Gustave Ferbert’s Million Dollar Touchdown

Today, the head coach of the Michigan football team doesn’t have to look beyond campus to hit it big financially. Of course, this wasn’t always the case, especially in the early days of the program. While Fielding Yost’s contracts compensated him very competitively for his era, they definitely didn’t make him a wealthy man. In fact, Yost spent a good part of the year out of town pursuing private business interests just to supplement his income.

But do you know the story of Gustave “Dutch” Ferbert?

Ferbert suited up as a halfback for the Wolverines in the mid-1890s, but he is most notable for serving as the head coach of the famous 1898 squad. That team delivered Michigan its first conference title, sealing it with a victory over Chicago that famously inspired student Louis Elbel to compose “The Victors.”

Ferbert coached one more season in Ann Arbor before packing his bags and heading north, hoping to strike it rich in the Klondike Gold Rush. In 1900, he traveled up to Nome and allegedly told folks he would “return rich or not at all.”

Early on, however, there was serious question as to whether he would even survive the journey. Thanks to Brian at the Bentley Historical Library for forwarding this clipping over, which appears to be from 1902:

“The many friends of “Dutch” Ferbert, Michigan’s football coach in 1898, and one of the greatest halfbacks who ever carried the ball, have been fearful for some time that something has happened to him, but because it is “Dutch” Ferbert they remember his sturdy characteristics and are hoping that word will be received from him that he is safe…”

Fortunately, Dutch eventually resurfaced, and he absolutely kept his promise—returning a very wealthy man.

Thanks to the folks at the Billings Gazette for tracking down a November 7, 1909 story titled, “His Touchdown in the Arctic.” The article describes how Ferbert scored a “$1,000,000 touchdown” and briefly recaps his grueling quest:

“The former gridiron star first located at Nome, and there the real battle to keep the wolf from the door began. He tried prospecting in several districts, but with slim success. He found work part of the time in restaurants, stores and other places. This lasted for several years, but never a thought did he have of going back. He started out to cross the goal line and a kick or two in the jugular from an adverse fate he considered part of the game.

Then came the strike at Deering City, and Ferbert was one of the first to hit the trail with a pack. At the start it proved a “Roaring Camp” all right, but luck was a little shy, and then came the turn and riches in abundance. He located some of the best claims in the region, panned out more gold than he had ever dreamed and became a bonanza king overnight.”

While I’m not entirely sure if Dutch managed to hold onto his massive fortune through the later years of his life, it remains an incredible, wild piece of U-M coaching lore.

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