Help identify old football photo

QUITCRAB

Any help with team,date, and players? Photographers stamp on photo matting says worchester Massachusetts Big "W" on uniform so is it safe to say worchester college? Some players are wearing a nose guard around neck .. This might help date the photo. Thanks for any help.

ga5150

Found this 1897 photo of the Worcester Academy football team. It might help you date yours. Looks like they had W on the jersey in 1897, and WA on the jersey in 1896.

1897

saucywombat

I have pictures of the 1902 and 1904 College of Charleston football teams where the mouth guards look identical.

QUITCRAB

Wow. I thought the photo was 1920s. Seems to be earlier. Like 1900. Thanks for the link to the 1897 photo. Did you notice it was printed in reverse. You can't tell by the "W" on the uniform because a "w" is a "w" either way, but the 97 written on the football is backwards

Carew29

I did face recognition and it identifed from tan photo (l-r back row 6th man) and black and white photo (l-r back row 2nd man) as 94% match

QUITCRAB

ttt

Southsider

That's very interesting. My local library (Arlington, VA) posted a vintage football picture from the area to ask for help identifying the school. One of the things that helped them date the photo was that the noseguard that the players were wearing was patented by Frank Wilcox in 1904. The date "04" on the football was probably also very helpful! The noseguard in your photo looks similar to the one from my library:

QUITCRAB

I think the photo is from 1897. It looks like a "97" on the football and I opened up the frame to find newspaper from Boston... December of 1897