My friends at the outstanding U-M Bentley Historical Library recently tweeted out this photo:
Alongside 1907 team captain Paul Magoffin you’ve got a charming husky (or coyote?!) that we believe was actually named “Mascot”. That name makes sense if you consider some of the other no-effort nicknames delivered in those days–see Adolph “Germany” Schulz.
You probably know that Michigan football has associated itself with a few live beasts in the past. Here’s a run down:
Salty Dog. In a 1910 team photo, Fielding H. Yost can be spotted with little white pooch at his feet:
Why? Well, I’m guessing this was a salty f-you to Notre Dame’s head coach Shorty Longman. Shorty, a U-M grad who played for Yost, lived in Ann Arbor and had a very similar looking dog named Mike. After the Irish earned their first ever win over Michigan in 1909, Longman paraded Mike around town with a little jacket emblazoned with the score of that game. Despite the loss, many feel U-M had a better season in 1909 and deserved the honor of ‘champions of the west’ over Notre Dame. Then in 1910 the scheduled game with Notre Dame was abruptly canceled due to an eligibility dispute. U-M went onto to once again claim the “champions” distinction at the season’s conclusion.
So back to Yost’s dog. It’s safe to assume that his jacket had a special message for Shorty — reminding him who was still the master in this town.
Biff, Bennie and Intrepdius. You probably know about this one. In the 1920s Yost was envious of the live badger mascot that Wisconsin trotted out during games. I believe this is one such UW critter:
Yost dispatched trappers to parts unknown and scored a few of the nasty beasts. We know they were trotted out before the 1927 Michigan Stadium dedication:
We also know they kept a few others around for a while, that is, until they realized this was a really, really bad idea. Here’s “Intrepidus” from the 1930s:
Whiskey & Brandy. During games the 60s & 70s, these cute little guys used to chase a ball around on the field:
Why? Because this was quality entertainment during games when Bo was throttling the little 8. See for yourself via Dr. Sap’s archives:
Go Blue! Any others I’m missing? Let me know.
