Another unique piece of Michigan memorabilia went for auction this week on eBay, this time a program from the Minnesota game played on November 21, 1925 at Ferry Field. It sold for just over $42 and makes for a great topic. The cover features Michigan’s captain Bob Brown and “Biff” – what appears to be a stuffed wolverine:
The caption reads “The Wolverine Mascot of Michigan Athletic Teams is noted for its Ferocity and Gameness in Battle, a Characteristic of Every Team That Wears the Maize and Blue.” Indeed.
Yost is such a beauty. You can thank the old legend for getting an actual wolverine on campus. The Bentley Historical Library has some details on his quest to find one of these ferocious beasts:
Fielding Yost set out to find a wolverine in 1923, after seeing Wisconsin carry live badgers along with its football team. Yost’s desire met with difficulty, as the coach had problems finding a dealer of live wolverines. After a letter to 68 trappers yielded no mascot for his team, Yost expanded his wish to any wolverine, alive or dead.
It’s unclear whether Yost also removed the foreign language requirement for the wily beast. And how about the old man sending sixty-eight letters to trappers?! Granted trapping was likely a bit more prevalent back in the 1920s but where did Yost find the names and addresses of all these guys? Finally, his persistence paid off, again from the Bentley:
Yost was finally able to obtain a mounted wolverine from the Hudson’s Bay Fur Company in the fall of 1924, but his quest for a live one continued. In 1927, 10 wolverines were obtained from Alaska and placed in the Detroit Zoo. On big football days, two of these wolverines were brought into Michigan Stadium and carried around in cages.
Here’s an excellent piece from the Michigan Daily from 1927 on Biff and Bennie with two new details. First, it sounds like they tried to outfit the beasts with little steel jackets. And they intended to trot them around like dogs on a leash for the Ohio State and Navy games??
The Michigan Daily October 22, 1927 (vol. 38, iss. 29) Page Image 3
5 Comments
Mat
I desperately wish we could have live wolverines on the sidelines again. If Texas can have a damn steer…
Jeff
why cant michigan make a ‘Biff’ Mascot today, a fake one…
Alaska Hokie
Up here in Alaska, Wolverines are highly respected by the Native population. Whenever a hunter bags one, there’s generally a big ceremony, at least if you’re in a traditional village. I haven’t seen a wolverine myself, but I’ve heard that there’s a number of them up here.
Jeff
No, i mean like Brutus or the golden gopher, we need a big ballin wolverine
Lew
I seem to recall at one point (maybe during the 1990s?) that we used to have some dude prancing around the sidelines in a wolverine head ala Brutus. Or maybe that was just a bad dream.
Anyway, regarding both the ’25 and ’27 wolverines being named “Biff,” maybe they just always named the animal “Biff” (stuffed or live), sort of like the University of Georgia bulldog is always named Uga? Interesting indeed.