This week we feature a couple of interesting historical notes. First, that Fielding H. Yost, while head coach at Ohio Wesleyan, actually played Michigan to a 0-0 tie in 1897. Yost then moved west to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1898 where he led the Bugeaters (Huskers) to a conference title. For his efforts did you know that Hurry Up is actually in the Huskers Hall of Fame? Wild, right? Impress your friends.
As always, listen to This Week in Michigan Football History on the WTKA 1050AM Countdown to Kickoff pregame show ahead of every game.
Full script:
Good day! Your beloved maize and blue have THRIVED on October 9th historically speaking. On this day in 2016, Michigan produced one of the biggest modern offensive performances in history, DESTROYING Rutgers 78-0. And all the way back in 1915, we achieved program victory NUMBER 200 with a 35-nothing shutout of Mount Union.
The head coach of that 1915 team was Michigan’s GRAND OLD MAN Fielding H. Yost. Before ‘Hurry Up’ landed in Ann Arbor, Yost coached 4 different teams across the country over a 4-year span from 1897 to 1900. He started his career on the sidelines at Ohio Wesleyan, and his Battling Bishops actually PLAYED Michigan in Ann Arbor on this day in 1897.
Not only did Yost coach against the school where he would become a legend, but Wesleyan didn’t have enough players to fill out the 11 man line-up. So Yost, a heralded lineman from his playing days at West Virginia, was permitted TO PLAY in the game. And play he did. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, a remarkable result for Wesleyan as Yost anchored a strong effort by the Ohio line.
As a side note, If the name Ohio Wesleyan rings a bell it should. It’s no mistake that they played the first game at Michigan Stadium back in 1927. Then-Athletic Director Yost helped arrange the meeting of his former team to help christen the Big House.
Yost won wherever he coached, and this was no different. He led that 1897 Wesleyan squad to a 7-1-1 record including a 6-0 victory over the Buckeyes. Yost being Yost, at the conclusion of the season he promptly declared his Wesleyan team to be “CHAMPIONS OF OHIO”!
After that 1897 season, Yost headed further West and actually landed exactly where we find our Wolverines today – in Lincoln, Nebraska! Indeed in 1898, he led the Nebraska Bugeaters (yes, I said Bugeaters) to a conference title.
Go Blue! Beat the Bugeaters, I mean, The CornHuskers! For more go to MVictors.com and WTKA.com – for the Keybank Countdown to kickoff this is Greg Dooley.
