Just about every Michigan fan knows about their Umpteen-Gazillion football victories compiled since the crust of the Earth was originally formed. Many of those games were a little different than what we think of as "Football" today, but hey, let's not let the details get in the way of a good story, eh?
Today is a day that is famous to all Wolverine fans, as it was on this date in 1886 that UM beat Albion by a score of 24-0. The Head Coach was not carried off the field, because there was no Head Coach. Too bad, since the game capped a thrilling undefeated season for Michigan, finishing with a 2-0 record. It was the third year in a row that UM compiled an undefeated season while playing only two or three games.
The Captain of the Michigan football team in 1886 was named Horace Prettyman. "PRETTY-MAN". (Not kidding on this one.)
There were no tackles below the waist, because those were not yet legalized. The "flying wedge" was the main offensive play, because it had not yet been made illegal. There were no forward passes, because nobody had figured it out yet. They played two "innings" on a field of indeterminate proportions using a ball of imprecise size and shape.
The Michigan Argonaut reported the event as "a rugby game", a description that sounds pretty accurate. Yet the Bluebloods want to look back at it as "football". Now you know a little bit more about how they count their win totals.
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