Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association

The Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association (MIFA), also called the Maryland Intercollegiate League, was an early college football conference with a membership composed of schools located primarily in the state of Maryland. One exception to that was Gallaudet, which is located in Washington, D.C. All of the members were universities, with the exception of Baltimore City College, a preparatory school located in Baltimore, Maryland.

The impetus for the formation of the MIFA was a controversial game on November 1, 1893 between the Maryland Agricultural College (now known as the University of Maryland) and Saint John's College of Annapolis. Maryland won the game, 6–0, but St. John's players later wrote in the Baltimore American that "a decision by which the M.A.C. were allowed to score the only touchdown made by the quarterback after a run of 90 yards, with no one in pursuit, appeared a very doubtful one."^[1] Maryland finished the season by beating Western Maryland and the Orient Athletic Club. With a 6–0 record, the "Aggies" were named the state champions, but the title was contested by St. John's. The following season, Maryland's former quarterback and coach William W. Skinner led the effort to create an intercollegiate football league to improve the process in which the state championship was awarded.^[2] The conference began competition on October 13, 1894 with games between St. John's College and Washington College in Annapolis, and Maryland Agricultural College and Western Maryland in Westminster.^[3]

Membership

The following schools were members of the MIFA at some point. Where known, the years of membership are included:^[2][4][5]

• Baltimore City College, ?–1897^[6]
• Gallaudet, 1897–?^[6]
• Johns Hopkins, 1894–1899^[7]
• Loyola
• Maryland Agricultural College (now University of Maryland), 1894–1897^[8]
• Mount St. Mary's
• St. John's College, 1894–?^[3]
• Washington College, 1894–1897^[3][6]
• Western Maryland (now McDaniel College), 1894–?^[3]

Football champions

1894 – St. John's (MD) 1895 – Unknown 1896 – Unknown 1897 – Gallaudet 1898 – Unknown 1899 – Johns Hopkins

References

1. David Ungrady, Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, 2003, p. 4, Sports Publishing LLC.
2. David Ungrady (2003). Tales from the Maryland Terrapins. Sports Publishing LLC. pp. 3–26. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
3. Maryland College Games, The New York Times, October 13, 1894.
4. Conference Champions – Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved December 16, 2008.
5. Ted Patterson and Edwin H. Remsberg, Football in Baltimore: History and Memorabilia, 2000, p. 39, retrieved December 16, 2008.
6. Morris Allison Bealle, Kings of American Football: The University of Maryland, 1890–1952, p. 28, Columbia Publishing Co., 1952.
7. Johns Hopkins Historical Data, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved February 12, 2009.
8. Maryland Historical Data, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved February 12, 2009.