Fielding Yost dedicated the good years of his life to University of Michigan athletics but his influence and business interests stretched beyond Ann Arbor. He wrote books, appeared in movies, spoke all over the country and even added his name to certain products.
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Driving a Tally-Ho Through It (Michigan-Chicago 1895)
Here’s a remarkable wire photo printed in 1929 of a scene from the 1895 Michigan-Chicago game, held in the Windy City on Thanksgiving Day: It appears as though someone did a 1929 version of a photocopy, actually taking a photo of a photo to produce a copy. I cropped the shot above but in the full version you can see a finger holding down a corner of the old pic alongside a caption: Why didn’t they just use the original photo for this piece? No idea. Perhaps the papers required the images be in a certain size, format and/or medium. While the back of the photo says it was reproduced in 1929, it appears as though it ran (perhaps reran) in a 1931 piece in the Chicago Tribune which reproduced the old photo for an article on the life of legendary Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg. Here’s how it looked in the paper: The caption reads: This is a view of the Chicago-Michigan game, Thanksgiving day 1895. You will note that the fans came in tallyhos, buggies and sleighs. It was played at Staff field, then called Marshall Field, after the donor of the ground. Michigan won the game 12 to 0. The GameDigging deeper, I recovered a recap of the 1895 Michigan victory from the Trib including some beautiful…
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What A Woman! Rose Bowl Queen (1938)
Here is another great wire photo, this time from the late 1930s featuring my dream girl. It’s the Tournament of Roses Queen Barbara Dougall posing with her crown holding a team photo of none other than Fielding Yost’s first and perhaps finest team, the 1901 squad that started the Point-A-Minute reign of terror at the turn of the 20th Century.
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Don Canham’s Gift
Prior to the Purdue game I sat in for a segment on WOMC’s Tailgate Show. Just before I went on the air, host Lucy Ann Lance summoned over Peg Canham, widow of legendary Michigan athletic director Don Canham. Mrs. Canham was wearing a stunning necklace and it caught my eye. Lance knew a bit about it and mentioned that it was a gift from the former AD, made from an old Wolverine football championship ring. I wanted to know a little more, so I connected with Mrs. Canham afterward and she was kind enough to send along a photo: I knew there was something very familiar about her necklace, and it didn’t take long to figure out why. I’ve featured a few Michigan championship rings on eBay Watch over the years including this one from 1977: Along with the photo, Mrs. Canham was kind enough to share a few memories about the ring. “He surprised me with the necklace for Christmas shortly after we were married in 1995,” she told me. “As I’m sure you can figure Don had a jewelry box full of rings but this one was always my favorite because it is the Michigan Stadium, and he knew it.” She also noted that in the famous photo of Don Canham at his desk (the same one you…
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eBay Watch: Billy Sauer’s Mask (2007)
Next up on eBay Watch, someone’s listing what they claim is the winged helmet and facemask belonging to former Michigan hockey goalie Billy Sauer: The seller says this mask was worn in the 2007 NCAA playoffs and Frozen Four, per the description: Game worn Billy Sauer University of Michigan helmet worn during the 2007 season including the NCAA Playoffs and Frozen Four. Itech mask with gorgeous Michigan paint job by Gilders(see all attached pictures). Helmet shows good usage with puck/stick marks on the top of the helmet and as well as on the chin area. Tough to argue on the authenticity here, and the seller points out a chip on the chin that appears to be on a photo of Sauer: According to a quick Googlestalk, Sauer is currently playing with the ECHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Looks like he’s struggled a bit early on but he did get his first professional win last week on Wednesday. Great to hear. The seller didn’t explain how he came to own the mask or why it was put on the block. It doesn’t appear to be tied to a University charity or fundraiser. The auction closed tonight, and no one bit on the $1,599.00 asking price, which seems way steep. Other cool stuff: A pin from the 1927 Illinois game at Champaign. Starting at…
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This Flag is Signed, Sealed but not yet Delivered
According to my deep cover, bunkered moles at the athletic department, this sweet item has been relisted on the auction to support the Pat Maloy Scholarship. A frame and signed ‘M’ flag containing the signatures of an amazing array of Michigan football greats. From the auction description: You will never find a greater piece of Michigan football memorabilia anywhere. This is a two foot tall by three foot wide Michigan flag autographed by 46 of the greatest players to ever don the Maize & Blue in Michigan Stadium. The flag is professionally matted and framed with UV protectant plexiglass. The flag is autographed by all of the following former Michigan stars: Charles Woodson. Jake Long, Ron Kramer, Anthony Carter, Jim Harbaugh, Anthony “A-Train” Thomas, Larry Foote, Victor Hobson, Elvis Grbac, Will Johnson, Morgan Trent, Tim Jamison, Aaron Shea, Rick Leach, Don Dufek Sr., Don Dufek Jr., Ali Haji Shiekh, Bill Dufek, Harlan Huckleby, Stan Edwards, Steve Morrison, Adam Kraus, Derek Walker, Chris Floyd, Clint Copenhaver, Ron Simpkins, Glen Steele, Mark Messner, Jamie Morris, Bob Chappuis, Greg McMurtry, John Wangler, Marcus Ray. Billy Taylor, Reggie McKenzie, Buster Stanley, Jim Brandstatter, Scott Dreisbach, Mark Campbell, Rondell Biggs, Carl Diggs, James Hall, Doug Skene, Ron Bellamy, Andre Weathers and Eric Mayes. Bid high and often and good luck. Item is hanging in Moe…
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A Hard Combination to Beat (1905 Michigan Football)
Another vintage Michigan football item showed up this week on eBay, this time a post card celebrating Fielding Yost and his fine 1905 squad. The team is assembled in a line with Yost in the middle, standing on a large sign in the shape of a football that reads 'Western Championship'. Atop the photo is a block letter title, 'A HARD COMBINATION TO BEAT'.
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Stubs from Michigan football games
A big-volume seller on the auction site is dumping a bunch of vintage Michigan football ticket stubs. The offering is pretty impressive. What’s not impressive is the seller’s understanding of the significance of some of these items. Witness the (YAWN) description of the ho-hum silly little ticket stub from the insignificant 1969 Michigan-Ohio State game, you might have heard of it: Up for auction is a November 22nd 1969 ticket stub from the college football game that featured Ohio State University vs the University of Michigan. The ticket stub measures 2 1/4″ by 4″ and is in nice overall condition, as pictured. Yep, that’s when the game was played. Fortunately for these fools, the most significant game in the Michigan modern era won’t escape the eye of Michigan memorabilia hawks and it’ll fetch a nifty price, despite the poor marketing. Here’s an image of the stub, probably not in the best condition but nobody stuck their stubs in lanyards back then: 1969 OSU-Michigan Stub Here’s a few more of what’s for sale, you can click the image to view the full auction: 1937 MSU-Michigan Stub, full auction 1929 OSU-Michigan Stub, full auction 1927 Navy-Michigan Stub, full auction 1930 Minnesota-Michigan Stub, full auction
