Coming SOON: The History of Michigan Football: Vol I

PURPOSE:  Go Blue!  We are gathering an interest list for an exciting new project!  An online, 12-lecture course offered by the University of Michigan Marsal Family School of Education titled, ‘The History of Michigan Football Vol I’ covering the 1800s to the opening of Michigan Stadium in 1927.  

This course will be online, pre-recorded and published, designed to be consumed on your time, at your pace. You’ll have the ability to merely enjoyed the lectures, or throw yourself deep into the full college experience–with readings, quizzes, reflective short answer essays, and more.

PREMISE: In response to the overwhelming interest from those wishing to visit or even take more courses, we are excited to offer this class!. Designed for fans, alums and historians alike, the course offers a deep dive into the legacy of Michigan football. It will be available to everyone. Our journey starts with 12 sessions focused on the birth of the sport and the foundational years that shaped the University of Michigan’s program, up through the Yost era to the opening of Michigan Stadium.

Here’s a sneak peek from one of the lectures:

PRICE:  We plan to offer two options:  

1.  Base Course Package ($275) – This will include all twelve (12) online lectures, approx. ~30 minutes each covering this time period.  It will include recommended readings, optional quizzes, reviews, but most of all, recorded lectures that you can consume at your own pace.  We plan to include several guests, particularly writers and historians, who have covered this period.  You will get:

• Access to all the content, lectures, quizzes, reflection questions, with comphrensive links to supplemental materials.
• A certificate and digital badge once you complete the course.
• Option to buy (at cost), the exclusive shirts designed by Underground Printing telling the world you are awesome. These won’t be made available to the public:

2. Office Hours with Professor Dooley (an additional price ~$150) – A separate premium option! This will include an invitation to a meet-up, in-person lecture, and networking events to be held in Ann Arbor at a local restaurant/bar, likely scheduled on a Friday before a football game in the fall. Tentatively, we’re looking at:

• Friday September 11 4-6pm Pizza House ‘Michigan Room’ (before Oklahoma game)
• Friday October 23 4-6pm Pizza House ‘Michigan Room’ (before Indiana football)

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions:

• What is the status:  As of March 2026, the course is currently being edited at the School of Education.  We expect the course to be available by May 2026, but we will update this page and the interest list as we get closer.
• Is the course on firm a schedule; do I need to “attend” lectures?   No and no – the course will be recorded, accessible and completed at-your-own-pace, asynchronous, and we will suggest readings and other supplemental materials.
• Is this available only to U-M students? No! This course is for everyone…fans, alums, historians. That’s the point of why we are creating this!
• Does this count as U-M course credit?  No, in order to offer this at a reasonable rate, this course won’t earn U-M undergrad or masters course credit at Michigan, but those who complete the course will receive a certificate and a badge or gift.
• Can I prepay?: No, thanks to those who have offered, but we’ll post registration and payment info once the course is complete.
• Are discounts available?  We will be talking to the Alumni Association and other groups about partnerships, etc. but nothing is firm right now.
• Will this be “giftable”?  Yes, you will have the ability to purchase the course for yourself or, to buy it as a gift for others.
• Why the interest list?  At the request of those who have expressed interest, we will send emails to share occasional updates, and to announce when the course is ready.
• Do you plan to develop a Vol II and beyond?  That’s the plan! After this course is published, we plan to continue with Vol II, currently tabbed to cover 1928-1964.
• Will Closed-Captioning be available? Yes, the course will include captions and meet accessibility standards.

JOIN THE INTEREST LIST HERE!