In head coach James F. Lanagan's third season, Stanford went undefeated.
The 1905 season marked the first meeting between Stanford and USC.
Consequently, Stanford is USC's oldest existing rival.
[3][4] Despite having no knowledge of the sport, Lanagan was retained as the rugby coach, spending time in Vancouver, British Columbia, to study the sport,[2] and coached for three seasons.
[2][5] Stanford would not play varsity football again until the 1919 season.