The first college national champs?

Do you know? It was Yale in 1901. Before the NCAA tournament (and for a while after it began), the Helms Foundation designated national champions. Other national champs that you might not think of: Columbia, Dartmouth, Chicago, Navy, Montana State - and Northwestern. That's right: Northwestern, who has never been to the NCAA tournament, was the national champ back in 1931. (And that was based on their whole season's work, not on a short tournament - which is the way it ought to be.)