The 1917 All‑Western college football team refers to a set of selections identifying the most outstanding American college football players from institutions located in the Western United States (primarily the Midwestern region) for the 1917 season. Selections were typically made by contemporary sports writers, coaches, and newspapers, most notably the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press, and individual analysts such as Walter Eckersall.
Historical context
- In the early 20th century, college football was organized into regional groups rather than the modern conference system. The “All‑Western” designations highlighted players from schools that competed in the Western Conference (later the Big Ten) and other prominent Midwestern programs.
- Selections were published in annual newspaper articles and served as a precursor to the national All‑America teams, influencing both public perception and professional scouting.
Typical selectors (1917)
- Walter Eckersall – former University of Chicago star and Chicago Tribune writer, whose All‑Western lists were widely circulated.
- Billy Evans – a notable sportswriter who also compiled regional teams.
- Detroit Free Press – often released a consensus All‑Western roster based on multiple contributors.
Selection criteria
- Performance during the 1917 season, including individual statistics, impact on team success, and reputation among peers and coaches.
- Emphasis was placed on positions traditionally recognized in the era’s standard eleven‑man formation (e.g., ends, tackles, guards, center, quarterback, halfbacks, fullback).
Availability of specific player lists
Comprehensive, verifiable rosters for the 1917 All‑Western team are not consistently documented across surviving newspaper archives and scholarly compilations. While individual newspapers from the period published their own versions of the team, a consolidated, widely accepted list does not appear in current major reference works or encyclopedic databases.
Significance
- The All‑Western selections of 1917 contributed to the recognition of players who later achieved All‑America honors and, in some cases, professional careers.
- They provide historical insight into the competitive landscape of Midwestern college football during World War I, a season affected by military enlistments and the presence of Student Army Training Corps units on campuses.
Summary
The term “1917 All‑Western college football team” denotes the collective name given to various contemporaneous All‑Western player selections for the 1917 season. While the concept is established in historical sports journalism, precise and uniformly accepted player rosters are not readily available in current encyclopedic sources.
