After pleading with Superintendent Richard Henry Pratt to be allowed to play football against other schools, the small complement of students old enough competed against college men from coast to coast. Some had never seen a real football before and most were learning English. Located in a small town in Southcentral Pennsylvania, they traveled considerable distances to play all their important games on the road, but still won most of them. Soon, Carlisle players became known nationwide and more teams than they could schedule requested games. Large crowds turned out to see and support them. Their games were covered as much nationally as were the large universities. In 1896, only their third full season, they played each of the Big Four in successive weeks and on the road, where they always played their tough opponents. Pratt had admonished the students who asked to be allowed to play other schools to play and beat the best in the country. They were already throwing a scare into the top adversaries. Pop Warner took the coaching reins in 1899 and led them to their best season to date. Halfback Isaac Seneca was named as Carlisle’s first player to be named a Walter Camp All-American.

In 1905, after Major William A. Mercer had taken over as superintendent of the school, a game with Army was arranged at West Point. Pop Warner was on a three-year hiatus to Cornell, leaving coaching responsibilities to former players Bemus Pierce and Frank Hudson. George Woodruff had retired from Penn and helped as Advisory Coach. A flock of dignitaries from Washington plus First Lord of the Admiralty Prince Louis of Battenberg and 800 of his retinue attended the first-ever meeting of the Indians and “The Long Knives.” The Indians won. Carlisle’s best seasons were after Warner returned in 1907. That season brought their first victory over Harvard and a win over what Amos Alonzo Stagg considered his strongest Chicago team to date. The Indian lost a single game in 1907, 1911, 1912, and 1913. 1911 was their best year, beating two of the Big Four and losing by a single point to Syracuse. 1912 brought a second win over Army, and 1913 they upset Dartmouth for one of Warner’s favorite wins.

The 1914 Joint Congressional Investigation brought changes that reduced enrollment periods, making fielding strong athletic teams difficult. Carlisle played its last game in 1917 as the Army took back Carlisle Barracks to use as a hospital to treat soldiers wounded in World War I. The school closed on August 30, 1918, less than a month before their scheduled opener with Albright College.

Several Carlisle players made All-America lists and seven have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. These include Jim Thorpe, James Johnson, Gus Welch, Ed Rogers, Al Exendine, Joe Guyon and Lone Star Dietz.

The only previous attempt at writing Carlisle Indian School's football team's history was made in 1951, well before modern research tools were available. Dr. Benjey's work includes all the games they played and at the correct locations and on the actual dates.