game against the Washburn Ichabods using a set of experimental rules. The game was officiated by then Washburn head coach John H. Outland.
The experiment was considered a failure. Outland commented, "It seems to me that the distance required in three downs would almost eliminate touchdowns, except through fakes or flukes." The Los Angeles Times reported that there was much kicking and that the game was considered much safer than regular play, but that the new rule was not "conducive to the sport."
In his history of the sport of football, David M. Nelson concluded that "the first forward passes were thrown at the end of the 1905 season in a game between Fairmount and Washburn colleges in Kansas." According to Nelson, Washburn completed three passes, and Fairmount completed two.
On October 2, 1970, a plane crashed that was carrying about half of the football team on their way to play a game against Utah State University. 31 people were killed. The game was canceled, and the Utah State football team held a memorial service at the stadium where the game was to have been played.
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