In 1893, Bates fielded a football team for a full season for the first time in the college's history. Under head coach G.L. Crockett, the Bobcats posted a record of 5-2. The undisputed star of that team was lineman Oliver Cutts ’96 – pictured in the bottom row, third from left – in the above team photo. Cutts missed most of the 1894 football season due to a broken leg, but made his triumphant return in the spring, playing in the outfield for the Bates baseball team. In 1895, Cutts was back on the football field and Bates finished up a three-year run that saw them post an overall win-loss record of 14-5.

In 1948, the Boston Post selected its all-time Maine Football Team and reached way back to the late ‘90’s to select Cutts. He was the only 19th century player to make the list. The Post described Cutts as “an exceptionally powerful man who dominated almost every situation he encountered.”

In addition to his football exploits, Cutts was a standout member of the debate team and the literary editor of the Bates Student.

Cutts attended Harvard Law School and played for the Crimson in 1901. He was a consensus All-American tackle for a Harvard team that went 12-0 and was declared the national champion by the contemporaneous media. 

Cutts went on to be the head coach for Purdue and the University of Washington before returning to Bates in 1922. He coached the football team for two years and served as the Director of Athletics until stepping down in 1938.

In 1931, the Bates Student interviewed Cutts about his experience playing the University of Maine in Orono. The Bates defense was struggling to stop the UMaine “flying wedge” until Cutts did so single-handedly when he tackled Maine's player-coach in the backfield in spectacular fashion. 

As reported by The Student, “Cutts, determined to stop the advance, took a running dive over the center's head and landed with tremendous force on the bewildered Maine coach. As soon as that worthy found it possible to separate his features from affectionate Mother Earth he looked up with consternation and surprise written all over his dirty face to ask frankly, 'Where in hell did you come from!'”