In 1896 UT fielded a baseball team in intercollegiate competition that had members whose eligibility was questionable. Five players were not regular students. Two of the five had paid matriculation fees but somehow managed to visit UT only for baseball games. Another player, Sammy Strang (Samuel Strang Nicklin), had played on noncollegiate teams and as a professional. The faculty censured the manager and captain; the SIAA blacklisted UT for football in the 1897 season, declaring that no SIAA team could compete against Tennessee.