Today, the head coach of the Michigan football team doesn’t have to look beyond campus to hit it big financially. Of course, this wasn’t always the case, especially in the early days of the program. While Fielding Yost’s contracts compensated him very competitively for his era, they definitely didn’t make him a wealthy man. In fact, Yost spent a good part of the year out of town pursuing private business interests just to supplement his income. But do you know the story of Gustave “Dutch” Ferbert? Ferbert suited up as a halfback for the Wolverines in the mid-1890s, but he is most notable for serving as the head coach of the famous 1898 squad. That team delivered Michigan its first conference title, sealing it with a victory over Chicago that famously inspired student Louis Elbel to compose “The Victors.” Ferbert coached one more season in Ann Arbor before packing his bags and heading north, hoping to strike it rich in the Klondike Gold Rush. In 1900, he traveled up to Nome and allegedly told folks he would “return rich or not at all.” Early on, however, there was serious question as to whether he would even survive the journey. Thanks to Brian at the Bentley Historical Library for forwarding this clipping over, which appears to be from 1902: “The many…
-
-
TWIMFbH: Beat Chicago (1898)
Stub via ticketmuseum.com and Ken Magee of Ann Arbor Sports Memorabilia This week we go back to Thanksgiving Day, 1898 as Michigan head coach Gustave Ferbert and his undefeated Wolverines traveled to Chicago to face Amos Alonzo Stagg and his powerful University of Chicago Maroons. While rarely discussed these days, the game is without a doubt one of the most notable match-ups in Wolverine lore. While today’s our undisputed rival is clearly The Buckeyes, back in 1898, the coach and the team that really got maize and blue blood boiling was Stagg and his Chicago teams. Have a listen: [display_podcast] You can catch all of the This Week in Michigan Football History clips here. Listen to it live tomorrow on the KeyBank Countdown to kick-off on WTKA 1050AM.