Notably up on eBay recently, a pair of football pants designed by Fielding H. Yost and sold under the “Hurry Up” Yost brand by the A.J. Reach company of Philadelphia presumably from the 1920s and/or 1930s. This pair on the left went for around $87, a steal. The pair on the right took a winning bid of $146 and included what appear to be the original thigh pads: As discussed on these pages before, Yost contracted with Reach to market a full set of gear under the Hurry Up brand, including helmets and shoulder pads. Yost went after his outside business interests as seriously as he took athletics (and had a bit of an ego) so it isn’t a surprise that he put his name on this stuff. Related: eBay Watch: Yost’s Signature Helmet (1926)
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Fritz Gives Reader’s Digest the Gas Face
I always like to check out the old letters that pop up on eBay for stuff just like this. Back in 1962 athletic director Fritz Crisler submitted a story to Reader’s Digest on his college coach and mentor, Chicago legend Amos Alonzo Stagg. [As an aside, there’s a copy of the story at the Bentley Library in Crisler’s archives and I plan to check it out.] Fritz clearly had a deep admiration for his former coach. Heck, Sports Illustrated, in its wonderful 1964 piece on Crisler ‘The Man Who Changed Football’ even suggested the ‘1’ in the Michigan Stadium attendance might actually be reserved for Stagg!: It was his secret. But anyone is entitled to guess, and one guess might be that somewhere in that vast stadium there is this one seat, and perhaps it is never sold. Perhaps it is reserved, now and forever, for someone who taught Fritz Crisler a way of coaching football and a way of life. For the Old Man, Amos Alonzo Stagg. So coupling Crisler’s demeanor, his air-tight professionalism, and his admiration for his mentor I’m guessing Fritz put a lot of thought into the words he chose for this story for Reader’s Digest. So what could go wrong? Well thanks to Mr. Myron Green of Worcester, Mass, we know that Crisler was none-too-happy…
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A Foundation of Puntness
During the 15 minute glimpse of warm-ups practice today, we learned one thing: Brady Hoke is minding the details. For most of the session open to the media, Hoke sat with the punters and watched… …and even demonstrated punting: I like this. I want a coach who is showing the punters how to punt. This reminds of one my favorite photos of Fielding Yost (something I don’t think I’ve mentioned here before). Per the Bentley Historical Library photo gallery of the Old Man, here’s Yost “Fielding Yost demonstrates proper way to catch a punt”: Follow MVictors on Twitter or MVictors Facebook Page
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Fielding Yost’s Punt, Pass and Prayer and Bob Zuppke’s Flea Flicker (1945)
History of two of the most famous college football strategies: The Flea Flicker and "Punt, Pass, and Prayer"
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Can you Spot the Ringer? (1899)
Listed on eBay as a 1936 wire pic featuring the great Point-A-Minute back Willie Heston, it’s actually an 1899 team photo of the team from San Jose State: Someone went through a little process of elimination to identify Heston: It’s the first time I’ve seen Heston photographed in his pre-Wolverine days. Arguably the finest back in Michigan history, it’s true that he didn’t start his collegiate days as a Wolverine. He played two seasons in San Jose before following Yost to Ann Arbor. Yost discovered Heston on his short coaching stint in California 1899, where apparently he coached anyone with a pigskin in the gym. As I understand it, Yost not only coached the collegians at Stanford but also helped out on Heston’s San Jose squad, at local Lowell High school and taught the Stanford freshman team as well. Heston wasn’t the only fellow that seemed to have caught Yost’s eye out on the west coast. He also convinced San Jose prep star George Gregory to come to Ann Arbor and some claimed Yost offered Gregory cash, as much as $1500, to come to Michigan. His old boss, Stanford President David Jordan, was the primary accuser and it apparently played out for nearly a decade. Check out this entertaining news clipping from many years later, January 3, 1908, in fact,…
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How and Why The Little Brown Jug Rivalry Actually Started (1903-1909)
The real, myth-free version of how the Little Brown Jug rivalry REALLY happened between 1903 and 1909.
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Coffee Service for Fielding Yost’s Service (1927)
On the Friday before Michigan Stadium was officially dedicated back in 1927, the University Press Club hosted a dinner honoring Fielding Yost. Attendees included Michigan alumni and the editors from the various papers that covered the Wolverines over the years.
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From Tingley to Ann Arbor to Nashville: Coach Dan McGugin’s Friendship with Fielding Yost
A wonderful account of Vanderbilt's Dan McGugin and his relationship and history with Michigan's Fielding H. Yost.
