In the 1890s, football became the leading intercollegiate spectator sport. In 1891, Stanford had neither a team nor a coach until a group of students got together to play football on a field behind Encina Hall. In 1918, Stanford joined what is now the Pac-12 Conference. Left: The freshmen football team in 1898. Right: The Pac-12 champions celebrate their victory over the University of Southern California on December 5, 2015.