Christy Mathewson played fullback and was a star of the football team. His football forte was the drop-kick, which he practiced for many hours on Loomis Field. During his junior year, Matty drop-kicked a 48-yard score from a very difficult angle in a game with Army. This kick established his football reputation, although Bucknell lost by eight points. At the turn of the century, touchdowns and field goals were both worth five points. During his three seasons of play, Buckell and Penn State met on the gridiron three times, with Bucknell winning two of the contests by scores of 5-0 and and 12-5, in the 1899 and 1900 seasons, respectively; Penn State won in 1898, when the score was 16-0.

This photograph of the 1900 football team was taken at the side of Loomis Field, with the leaf-covered base of the hill in the background. Matty is at the far left in the center row. In 1900, Bucknell had a record of 4-4-1, with victories over Wyoming Seminary, Williamsport, Penn State, and Susquehanna. Bucknell was defeated by Cornell, Lehigh, the Duquesne C&A Club, and Army. The last game of the season was a scoreless tie at Villanova..