In their first season under head coach Robert Winston, the Orangemen compiled a 7–4 record.
Syracuse Chancellor Charles N. Sims wanted the athletic program at SU to be as competitive as those at Yale and Harvard.
To achieve this goal, he encouraged the development of a more challenging academic program and a healthier campus environment.
In October 1889, Hillyer created the University Athletic Association, a student-run organization that managed the finances and logistics for various sports and the football program at Syracuse was now officially recognized.
[1] Syracuse played its first football game on November 23, 1889, recording a 36–0 loss to Rochester.