Today when we hear the phrase “home and home” we know that this refers to a scheduling deal between 2 schools where each will host one of the games. See U-M’s games in the next decade with UCLA, Oklahoma and Texas. Michigan will play each team twice, one game on the road and one game in Ann Arbor.
Well, nearly a century ago an idea was bantered about that gave “home and home” a different meaning. In 1925 the Big Ten presidents discussed the concept of each school fielding two (2) varsity football teams. On top of that, games against a given opponent would be played at both sites- simultaneously. In other words, each Saturday tilt against a conference foe would involve playing both a home and an away game at the same time.
As goofy as the idea sounds, a healthy debate erupted in these parts. The idea elicited opinions from the major B1G coaches and even U-M’s school president, C.C. Little.
In a 1926 Daily article President Little openly championed the concept. He argued having a pair of pigskin squads would:
- Allow more student-athletes to participate.
- Foster the “character building” aspect of football as opposed to a focus on individual stars and coaches.
- Save students time and money. They wouldn’t pay up to travel to away games, and while staying at home they’d have more time to hit the books.
- Ease ticket demand for big games (and help dampen scalping). Presumably fewer fans & students from opposing schools would travel to Ann Arbor each Saturday because they would have their own home game.
Pres. Little neglected to mention the not-so-little extra gate revenue that would result from the proposal, and you can bet that was a factor. He also felt the result of both games should count in the conference standings, meaning hypothetically U-M could both beat and be beaten by Ohio State in the same afternoon. Like kissing your twin sisters.
Fielding Yost chimed in as well. He didn’t oppose it, in fact he wanted to explore “the possibilities” the home-and-home idea offered. And of course there was that money. While this was going down Yost fought for [spoiler: he won!] the construction of Michigan Stadium and personally led the drive to sell 3% stadium bonds to fund it. You can bet the Old Man loved this. He was U-M athletic director and still had a lot of big ideas that would be satisfied by having his new stadium filled a few extra times each year.
He differed with Little on one aspect. Unlike Little who thought both games should count separately, Yost felt the combined score of both games should be used to determine the winner(!). Yost argued using the sum total would encourage balanced teams and “prohibit the evil of ‘loading’ one team for a victory with the best players.”
But how would everyone at Michigan Stadium keep up with the other game? Yost’s solution: “A huge electric scoreboard can be erected at one end of the field thus showing how the other game is coming out.”
The Daily poked at giant scoreboard idea, writing, “[Yost] suggests that a huge scoreboard be erected so that the customers could watch both games at once. But just think how hard it is now to watch both the game and the drunks. Why, we would have to be cheering and cussing at the same time...”
The idea has its critics. Legendary Illinois coach Bob Zuppke thought it was bunk. Even in Ann Arbor the editors at the Daily called it impractical. They suggested that students would still travel to certain games, and the overall impact of having two teams would dilute team loyalty. The Daily wrote, “[T]he new plan would decrease patriotism by dividing the allegiance of the followers between two representatives.”
While the B1G obviously didn’t go forward with this, they did eventually permit schools to field another football team – just not a varsity team – something outlawed since 1905. In 1928 the conference allowed the addition of a ‘B’ or JV squad. At least in the short term this seems to have been a win and the ‘home-and-home’ idea perished peacefully.
Side note #1: The idea of playing two varsity games on the same day did not die there, at least in Ann Arbor. In a goofy gimmick to attract folks to the Big House, U-M scheduled doubleheaders–yes, a pair of games in the same afternoon–in both 1930 and 1931:
Michigan won all four games on these two days and yes, these all count!
Side note #2: While it didn’t have anything to do with the home-and-home idea, we have actually played the same team in the same season. In fact, it happened in 1926 while this debate above was going down. The team was Minnesota and…jug don’t lie:
But that’s another story.
