Former Yale All-American, Amos Alonzo Stagg, was the team's head coach and also played (at age 30) at the end position.

On October 8, 1892, one week into the university's first semester, the football team played its first game, defeating Hyde Park High School, 14–0.

The team won its first six games in eleven days, playing matches against local high schools and the Englewood YMCA.

At 2:30 p.m. that day, at the university chapel, Prof. Stagg from the department of physical culture called to order a meeting of 600 incoming students for the purpose of adopting a "college yell".

After an hour of experimenting with yells, Stagg selected a number of students to form the university's first football team.

The Chicago Tribune described the play as "brisk and sharp", featuring good runs by Stagg, Dyas, and Knapp.

[2] The lineup for Chicago consisted of Rapp, Stagg, Dyas, Hanson, Chase, Wyant, Smith, Loeb, Olson, Knapp, and Lamay.

[10] On Monday, October 10, 1892, Chicago played its second football game, defeating the team from Englewood High School by a 12–8 score.

In its account of the game, the Chicago Daily Tribune credited Knapp (a former Wisconsin football player), Wyant, Olson, Chase and Stagg for their "splendid work".

[14] On November 5, 1892, Chicago secured its first victory in an intercollegiate football game, defeating the team from Lake Forest College by an 18–16 score.

The game was played on a wet and muddy field in front of a crowd estimated by various accounts at between 700 and 1,500 spectators at Toledo's Olympic Park.