President Craig hired Fred D. Smith, a former Cornell football player, as the first chair of the Chemistry Department. Craig believed that developing athletics would enhance student well-being and elevate the University’s prestige.

Montana was not alone. Universities and colleges across the West were focused on raising institutional prestige. Washington felt they could be the preeminent institution in the Northwest, believing they could compete with schools like Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Stanford aspired to be mentioned alongside institutions like Yale and Syracuse. Athletics were one avenue to achieve this goal. College athletics were beginning to fill the sports pages in newspapers nationwide, as headlines were seen as crucial for building a reputation.

Football was new to Missoula, and locals were showing interest in the unfamiliar sport. Athletic clubs in Spokane, Butte, and Anaconda had established football teams, with battles on the gridiron playing out in the pages of the Anaconda Standard and The Spokesman. The Missoula Athletic Club was assembling a team of novices to join the fray, calling themselves The Tigers.

The agricultural college in Bozeman was making attempts to train and organize a team, while the Butte Business College already had a team competing with other athletic clubs in the state.

Craig had tried and failed for two years to field a football team. With the hiring of Fred Smith, Montana finally had someone who could establish and lead a football team.

In the fall of 1897, Montana would play its first official football contests. The first three games were organized against the Missoula Tigers. After three completed games, neither team scored any points. Nonetheless, the University of Montana football team was born.

The first intercollegiate game took place on November 12, with Montana hosting Butte Business College. Butte displayed experience and convincingly beat Montana 20-4. Two weeks later, on November 26, the first matchup with the Aggies of Montana State College occurred in Missoula on Thanksgiving Day. Montana achieved its first victory in program history by defeating the Aggies 18-6. A rematch with Butte Business College would serve as the final game of the inaugural season, marking the first game Montana played outside of Missoula. Butte handed Montana another loss, though it was a more competitive game, with the final score reading Montana 2 and Butte 10. Montana’s first season produced a record of 1 win, 2 losses, and 3 ties.