1916 Western State Normal Hilltoppers football team

The 1916 Western State Normal Hilltoppers football team represented Western State Normal School (later renamed Western Michigan University) as an independent during the 1916 college football season. In their 10th season under head coach William H. Spaulding, the Hilltoppers compiled a 5–1 record and outscored their opponents, 391 to 19. Quarterback Scott Burke was the 1916 team captain.^[1][2][3][4]

1916 Western State Normal Hilltoppers football
Conference	Independent
Record	5–1
Head coach	William H. Spaulding (10th season)
Captain	Scott Burke
Home stadium	Normal field
Seasons ← 1915 1917 →

1916 Midwestern college football independents records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
St. Xavier			–					5	–	0	–	0
Notre Dame			–					8	–	1	–	0
Western State Normal			–					5	–	1	–	0
Northern Illinois State			–					6	–	1	–	1
Heidelberg			–					8	–	2	–	0
Michigan			–					7	–	2	–	0
Wabash			–					7	–	2	–	0
Michigan Agricultural			–					4	–	2	–	1
North Dakota Agricultural			–					3	–	2	–	1
Detroit			–					3	–	2	–	2
St. Mary's (OH)			–					4	–	3	–	0
Marquette			–					4	–	3	–	1
Saint Louis			–					4	–	4	–	0
Haskell			–					3	–	6	–	0
Michigan State Normal			–					1	–	2	–	1
South Dakota			–					1	–	5	–	2
Akron			–					2	–	7	–	0
Central Michigan			–					1	–	5	–	0
Iowa State Teachers			–					1	–	7	–	0
Lake Forest			–					1	–	7	–	0

The 1916 team set multiple team scoring records.

• Season scoring. The team set a season scoring with 391 points, a record that was not surpassed by a Western Michigan football team until the 2011 team scored 459 points.
• Point differential. The differential of 372 between points scored and points allowed remains the largest in Western Michigan history.
• Single game. The team also set a single-game scoring record with 91 points on September 30 against the Grand Rapids Veterinary College. It then broke that record on October 28 with 94 points against the Winono Agricultural, also known as the Indiana Aggies.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 30	Grand Rapids Veterinary College	Normal field Kalamazoo, MI	W 93–0	[5][6]
October 6	Albion	Normal field Kalamazoo, MI	W 37–0	[7]
October 28	Winona Agricultural	Normal field Kalamazoo, MI	W 94–6	[8]
November 4	Michigan Agricultural freshmen	Normal field Kalamazoo, MI	W 77–3	[9]
November 11	Notre Dame freshmen	Normal field Kalamazoo, MI	L 6–10	[10]
November 18	Ohio Northern	Normal field Kalamazoo, MI	W 84–0	[11]