The 1891 Northwestern Purple football team was an American football team that represented Northwestern University during the 1891 college football season. The team compiled a 2–2–3 record and was outscored by its opponents by a combined total of 72 to 42. Only five of the seven games were intercollegiate games, and Northwestern's record in those games were 0–2–3 as follows: Northwestern's two victories came against Evanston High School (8–0) and the Chicago YMCA (22–0).