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.  

PREMISE:  Since I started teaching at Michigan, many have asked how they can “audit” my lectures, or sit in, or even take the course themselves.  This is our solution!  The lectures will be derived from my ‘History of College Athletics‘ undergrad course, but tailored specifically to the telling the story of Michigan football.  Vol I will mirror what is effectively the first half of what I teach to undergrads.

PRICE:  We plan to offer two options:  

1.  Base Course Package (~$275) – This will include all twelve (12) online lectures, approx. ~35 minutes each cover 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. 

2. Premium Package (an additional price ~$125) – In addition to the base package, this will include an invitation to a meet-up, in-person lecture, 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, and another in the spring.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions:

• What is the status:  As of January 2026, the course is currently being edited at the School of Education.  We expect the course to be available by April 1, 2026.
• 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, but we will suggest readings and other materials.
• 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.
• Does this count as U-M course credit?  No, this won’t directly count as undergrad or masters course credit at Michigan, but those who complete the course will receive a certificate and a badge or gift.
• 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? While we’re still in production I do expect captioning to be available in the final product but we will confirm.

JOIN THE INTEREST LIST HERE!