The Enduring Legacy of the University of Michigan Football Logo
The University of Michigan Wolverines football team boasts a rich history and a tradition of excellence. A significant part of that tradition lies in its visual identity, particularly the evolution of its logos and uniform. From the early days of simple designs to the iconic winged helmet and Block M, the Michigan football logo has become synonymous with the university itself.
Early Years and the Block 'M'
Michigan began competing in intercollegiate football in 1879. The visual identity of Michigan Wolverines has been pretty constant since 1964, with just some slight modifications, its current emblem is based on the version of the 1960s, and keeps its yellow and blue color palette, reflecting energy, reliability, and professionalism. Though the first two badges, designed for the team were completely different.
The original version of the Michigan Wolverines logo, designed at the beginning of the 20th century, featured just one element, a massive bright yellow uppercase “M”, drawn in an extra-bold geometric serif typeface with stable square details and distinctive contours. The badge stayed without any changes for more than 90 years and became a basis for all future redesigns.
While occasionally used in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, the Block 'M' became all-but officially branded onto the University on Nov. 16, 1907. At a football game, hundreds of fans raised maize and blue flags to form the Block 'M'. Following the display, the logo continued to gain popularity, and its use within athletics steadily rose.
In 1994 the massive serif “M” from the primary logo of the Michigan Wolverines athletic program gained a new shade of yellow, a darker and more intense one. In the new hue, the minimalistic badge started looking more confident and full of energy. For almost twenty years the logo will stay unchanged.
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The redesign of 2016 has played with the yellow shade of the uppercase “M” logo again. This time the hue got even more intense, with slightly darker notes, standing for determination, professionalism, and strength. No further changes were made to the badge.
The Winged Helmet: A Symbol is Born
The arrival of Coach “Fritz” Crisler in 1938 marked a turning point in Michigan football history, not only for his coaching prowess but also for his introduction of the winged helmet. Michigan's football helmet is surely one of the most instantly recognizable icons in college sports. The famous "winged" design dates from 1938 when Coach Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler arrived from Princeton to begin a new era in Michigan football. Even as the design and composition of helmets evolved from stitched cowhide to high-tech, molded plastic, the winged design has remained the pre-eminent symbol of Michigan football.
Upon arriving at Michigan, Crisler introduced the winged football helmet, ostensibly to help his players find the receivers down field. Crisler figured the helmet would help his halfbacks find receivers downfield. Crisler thought the distinctive helmet will help his halfbacks find receivers downfield. "There was a tendency to use different colored helmets just for receivers in those days, but I always thought that would be as helpful for the defense as for the offense," Crisler recalled. [In Crisler's single-wing offense the halfbacks did most of the passing. In any event, the new helmet made a successful debut in the 1938 season opener against Michigan State. The Wolverines defeated the Spartans 14-0 behind two touchdown runs by sophomore Paul Kromer to gain their first win over Michigan State in four years. Whether the helmet helped the passing game is hard to say, Michigan completed four of eight attempts for 46 yards with no interceptions. The game certainly marked a change in Michigan's football fortunes. Sophomore halfback Paul Kromer (83) scored the first touchdown wearing the winged helmet and accounted for 13 of Michigan's 14 points in the 1938 win over Michigan State.
Some accounts of the actual design of the new helmet have suggested Crisler came up with the idea out of whole cloth. Princeton in 1935 that should look remarkably familiar to Wolverine fans. company had advertised in the 1937 edition of the Official Intercollegiate Football Guide. and blue. His predecessor, Harry Kipke, had also experimented with special markings on the helmets in 1937. Forest Evashevski, another of the sophomore stars on Crisler's 1938 squad and the only one to start the Michigan State game, models the old style helmet which the Wolverines continued to use during practice. Because so many schools wore the same black or brown helmet, a number of teams added distinctive markings. Spalding's Official Football Guide for 1938. The A.G. Spalding & Bros. Company, the nation's largest supplier of football equipment, first advertised its model FH5 helmet in the 1937 Official Intercollegiate Football Guide. The helmet is described as "National federation H.S.A.A. approved. A streamlined helmet of tan and black leather. Air-Lite cushion rubber padded and leather lined. Six point suspension straps in crown. Ventilating holes in crown, back and ear pieces. Slide chin strap. Spalding marketed a number of helmet models that featured the "wing" design. The wing provided additional protective padding and helped bind the earpieces to the crown. The FH5 model was the only one featuring three straps running from front-to-back. One model featured a single strap running front-to-back and another running side-to-side. Other models had a one-piece crown. Michigan State had adopted its version of a "winged helmet" several years earlier. wearing a different model of Spalding's wing design.
face bars were added that have since grown into elaborate cages, the simple slide chin strap was replaced with precisely fitted, double snap straps. Advances in design and engineering, some based on research done at Michigan, have greatly increased the protective capabilities of the modern helmet. Through all the changes Michigan has preserved the design Crisler imported from Princeton to "dress up" and add a bit of style to Michigan's look. While other schools changed their look when they switched from the leather helmet, Michigan simply painted the wings and stripes on the new material. There have been a few minor changes to the design over the years. The shape of the wing has been smoothed out a bit, the stripes now extend all the way to the base of the helmet and player numbers were added to the side of the helmet during the years 1959-1968. A design originally based on functional and structural parts of the helmet is now purely decorative. Or maybe it has taken on a new function as symbol of and link to Michigan's great athletic tradition.
Read also: History of the Block 'M'
Uniform Evolution and Special Emblems
The Michigan football uniform has undergone several changes throughout its history, reflecting evolving styles and technological advancements.
The Michigan football program debuts with the players looking more tidy than tough. As The Chronicle, a weekly U-M student newspaper put it, “On Wednesday evening, the eleven appeared on campus for the fi rst time in their new suits. They presented quite a neat appearance. Although the new uniform includes this sleeveless vest, players are also allowed to wear older uniforms, which accounts for the different “M” versions on each jersey. By the 1900s, football trousers are mostly made of moleskin-a strong, twilled cotton fabric-and include internal thigh and knee pads. The blue jersey with shoulder, elbow, and forearm pads first appears in photos in 1898 and will be the standard until 1911. Numerals on the back of the jerseys first appear in 1915. The 1931 team is the first to wear jerseys with front numerals in games. The arrival of Coach “Fritz” Crisler marks the debut of the winged helmet, now one of the most instantly recognizable icons in college sports. Crisler thinks the distinctive helmet will help his halfbacks find receivers downfield. His hunch proves right. In the season opener, the Wolverines defeat Michigan State 14-0. Just before the 1948 Rose Bowl, this player and his fiancée appear on the cover of LOOK magazine. It is one of the earliest known color photos of the Michigan uniform. Note the Maize and Blue hues. Bo Schembechler arrives and makes a few changes to the uniform. Numbers are placed on both home and away-game sleeves (which a decade earlier were also emblazoned with the Block M). White pants are introduced for away games in 1974 and continue through 1975. The following season, yellow pants become the standard for both home and away games. Numbers, which have been on the helmet since 1956, disappear in 1975 and the center stripe is extended to the base. The helmet achievement stickers also change from gold footballs to the head of a snarling wolverine. Adidas empowers players by sewing “M GO BLUE” inside their jerseys. Nike, once again U-M’s apparel provider, makes several changes behind the seams. (Nike last had an apparel contract with U-M from 1994 to 2007.) The winged helmet has a matte finish, the road jersey has TV numbers on the top of the shoulder, and the maize is slightly darker.
In recent years, the team has also incorporated helmet stickers to commemorate achievements and special occasions.
- Recognition of Wins: The team is awarded a decal for all-time program wins.
- Trophy Recognition: The team is awarded a decal featuring a depiction of the Paul Bunyan Trophy, for all-time program win.
- Bowl Games: The team wears a College Football Playoff logo sticker affixed to the middle stripe on the back of the helmet.
The team is awarded a stylized decal in the shape of the silver football atop the Big Ten Championship Trophy (including the B1G logo) for all-time program win.
Alternate Logos and Mascots
While the Block 'M' and winged helmet are the primary symbols of Michigan football, the program has also utilized alternative logos and mascots throughout its history.
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One that has seen quite a resurgence recently is affectionately known as "Wolverbear." The Wolverine wearing a sailor hat with a Block 'M' branded on it was originally created by Arthur Evans. The logo was worn as a patch by a small group of players known as the "Raiders" in 1962. The idea came from assistant coach Bob Hollway, who was inspired by the Army's patches for different platoon units. It was never an official logo, but the retro appeal and uniqueness have made it a staple of merchandise in the 2000s.
Over the years, there has also been a "split 'M'" used. The split 'M' uses the standard Block 'M', but another rectangle reading "Michigan" splits it horizontally. Michigan owns the trademark on this logo and its color variations, but it is used sparingly. Most of its use is on merchandise, not in the official capacity.
The wolverine itself has long served as the symbol of the University. As early as the 1860s, U-M students and alumni were referring to themselves as “Wolverines.” The exact reasoning for this adoption is not definitively known and theories range from Michigan’s pre-statehood fur trade to the 19th-century Toledo War.
A mascot hadn’t been established by 1923 when head coach Fielding Yost, reportedly inspired by the University of Wisconsin’s practice of bringing a live badger to games, sought live wolverines for the Michigan sidelines. By the time of Michigan Stadium’s dedication in 1927, Yost had his animals, Bennie and Biff, paraded within a cage at games. Due to safety concerns and at least one escape incident, Wisconsin would transition to the human-in-costume route with Buckingham Ulysses “Bucky” Badger in the late 1940s. One more attempt at a live wolverine mascot came in 1939 when Chevrolet Motor Co. gifted one to the athletic department. Treppy, short for “Intrepidas,” only made one game appearance, owing to stress on Treppy and objections from museum experts.
In the fall of 1987, a furry phenomenon stepped into the Maize-and-Blue zeitgeist in the form of Willy the Wolverine: an anthropomorphic critter with a friendly, proud demeanor and an M-emblazoned sweater. Created by then-students Adam Blumenkranz, ’90, MBA’92, Dave Kaufman, ’96 and Eric Lefkofsky, ’91, JD’93, after visiting other schools in search of inspiration for their clothing store, the group launched a grassroots campaign to elevate the character’s status. No longer would Willy just be the namesake of their store, but hopefully, with enough support, he would become the official mascot for athletics and the school. As merchandise and apparel were pushed out, a homemade suit allowed Willy to make real-life appearances around Ann Arbor and at games. Many Wolverines were delighted - Willy served as grand marshal of the 1989 homecoming parade, in fact - but many others were put off. An in-person, in-costume appearance at a November 1989 regents meeting and continued attempts to drum up support proved ineffective in changing the University’s mind or creating a movement.
The Block 'M' as the Official University Logo
Until 2013, the Block 'M' was exclusively an athletics logo, as the University seal remained Michigan's primary logo. But in 2013, the University officially recognized the Block 'M' as the primary logo for everything, not just athletics.
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