In the summer of 1899, Kansas State Agricultural College officially became part of the Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Association. That league had been in existence since 1890, kicking off with the first organized football game played in the state between Kansas and Baker.
With that affiliation came a beefed-up schedule. Gone were the high schools, although over the next decades a handful of games against high schools would dot expanded schedules. Leading the way for the Aggies this season was Albert Hansen. Hansen was a three-year letter winner as an offensive lineman at the University of Nebraska, and was hired immediately after he graduated.