The Maize and Blue Legacy: A History of Michigan Wolverines Football

The Michigan Wolverines football team, representing the University of Michigan, boasts a storied and tradition-rich history within the realm of college football. Competing at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, Michigan's gridiron journey began in 1879, marking the inception of intercollegiate competition. A cornerstone member of the Big Ten Conference since its establishment in 1896, save for a period between 1907 and 1916, the Wolverines have consistently remained a force to be reckoned with.

Early Gridiron Days and Conference Founding

Michigan's football heritage traces back to May 30, 1879, when the team clashed with Racine College at White Stocking Park in Chicago. This contest was hailed by the Chicago Tribune as "the first rugby-football game to be played west of the Alleghenies." Irving Kane Pond etched his name in history by scoring Michigan's inaugural touchdown. The crowd responded to Pond's plays with cheers of "Pond Forever." In 1881, Michigan faced Harvard in Boston, in a game that marked the birth of intersectional football.

Before this intercollegiate match, students at U-M had been playing "football" for over 15 years. But their game bore little resemblance to what’s played in Michigan Stadium today, or even to the new “rugby football” that Pond and his teammates were playing. During U-M’s formative years, football was a mass game, with as many as 80 players on a side. It was also a kicking game, closer to “association football” (soccer) than to rugby football. The two sides squared off on an open field and attempted to kick a ball over a goal line. And the ball was not the only thing kicked: Bruised shins and bloodied noses were common, as were “tumultuous collisions”. Most importantly it was a contest between classes. The rush was a sometimes spontaneous, sometimes planned confrontation between classes, especially freshmen and sophomores and was often little more than a street fight with no ball necessary. At U-M, the rush might take place on campus or in city streets as rival classes faced off. Scratches and bruises were treated as badges of honor, but some combatants were disciplined and a few expelled. A Michigan variation on the rush was known as “Over the Fence.”

In 1887, destiny intervened as Michigan players, en route to a game in Chicago, made a stop in South Bend, Indiana, introducing the sport to students at the University of Notre Dame.

The year 1896 witnessed the formation of the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, later known as the Big Ten Conference, uniting institutions such as the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin, Northwestern University, and Purdue University. In its inaugural season, Michigan posted a 9-1 record, narrowly missing the conference title after a loss to the Chicago Maroons.

The Yost Era: Point-a-Minute Dominance

In 1901, Fielding H. Yost assumed the reins as Michigan's head coach, ushering in an era of unprecedented success. Yost's "Point-a-Minute" squads embarked on an astounding 56-game unbeaten streak, beginning with his arrival and culminating in the 1905 season finale. This period of dominance included a resounding victory in the 1902 Rose Bowl, the first college football bowl game ever played.

After the 1900 season, Charles A. Baird, Michigan's first athletic director, contacted Fielding H. Yost, then head coach at San Jose Normal School in California (now San Jose State University). Baird, expressing concern over recent defeats, extended an offer to Yost to revitalize the football program. Under Yost's leadership, Michigan achieved remarkable margins of victory, capturing national attention. The Wolverines participated in the inaugural Rose Bowl, where they dominated Stanford, leading to the game being called early at the request of Stanford's captain. In 1902, Michigan continued its dominance, outscoring opponents 644 to 12 and finishing the season undefeated.

The 1903 season saw the birth of the rivalry for the Little Brown Jug, the oldest rivalry trophy in college football, against Minnesota. This game marked the only instance from 1901 to 1904 where Michigan did not emerge victorious. From 1901 through 1904, Michigan didn't lose a single game.[21] The streak was finally halted at the end of the 1905 season by Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons, a team that went on to win two Big 9 (as the Western Conference was now being called with the addition of Iowa and Indiana) titles in the next three years. The game, dubbed "The First Greatest Game of the Century," broke Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak and marked the end of the "Point-a-Minute" years.

Michigan tied for another Big 9 title in 1906 before opting to go independent for the 1907 season. The independent years were not as kind to Yost as his years in the Big 9. Michigan rejoined the Big 9 in 1917, after which it was called the Big Ten. Yost immediately got back to work. In 1918, Michigan played the first game against Stagg's Chicago Maroons since Chicago ended Michigan's winning streak in 1905. Michigan defeated the Maroons, 18-0, on the way to a 5-0 record. The next three years were lean, with Michigan going 3-4, 5-2, and 5-1-1, in 1919, 1920, and 1921. However, in 1922 Michigan managed to spoil the "Dedication Day" for Ohio Stadium, defeating the Buckeyes 19-0. Michigan went 5-0-1 in 1922, capturing a Big Ten title. In 1923, Michigan went 8-0, winning another conference championship.

The Little and Benny-to-Bennie Eras

The 1924 Wolverines, coached by George Little, saw their 20-game unbeaten streak end at the hands of Red Grange. After the 1924 season, Little left Michigan to accept the head coach and athletic director positions at Wisconsin, returning athletic director Yost to the head coaching position.[30] Although the 1925 and 1926 seasons did not include a conference title, they were memorable due to the presence of the famous "Benny-to-Bennie" combination, a reference to Benny Friedman and Bennie Oosterbaan. The two helped popularize passing the ball in an era when running held dominance. Oosterbaan became a three-time All-American and was selected for the All-Time All-American team in 1951, while Friedman went on to have a Hall of Fame NFL career. Also during 1926, Michigan was retroactively awarded national titles for the 1901 and 1902 seasons via the Houlgate System, the first national titles awarded to the program.

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Yost stepped aside in 1926 to focus on being Michigan's athletic director, a post he had held since 1921, thus ending the greatest period of success in the history of Michigan football. Under Yost, Michigan posted a 165-29-10 record, winning ten conference championships and six national championships. One of his main actions as athletic director was to oversee the construction of Michigan Stadium.

The Michigan Stadium Era Begins

Michigan began playing football games in Michigan Stadium in the fall of 1927. At the time Michigan Stadium had a capacity of 72,000, although Yost envisioned eventually expanding the stadium to a capacity well beyond 100,000. Michigan Stadium was formally dedicated during a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes that season to the tune of a 21-0 victory.

Tad Wieman became Michigan's head coach in 1927. In 1929, Harry Kipke, a former player under Yost, took over as head coach. From 1930 to 1933, Kipke returned Michigan to prominence. During that stretch, Michigan won the Big Ten title every year and the national championship in 1932 and 1933. In 1932, quarterback and future College Football Hall of Famer Harry Newman was a unanimous first-team All-American. After 1933, however, Kipke's teams compiled a 12-22 record from 1934 to 1937. The 1934 Michigan team only won one game, against Georgia Tech in a controversial contest. Georgia Tech coach and athletic director W. A. "Bill" Alexander refused to allow his team to take the field if Willis Ward, an African-American player for Michigan, stepped on the field. Michigan conceded, and the incident reportedly caused Michigan player Gerald R.

The Crisler and Oosterbaan Years: Winged Helmets and National Titles

Fritz Crisler's arrival in 1938 marked a turning point, as he introduced the iconic winged football helmet, ostensibly to aid players in spotting receivers downfield. Michigan debuted the winged helmet in a game against Michigan State in 1938. Whatever the reasoning, the winged helmet has since become one of the iconic marks of Michigan football. Two years later in 1940, Tom Harmon led the Wolverines to a 7-1 record on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. Harmon ended the season by scoring three rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, four extra points, intercepting three passes, and punting three times for an average of 50 yards in a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Crisler had reversed the misfortune of the end of the Kipke era and returned Michigan to one and two-loss seasons. From 1938 to 1944, Michigan posted a 48-11-2 record, although the period lacked a national title and only contained one conference title. Yet, Crisler's biggest mark on the game of football was made in 1945, when Michigan faced a loaded Army squad that featured two Heisman trophy winners, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. Crisler didn't feel that his Michigan team could match up with Army, so he opted to take advantage of a 1941 NCAA rule that allowed players to enter or leave at any point during the game. Crisler divided his team into "offensive" and "defensive" specialists, an act that earned him the nickname "the father of two-platoon football." Michigan still lost the game with Army 28-7, but Crisler's use of two-platoon football shaped the way the game was played in the future.

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In 1945, Crisler's innovative use of "two-platoon football" against a formidable Army squad reshaped the game's landscape. Crisler continued as athletic director while Bennie Oosterbaan, the same Bennie that had electrified the world while making connections with Benny Friedman 20 years earlier, took over the football program. Things started off well for Oosterbaan in 1948 with the Wolverines earning a quality mid-season victory over No. 3 Northwestern. Michigan finished the season undefeated at 9-0, thus winning another national championship. Initially, Oosterbaan continued Crisler's tradition of on-field success, winning conference titles each year from 1948 to 1950 and the national title in 1948. The 1950 season ended in interesting fashion, with Michigan and Ohio State combining for 45 punts in a game that came to be known as the "Snow Bowl." Michigan won the game 9-3, winning the Big Ten conference and sending the Wolverines off to the 1951 Rose Bowl. Subsequently, Michigan's football team began to decline under Oosterbaan.

The Schembechler Era: The Ten Year War

Bo Schembechler's arrival in 1969 marked the beginning of a new era, defined by intense rivalries and consistent success. Schembechler coached the team for 21 seasons (1969-1989) in which he won 13 Big Ten titles and 194 games, a program record. From 1976 to 1978, Michigan asserted its own dominance of the rivalry, beating Ohio State, going to the Rose Bowl, and posting a 10-2 record every year. After the 1978 season, Woody Hayes was fired for punching an opposing player during the 1978 Gator Bowl, thus ending The Ten Year War.

Michigan had a slight edge in the war, with Schembechler going 5-4-1 against Hayes. However, while Schembechler successfully placed great emphasis on the rivalry, Michigan's bowl performances were sub-par. Michigan failed to win their last game of the season every year during The Ten Year War. The only year in which Michigan didn't lose its last game of the season was the 1973 tie against Ohio State. After the end of the Ten Year War, Michigan's regular season performance declined, but its post season performance improved.

The Moeller and Carr Years: Maintaining Success

Following Schembechler's retirement, two of his former assistants, Gary Moeller and then Lloyd Carr, took the helm, maintaining the program's overall success for the next 18 years. Gary Moeller took over from Schembechler for the 1990 season, becoming the 16th head coach in Michigan football history. Moeller inherited a talented squad that had just played in the 1990 Rose Bowl, including wide receiver Desmond Howard. Moeller led Michigan to a 9-3 record in his first season, tying for the Big Ten championship but losing out on a Rose Bowl bid to Iowa. The next two years, Moeller's teams won the conference outright, setting marks of 10-2 and 9-0-3. In 1991, Desmond Howard had a memorable season that propelled him to win the Heisman Trophy, the award given to college football's most outstanding player. The 1992 team, led by quarterback Elvis Grbac, posted a 9-0-3 record, defeating Washington in the 1993 Rose Bowl. Moeller led Michigan to 8-4 records in both 1993 and 1994. The 1994 season was marked by an early-season loss to Colorado that included a Hail Mary pass from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook to end the game, leading to the game being dubbed "The Miracle at Michigan." Moeller was forced out after the 1994 season when intoxicated at a Southfield, MI restaurant in an incident in which Moeller was caught on tape throwing a punch in a police station.

Carr, however, etched his name in program history by leading the Wolverines to a national championship in 1997.

The Harbaugh Era: Return to Glory

The program's fortunes waned under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, leading to the hiring of Jim Harbaugh, a former Wolverine quarterback, in 2015. Harbaugh, who played for Michigan from 1982 to 1986 under Schembechler, revitalized the program, culminating in three consecutive Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances from 2021 to 2023.

His final team, the 2023 Michigan Wolverines, achieved the program's first national championship since 1997, and first undisputed national championship since 1948 after beating Washington in the National Championship Game. Following the championship and nine seasons at Michigan, Harbaugh left to return to coaching in the National Football League (NFL).

Legacy and Accolades

The Michigan Wolverines have a legacy of excellence, with 45 league titles and 39 top-ten finishes in the AP poll since 1936. The program has produced 89 consensus All-Americans and three Heisman Trophy winners: Tom Harmon (1940), Desmond Howard (1991), and Charles Woodson (1997).

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