Here are some more interesting facts about that first historical contest and events surrounding it:
- Ohio Wesleyan invited the newly organized team to a contest as part of OWU’s May Day Weekend.
- The Ohio State team traveled to Delaware in horse-drawn wagons leaving Columbus at daybreak and returning by evening.
- There is a marker on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan commemorating the contest.
- The field where the game took place was eventually moved because the football often ended up in a creek just adjacent to the field.
- The game had to be played at Ohio Wesleyan because OWU faculty did not permit their students to play any intercollegiate games off-campus.
- A rulebook and ball were ordered from Spalding just prior to the contest by the Ohio State team.
Research and stats courtesy of the historical marking project and Ohio State Football: The Forgotten Dawn.