About five years ago I took a crack at defining the major "eras" of Michigan football. One question I had concerned defining the correct end of the Schembechler era, and if it ended, what was it called, etc. With U-M's victory over Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday, I feel we have an answer--Jim Harbaugh has established a new era at Michigan since his arrival. Here's a look:
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The Paul, The George, and The Dickinson System (1892, 1932, 1953) | This Week In Michigan Football History
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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LC, The First Script Ohio, Touchdown Manningham | This Week In Michigan Football History
Saturday's edition of This Week in Michigan Football History is a special one. We hit a few worthy topics starting with the recognition of the new Lloyd Carr Michigan Stadium Tunnel, before noting the 90th anniversary of the Michigan Marching Band visiting Columbus and teaching Ohio State their beloved "Script Ohio." We also get into this day in 2005 that gave us what is evermore known simply as, 'TOUCHDOWN MANNINGHAM!' Dig it:
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Fritz Won’t Have It (Scheduling Segregated Georgia, 1957)
You probably know the tale: Willis Ward, Michigan’s lone black player on Harry Kipke’s ’34 squad, was benched as U-M succumbed to Georgia Tech’s refusal to play in a game with African American players. So it’s a fair question if the same issue came up in 1957 when another team from Georgia visited town. The Bulldogs fielded an all-white team, while Michigan had at least three black players on the roster including starting back Jim Pace.
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Tommy Harmon makes the Funny Papers (1941)
Check out of few frames from a comic book featuring Michigan’s Heisman winner Tom Harmon and a few of the preseason college stars heading into the 1941 season. A true beauty.
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Terrible Tommy Nabs His Heisman | This Week in Michigan Football History
This Week In Michigan Football History, as played during the WTKA 1050AM 'Countdown to Kickoff' held November 28, 2020 before the Michigan-Penn State game. Michigan has three Heisman Trophy Winners (Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson). We consider former Michigan players that probably WOULD have won the Heisman has it been awarded prior to 1935 - including Willie Heston, Bennie Oosterbaan, and Harry Newman. And finally we look at Tom Harmon's brilliant career and in particular the 1940 season, concluding with his dominant performance against Ohio State.
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Small House (Lowest Attendance at Michigan Stadium)
Due to the obvious restrictions tied to COVID, it looks like Saturday's tilt against the Spartans will yield the lowest attendance in the history of Michigan Stadium (1927). People will cite the 1931 Wisconsin game as the lowest on record - but that game might deserve an asterisk.
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Kenn Domerese – Michigan Memorabilia Super Collector
Recently I had a chance to visit the incredible personal U-M memorabilia collection at the home of Kenn Domerese. In Part I we start with a brief interview followed-up by a look at a few items from his collection. This episode includies Michigan helmets from the 1910s and 1930s, a vintage cane that once belonged to Irving Pond (the man who scored the first touchdown in U-M history), original sheet music from The Victors, a 1930s "Schedule Bot", a 1901 cloth item dedicated to Fielding H. Yost's first team, and much more:
