We jump around a bit in Saturday's edition of TWIMFbH starting with the 1892 match-up between Michigan and Northwestern which featured the first African-American to play for a future conference team - George Jewett. We then fast forward to 1932 and Fritz Crisler's visit to the Big House and how an Illinois Professor devised a system to determine a national champion. Finally, the Paul Bunyan Trophy - we didn't want it, and I don't get it!
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Michigan-Georgia Football 1957 (Pick Six, Uniform Surprises, Facing Segregation) | MVictors History Show
Ahead of Michigan facing Georgia in the 2021 Orange Bowl in the CFP Semi-finals, a look back at the first meeting between the schools. Three subplots out of this game involving a righteous game-used vintage Michigan uniform, a question of why Georgia wore its home red jersey at Michigan Stadium, and finally, how Fritz Crisler and company dealt with scheduling and playing a segregated school.
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Platooning (1945) | This Week in Michigan Football History
For Saturday's show we roll back to 1945. As I mention, that year is not the among the finest seasons in Michigan football history. But what Fritz Crisler did against the mighty Army team became part of the lore of college football history. For the link below to listen to or read the story:
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A Remembrance of Bill Daley
Michigan 1943 consensus All American fullback Bill Daley passed away on October 19, 2015 at 96 years old in Edina, Minnesota. He was a bruising and fast FB, HB and DB at 6 feet 2 inches and 206 pounds (big in those days). He led the 1943 Wolverines to Coach Fritz Crisler's first Big Ten Conference championship and a final AP 3rd place National ranking.
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How Captain Conley Got His Charm Back
In the winter of 1965, just a few weeks after Michigan had capped its wonderful 1964 season with a 34-7 trouncing of Oregon State in the Rose Bowl, team captain Jim Conley entered the office of then-athletic director Fritz Crisler. Conley wanted Fritz to reconsider a decision that would affect his teammates and how they all would remember their historic year.
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Biggie Munn's stuff
I'm not sure what I'd do if someone started selling the personal effects of legendary Michigan coaches Fielding Yost or Fritz Crisler. Perhaps my head would explode. I stumbled upon someone selling a few items that were previously owned by arguably the greatest Michigan State football coach of all-time: Biggie Munn.
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1948 Rose Bowl and the National Championship debate
How about the 1948 Rose Bowl in Pasadena against USC? The 49-0 win capped off a national championship season where the Wolverines went 10-0 and outscored their opponents 394-53. You may have seen some clips of this version of Fritz Crisler's "Mad Magicians" featuring Bob Chappuis and Bump Elliott on Michigan Football Memories show from PBS. The combination of line shifts and ball movement is jaw-dropping:
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Groundbreakers in 1972 | This Week in Michigan Football History
A historic day on and off the field in 1972 as Dennis Franklin became the first black quarterback to take the field at Michigan, and the Michigan Marching Band included female performers for the first time! Much more:
