text: dartmouth big green football under william wurtenburg from 1895 to 1899 , william wurtenburg served as the head coach of the dartmouth big green football program , which represented dartmouth college in collegiate football competitions . dartmouth had adopted football as a school sport in 1881 when the team went 1 – 0 – 1 . prior to wurtenburg 's hiring , the team had won two consecutive triangular football league championships under coach wallace moyle . wurtenburg had been a highly successful player at yale , where he had played at quarterback on teams that went 46 – 1 – 1 in a four - year span . he had graduated from the school in 1893 and coached the navy midshipmen football program for a year before his hiring by dartmouth . during wurtenburg 's five year coaching tenure , dartmouth went 8 – 2 in conference contests and won four consecutive triangular football league championships . the 1895 season was made up of thirteen games , a record - setting amount for a dartmouth team . it included the closest loss to rival harvard up to that point . the 1896 was the most successful season of wurtenburg 's , in terms of winning percentage ; the squad went 5 – 2 – 1 , the tenth - best record among major teams , for a win percentage . the fewest games played in a season under wurtenburg were seven in 1897 . that team managed a 4 – 3 record , which included a three - game scoreless streak . the 1898 squad finished the season with a losing record , 5 – 6 , but managed to outscore its opponents 205 – 137 . wurtenburg 's final season as dartmouth 's head coach was his worst . the team had a 2 – 7 overall record and went 0 – 2 in conference play . the season was also marked by several of the largest blowouts of dartmouth in years . overall , the dartmouth football program went 23 – 23 – 2 in wurtenburg 's five years of coaching . the 1898 season was the final triangular football league championship the school would win ; the conference would become defunct in 1901 , two years later . following wurtenburg 's departure , frederick e. jennings , a player under wurtenburg , would take over the program , leading it to a 2 – 4 – 2 record in one year of coaching . another former player , walter would coach the program starting in 1901 , and led the team to a 15 - win record in two years . wurtenburg 's tenure as coach has occasionally been remarked as the beginning of dartmouth 's acceptance as a major team . prelude dartmouth college fielded its first football team in 1881 , when the school challenged amherst college to a two - game series . they won the first contest , one touchdown to none , and tied the second . the following year , the team played their first major opponent when they traveled to cambridge , massachusetts and played the harvard crimson . dartmouth was blown out 53 – 0 , and a rivalry with harvard formed . the dartmouth football team developed through the 1880s , skipping the 1885 season but challenging several major opponents . prior to wurtenburg 's arrival , the school had won four triangular football league championships in seven years . wallace moyle was the first coach hired by the program ; he served in that position during the two years before wurtenburg 's appointment and led the school to a 9 – 7 record . william wurtenburg was born and raised in western new york by immigrant parents . he was introduced to football while a student at phillips exeter academy , where , in his senior year , he played quarterback and served as team captain . in 1886 , wurtenburg entered yale university to study to become a doctor . he joined the school football team in his first year , playing as a backup halfback . he remained a backup halfback on the 1887 team , which went undefeated and was later recognized as a national champion . wurtenburg transitioned to the quarterback position in 1888 and took the starting spot . he finished playing with the team regularly in 1889 . during the time wurtenburg played , yale went 46 – 1 – 1 . upon graduating from yale in 1893 , wurtenburg accepted a position as head coach of the naval academy football team for the 1894 season . he guided the team to a 4 – 1 – 2 record . aftermath after the 1899 season concluded , wurtenburg declined to return the next year . instead , he was replaced by one of his former players , frederick e. jennings . during the time that wurtenburg coached dartmouth , the program went 23 – 23 – 2 and won four consecutive triangular football league championships . the team had also amassed an 8 – 2 conference record . jennings took the 1900 squad to a 2 – 4 – 2 record , and was replaced following that season by walter . he found more success with the program and led it to a 15 – 3 – 1 record over two years . the big green would never win another triangular football league championship ; the conference folded after the 1901 season . following his coaching career , wurtenburg became an occasional referee for yale , and later established himself as a respected surgeon . fred , captain of the 1898 team , would reflect on wurtenburg 's coaching career at dartmouth for william " big bill " edwards ' book football days , stating that : one man , whose influence more than any other one thing , succeeded in laying a foundation for dartmouth 's wonderful results , but whose name is seldom mentioned in that connection is doctor wurtenberg , who was brought up in the early yale football school . he had the keenest sense of fundamental football and the greatest intensity of spirit in transmitting his hard earned knowledge . four critical years he worked with us filling every one with his enthusiasm and those four years dartmouth football gained such headway that nothing could stop its growth .