1898 Michigan Wolverines football team
Encyclopedia
The 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan
in the 1898 college football season
. The team, with Gustave Ferbert
as head coach, went 10–0 and became the first Michigan football team to win the Western Conference (now known as the Big Ten Conference
) championship. The first great Michigan football team, the 1898 group outscored its opponents 205 to 26. They shut out (39–0) and (23–0) before traveling to Chicago for the Western Conference championship against Amos Alonzo Stagg
's team. The Wolverines beat the favored Chicago team by a 12–11 score in a game that inspired Louis Elbel to write Michigan's fight song "The Victors
."
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The 1898 season marked the first game played in the intrastate rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State (then known as Michigan Agricultural College). Michigan Agricultural had only recently commenced its football program and were no match for the 1898 Wolverines. Michigan scored 39 points and held Aggies scoreless. After the 1898 shutout, Michigan sent its freshman team against Michigan Agricultural for the next three years. The two rivals have played each other more than 100 times since the inaugural meeting in 1898.
was successful on three of four extra-point attempts. The field in Ann Arbor was reported to be a "mudbath," which favored the Wolverines who played the game in long cleats. According to the "The Fighting Irish Football Encyclopedia," Michigan triple-teamed Notre Dame's 6-foot, 4-inch, 256-pound center John Eggeman and shut out the Irish. The Irish managed only one first-down and lost five fumbles. Notre Dame halfback George Lins punched a Michigan player in frustration, claiming he had been held throughout the game by Michigan's quarterback. Notre Dame suspended Lins from the following week's game as punishment for the outburst.
On October 31, 1898, the Michigan football team played the school's alumni as part of the school's homecoming celebration. The Michigan varsity defeated the alumni by a score of 11 to 2. The game was considered an exhibition and did not count toward's Michigan's season record. The university's Student Athletic Association began sponsoring alumni games in 1897. For the 1898 game, the university band, glee and banjo clubs, and fraternities, participated in the event. Athletic director Charles A. Baird
noted that the alumni games were organized to gain alumni support for the school's athletic teams, to allow the current athletes to benefit from the experience and knowledge of the alumni players, and to bring the alumni together "so that they may renew old acquaintances and promote good fellowship, college spirit and interest in their alma mater."
. Michigan won a close game by a score of 6 to 5 as all the scoring came in the first half of play. One newspaper account of the game credited the fine work of Michigan's guards and tackles. The account gave special credit to Allen Steckle
who "was used a great deal in line bucking, and almost invariably made his distance." Michigan's fullback William Caley had Michigan's longest run of the day—a forty yard gain. Halfbacks Charles Widman and Clifford Barabee also ran well with the ball, and Michigan made frequent use of "a mass play on tackle" that proved very effective. The Wolverines drove the ball to Northwestern's five-yard-line on four drives but failed to score a touchdown, having one drive halted by a holding penalty and three others stopped on downs. Northwestern's only points came on a 50-yard run by Northwestern's right tackle Bothne.
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Michigan's second conference game was a 12 to 5 win over Illinois at Detroit. The game was played after recent rains had turned the field described as "a veritable sea of mud." Michigan won the game in front of a crowd of 3,500 spectators. Ater five minutes of play, "the men were plastered with mud," and the wet field contributed to poor footing and difficulties handling the ball. The Wolverines won despite what one writer described as "ragged play" that included a number of penalties for offsides and "keeping of hands." Clifford Barabee scored Michigan's first touchdown as he was shoved into the endzone by his teammates. Illinois' only score came in the first half after Michigan's fullback, Alanson Weeks
, fumbled, and Illinois player picked it up and ran 50 yards for a touchdown. Michigan completed the scoring in the second half with a touchdown drive that included runs of 10 and 15 yards by John McLean
and additional gains by Neil Snow
, Charles Widman and Allen Steckle. Widman scored the touchdown on an end run. Right end John Bennett
successfully completed both of his point after touchdown kicks for the Wolverines.
The Chicago team was favored and was reported to be "the heaviest that ever represented a college, the average weight of the men being over 190 pounds."
Newspaper accounts noted the Michigan line, which had given up big gains to a much lighter Northwestern team, was "simply impregnable" against Chicago. Michigan's first score came after a holding penalty resulted in Michigan taking over possession on Chicago's five-yard-line. On the next play, Widman was shoved over the goal line for a touchdown, and Caley kicked the extra point to give Michigan a 6 to 0 lead. Later in the half, Chicago drove the ball to Michigan's 30-yard-line, and the Maroons' famed All-American Clarence Herschberger
kicked the ball squarely between the posts on a placement kick to cut Michigan's lead to 6 to 5. (Field goals were counted as five points.) Early in the second half, Michigan drove the ball 50 yards for its second touchdown. With the extra point, Michigan extended its lead to 12 to 5. Some newspaper accounts indicated that Widman ran the ball 65 yards for a touchdown on a "delayed pass" in the most exciting play of the game. Chicago responded with a touchdown run by its big left guard, Burnett, and the extra point reduced Michigan's lead to a single point. Michigan forced Chicago to punt on its final possession, and the Wolverines became champions of the Western Conference for the first time in the school's history.
One newspaper noted: "Michigan, with the exception of one or two double passes, relied almost altogether on straight football, line bucking and runs around the end. Chicago, on the contrary, used trick plays throughout but the team work was of a high order, as shown by both teams."
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For the first time in its history, the Michigan football team was recognized as the Champions of the West. A Minnesota newspaper wrote that for the first time a champion could be declared without any dispute:
, who originated the practice of selecting All-American teams in 1889, chose Cunningham for his first-team All-American eleven. Cunningham was the first Michigan football player to be so honored. His selection also "broke the unwritten tradition that All-Americans had to come from Yale, Harvard, Princeton or a few other Eastern schools."
At least four other members of the 1898 team would receive All-American honors. They were:
, Michigan's fight song. Elbel's lyric, "Champions of the West," refers to Michigan's having won the Western Conference championship for the first time in the school's history.
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By 1897, the finances of the Michigan Athletic Association under constantly changing student control were "at a low ebb." In 1898, the Association asked Charles A. Baird
, formerly a student manager of the football team, to return to Ann Arbor as the "graduate manager" or "superintendent" of athletics. Baird was given "complete control of all branches of athletics at Michigan" in order to induce him to return to the school. One of Baird's first moves was to persuade trainer Keene Fitzpatrick
to rejoin him at the school. Fitzpatrick had been the trainer of the 1894 and 1895 teams with Baird, but spent the 1896 and 1897 seasons as the trainer for Yale's football team. Baird and Fitzpatrick are credited with much of the success of the 1898 football team.
Gustave Ferbert
, who had played on the 1893–1895 teams managed by Baird stayed on as coach in 1898. Ferbert quit his job as Michigan's football coach after the 1899 season, moving to Alaska to participate in the Yukon Gold Rush
. Ferbert returned from Alaska several years later as a millionaire.
Assistant coaches on the 1898 football team were James Baird
, John R. Duffy, Forrest M. Hall, Frederick W. Henninger
, William C. Malley
, and Giovanni R. Villa. The team managers were Harry B. Potter and F.W. Potter.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the 1898 college football season
1898 college football season
The 1898 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book listing Harvard and Princeton as national champions....
. The team, with Gustave Ferbert
Gustave Ferbert
-Gold prospecting in Alaska:After his coaching career at Michigan, Ferbert went to Alaska to search for gold. In May 1900, amid the Klondike Gold Rush, newspapers reported that Ferbert had left Ann Arbor for Seattle, where he planned to join "High" Allen and "Count" Villa, described as "two other...
as head coach, went 10–0 and became the first Michigan football team to win the Western Conference (now known as the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
) championship. The first great Michigan football team, the 1898 group outscored its opponents 205 to 26. They shut out (39–0) and (23–0) before traveling to Chicago for the Western Conference championship against Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and pioneering college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football...
's team. The Wolverines beat the favored Chicago team by a 12–11 score in a game that inspired Louis Elbel to write Michigan's fight song "The Victors
The Victors
"The Victors" is the fight song of the University of Michigan . It was composed by UM student Louis Elbel in 1898 following the last-minute football victory over the University of Chicago that clinched a league championship...
."
Schedule
October 12, 1898: Michigan 39, Michigan Agricultural 0
October 23, 1898: Michigan 23, Notre Dame 0
In October 1898, Michigan played Notre Dame for the first time since 1888. Michigan won the game handily on its home field in Ann Arbor by a score of 23 to 0. Michigan guard William Caley scored three touchdowns in the game, and Clifford Barabee scored Michigan's other touchdown, while Neil SnowNeil Snow
Neil Worthington Snow gained renown as an all-around athlete at the University of Michigan from 1898–1902, where he competed in American football, baseball, track and field, and tennis. He was an All-American player in 1901, and was the Most Valuable player in the 1902 Rose Bowl, where he...
was successful on three of four extra-point attempts. The field in Ann Arbor was reported to be a "mudbath," which favored the Wolverines who played the game in long cleats. According to the "The Fighting Irish Football Encyclopedia," Michigan triple-teamed Notre Dame's 6-foot, 4-inch, 256-pound center John Eggeman and shut out the Irish. The Irish managed only one first-down and lost five fumbles. Notre Dame halfback George Lins punched a Michigan player in frustration, claiming he had been held throughout the game by Michigan's quarterback. Notre Dame suspended Lins from the following week's game as punishment for the outburst.
October 31, 1898: Homecoming exhibition against alumni
Charles A. Baird
Charles A. Baird was an American football manager, university athletic director, and banker.He was the manager of the University of Michigan football team from 1893 to 1895 and the school's first athletic director from 1898 to 1909. During his time as Michigan's athletic director, he was...
noted that the alumni games were organized to gain alumni support for the school's athletic teams, to allow the current athletes to benefit from the experience and knowledge of the alumni players, and to bring the alumni together "so that they may renew old acquaintances and promote good fellowship, college spirit and interest in their alma mater."
November 5, 1898: Michigan 6, Northwestern 5
Michigan opened its Western Conference schedule on November 5, 1898, playing Northwestern in an away game at Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. Michigan won a close game by a score of 6 to 5 as all the scoring came in the first half of play. One newspaper account of the game credited the fine work of Michigan's guards and tackles. The account gave special credit to Allen Steckle
Allen Steckle
Allen Chubb "A. C." Steckle was an American football player and coach. He played tackle for the University of Michigan from 1897–1899 and later served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada and Oregon State University, then known as Oregon Agricultural College...
who "was used a great deal in line bucking, and almost invariably made his distance." Michigan's fullback William Caley had Michigan's longest run of the day—a forty yard gain. Halfbacks Charles Widman and Clifford Barabee also ran well with the ball, and Michigan made frequent use of "a mass play on tackle" that proved very effective. The Wolverines drove the ball to Northwestern's five-yard-line on four drives but failed to score a touchdown, having one drive halted by a holding penalty and three others stopped on downs. Northwestern's only points came on a 50-yard run by Northwestern's right tackle Bothne.
November 12, 1898: Michigan 12, Illinois 5
Alanson Weeks
Alanson Weeks was an American football player and medical doctor.Weeks was born in Allegan, Michigan, in 1877. He was the son of Julia Shoemaker and Capt. Harrison Weeks...
, fumbled, and Illinois player picked it up and ran 50 yards for a touchdown. Michigan completed the scoring in the second half with a touchdown drive that included runs of 10 and 15 yards by John McLean
John McLean
John McLean was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S...
and additional gains by Neil Snow
Neil Snow
Neil Worthington Snow gained renown as an all-around athlete at the University of Michigan from 1898–1902, where he competed in American football, baseball, track and field, and tennis. He was an All-American player in 1901, and was the Most Valuable player in the 1902 Rose Bowl, where he...
, Charles Widman and Allen Steckle. Widman scored the touchdown on an end run. Right end John Bennett
John W. F. Bennett
John W.F. Bennett was an American civil engineer and football player. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1896 to 1898...
successfully completed both of his point after touchdown kicks for the Wolverines.
Buildup to the Chicago game
With Michigan's victory over Illinois and the University of Chicago's victory over Wisconsin, the Thanksgiving Day match between the Wolverines and Maroons would determine the Champions of the West. A Wisconsin newspaper noted that the Chicago-Michigan game had "an importance not applied to any previous game between these old rivals. It will truly be a championship game." In order to accommodate the big crowd of Michigan fans traveling to Chicago for the game, the Michigan Central railroad arranged for two special trains to run from Ann Arbor to Chicago at a round trip rate of five dollars. The special excursion tickets allowed fans to spend the weekend in Chicago and return on Monday.November 24, 1898: Michigan 12, Chicago 11
The championship game was played in Chicago under ideal conditions. A crowd of 12,000 spectators was present, and The New York Times wrote, "The day and the grounds were ideal for football. The thermometer was lingering around the freezing mark, but the sky was cloudless, and the northwest wind was too light to interfere with the placing of punts."The Chicago team was favored and was reported to be "the heaviest that ever represented a college, the average weight of the men being over 190 pounds."
Newspaper accounts noted the Michigan line, which had given up big gains to a much lighter Northwestern team, was "simply impregnable" against Chicago. Michigan's first score came after a holding penalty resulted in Michigan taking over possession on Chicago's five-yard-line. On the next play, Widman was shoved over the goal line for a touchdown, and Caley kicked the extra point to give Michigan a 6 to 0 lead. Later in the half, Chicago drove the ball to Michigan's 30-yard-line, and the Maroons' famed All-American Clarence Herschberger
Clarence Herschberger
Clarence B. "Herschie" Herschberger was an American football fullback, punter and placekicker. He played for the University of Chicago from 1896–1898 and became the first western player to be selected as a first-team All-American in 1898...
kicked the ball squarely between the posts on a placement kick to cut Michigan's lead to 6 to 5. (Field goals were counted as five points.) Early in the second half, Michigan drove the ball 50 yards for its second touchdown. With the extra point, Michigan extended its lead to 12 to 5. Some newspaper accounts indicated that Widman ran the ball 65 yards for a touchdown on a "delayed pass" in the most exciting play of the game. Chicago responded with a touchdown run by its big left guard, Burnett, and the extra point reduced Michigan's lead to a single point. Michigan forced Chicago to punt on its final possession, and the Wolverines became champions of the Western Conference for the first time in the school's history.
One newspaper noted: "Michigan, with the exception of one or two double passes, relied almost altogether on straight football, line bucking and runs around the end. Chicago, on the contrary, used trick plays throughout but the team work was of a high order, as shown by both teams."
The University celebrates its first Western Conference championship
"For the first time since there has been a western championship it is possible to award it without a dispute. It must go to Michigan and after a game which was as hard fought as any ever witnessed in Chicago, Michigan won with a narrow margin but her work was all of the kind that enthuses the spectators -- good hard straight football with a plentiful sprinkling of end runs."On the Monday evening following the victory in Chicago, Michigan's championship football team was welcomed back to Ann Arbor with a "rousing celebration." More than 2,000 students gathered around a huge bonfire, singing and cheering "until nearly midnight." It was reported that the Michigan students turned out with more enthusiasm than had been shown in Ann Arbor since the 1895 football team returned from a game against Harvard.
Michigan's first All-Americans
Michigan's first Western Conference championship attracted the attention of the eastern football experts who selected the All-American teams. Based on the performance of Michigan's center, William Cunningham, in the Chicago game, Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg recommended Cunningham as an All-American. Caspar WhitneyCaspar Whitney
Caspar William Whitney was an American author, editor, explorer, and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for Harper's Magazine....
, who originated the practice of selecting All-American teams in 1889, chose Cunningham for his first-team All-American eleven. Cunningham was the first Michigan football player to be so honored. His selection also "broke the unwritten tradition that All-Americans had to come from Yale, Harvard, Princeton or a few other Eastern schools."
At least four other members of the 1898 team would receive All-American honors. They were:
- Neil SnowNeil SnowNeil Worthington Snow gained renown as an all-around athlete at the University of Michigan from 1898–1902, where he competed in American football, baseball, track and field, and tennis. He was an All-American player in 1901, and was the Most Valuable player in the 1902 Rose Bowl, where he...
, selected as a consensus All-American in 1901 after playing for the "point-a-minute" team that finished 11-0, did not allow a single point to be scored by an opposing team, and outscored its opponents 550-0. Snow also went on to score five touchdowns in the first Rose Bowl game1902 Rose BowlOriginally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," what is now known as the Rose Bowl Game was first played on January 1, 1902 in Pasadena, California, starting the tradition of New Year's Day bowl games.The inaugural game featured Fielding H...
. - Allen SteckleAllen SteckleAllen Chubb "A. C." Steckle was an American football player and coach. He played tackle for the University of Michigan from 1897–1899 and later served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada and Oregon State University, then known as Oregon Agricultural College...
, selected a second-team All-American by Walter CampWalter CampWalter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
in 1898. Steckle became a hero throughout the State of Nevada when he coached the 1903 Nevada Sagebrush football team, drawn from a student body of 80 students, to a victory over the Pacific Coast's powerful University of California football teamCalifornia Golden Bears footballThe California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
. - John McLean, selected as a first-team All-American in 1899 by the Philadelphia Inquirer. McLean was also a star who set the University of Michigan record in the 120-yard hurdles and the western intercollegiate record in the running broad jumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
. McLean later became the football coach at the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. He was fired in 1906 after paying a player to play college footballCollege footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
in what was called it "the biggest scandal in the history of Missouri athletics." - Richard FranceRichard FranceRichard Roy France was an American football guard who played for the University of Michigan in 1898 and 1899.France was born in Decatur, Indiana, in 1879. He was the son of John T. France, a lawyer, and Belle France....
, selected as a first-team All-American in 1899 by the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the 1899 Western Conference championship game, France's rough hits on WisconsinWisconsin Badgers footballThe Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
star Pat O'DeaPat O'Dea-External links:* Australian Dictionary of Biography...
prompted O'Dea to slug France, leading to O'Dea's ejection from the game.
Inspiration for "The Victors"
Michigan's 12-11 victory over Chicago in 1898 also served as the inspiration for Louis Elbel to write The VictorsThe Victors
"The Victors" is the fight song of the University of Michigan . It was composed by UM student Louis Elbel in 1898 following the last-minute football victory over the University of Chicago that clinched a league championship...
, Michigan's fight song. Elbel's lyric, "Champions of the West," refers to Michigan's having won the Western Conference championship for the first time in the school's history.
Starting lineup
- Left end: John W. F. BennettJohn W. F. BennettJohn W.F. Bennett was an American civil engineer and football player. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1896 to 1898...
(5); Neil SnowNeil SnowNeil Worthington Snow gained renown as an all-around athlete at the University of Michigan from 1898–1902, where he competed in American football, baseball, track and field, and tennis. He was an All-American player in 1901, and was the Most Valuable player in the 1902 Rose Bowl, where he...
(2); Clayton TeetzelClayton TeetzelClayton Tryon Teetzel was an American athlete and athletic coach. He played American football and competed in track for the University of Michigan from 1897 to 1899 and later coached football, basketball and track at Michigan State Normal College , Benton Harbor High School, Brigham Young...
(3) - Left tackle: Hugh White (6); Wood (3); Day (1)
- Left guard: William Caley (6); William P. Baker (3); Richard FranceRichard FranceRichard Roy France was an American football guard who played for the University of Michigan in 1898 and 1899.France was born in Decatur, Indiana, in 1879. He was the son of John T. France, a lawyer, and Belle France....
- Center: William CunninghamWilliam Cunningham (American football)William Ralph Cunningham was an All-American football center for the University of Michigan Wolverines.Cunningham was born at Volant, Pennsylvania in July 1872...
(4); Henry Brown (3); Carr; Robert Dye; Smith - Right guard: Richard FranceRichard FranceRichard Roy France was an American football guard who played for the University of Michigan in 1898 and 1899.France was born in Decatur, Indiana, in 1879. He was the son of John T. France, a lawyer, and Belle France....
(8); William Caley; Rutherford; Kramer - Right tackle: Allen SteckleAllen SteckleAllen Chubb "A. C." Steckle was an American football player and coach. He played tackle for the University of Michigan from 1897–1899 and later served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada and Oregon State University, then known as Oregon Agricultural College...
(9); Charles G. McDonald - Right end: Neil SnowNeil SnowNeil Worthington Snow gained renown as an all-around athlete at the University of Michigan from 1898–1902, where he competed in American football, baseball, track and field, and tennis. He was an All-American player in 1901, and was the Most Valuable player in the 1902 Rose Bowl, where he...
(8); John Bennett; Clayton Teetzel - Quarterback: William Wilson TalcottWilliam Wilson TalcottWilliam Wilson Talcott was an American football player, school teacher, newspaper publisher and ice cream manufacturer....
(6); Charles Street (3); Clifford Barabee - Fullback: Alanson WeeksAlanson WeeksAlanson Weeks was an American football player and medical doctor.Weeks was born in Allegan, Michigan, in 1877. He was the son of Julia Shoemaker and Capt. Harrison Weeks...
(3); William Caley (2); Leo J. KeenaLeo J. KeenaLeo Japathet Keena was an American football player and diplomat. Keena was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1878, the son of James T. Keena and Henrietta Keena. His father was a lawyer who later became the president of the Peoples State Bank of Detroit...
(2); Charles G. McDonald; Clifford Barabee; Frederic Hannan - Left halfback: Charles Widman (5); Clifford Barabee (3); Avery, Waldo
- Right halfback: Charles Widman (3); George Whitcomb (3); Clifford Barabee (2); John McLeanJohn McLean (athlete)John Frederick McLean was an All-American college football player, track and field athlete, and coach. He won a silver medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris with a time of 15.5 seconds. He was also selected as an All-American football player in 1899 while playing for...
(2)
Awards and honors
- Captain: John W. F. BennettJohn W. F. BennettJohn W.F. Bennett was an American civil engineer and football player. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1896 to 1898...
- All-American1898 College Football All-America TeamThe 1898 College Football All-America team is composed of American football players who were selected as the best players at their positions by various organizations that chose College Football All-America Teams that season...
s: William CunninghamWilliam Cunningham (American football)William Ralph Cunningham was an All-American football center for the University of Michigan Wolverines.Cunningham was born at Volant, Pennsylvania in July 1872...
(Casper Whitney's first team, Walter CampWalter CampWalter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
's second team), Allen SteckleAllen SteckleAllen Chubb "A. C." Steckle was an American football player and coach. He played tackle for the University of Michigan from 1897–1899 and later served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada and Oregon State University, then known as Oregon Agricultural College...
(Walter Camp's second team)
Coaching staff
Charles A. Baird
Charles A. Baird was an American football manager, university athletic director, and banker.He was the manager of the University of Michigan football team from 1893 to 1895 and the school's first athletic director from 1898 to 1909. During his time as Michigan's athletic director, he was...
, formerly a student manager of the football team, to return to Ann Arbor as the "graduate manager" or "superintendent" of athletics. Baird was given "complete control of all branches of athletics at Michigan" in order to induce him to return to the school. One of Baird's first moves was to persuade trainer Keene Fitzpatrick
Keene Fitzpatrick
Keene Fitzpatrick was a track coach, athletic trainer, professor of physical training and gymnasium director for 42 years at Yale University , the University of Michigan , and Princeton University...
to rejoin him at the school. Fitzpatrick had been the trainer of the 1894 and 1895 teams with Baird, but spent the 1896 and 1897 seasons as the trainer for Yale's football team. Baird and Fitzpatrick are credited with much of the success of the 1898 football team.
Gustave Ferbert
Gustave Ferbert
-Gold prospecting in Alaska:After his coaching career at Michigan, Ferbert went to Alaska to search for gold. In May 1900, amid the Klondike Gold Rush, newspapers reported that Ferbert had left Ann Arbor for Seattle, where he planned to join "High" Allen and "Count" Villa, described as "two other...
, who had played on the 1893–1895 teams managed by Baird stayed on as coach in 1898. Ferbert quit his job as Michigan's football coach after the 1899 season, moving to Alaska to participate in the Yukon Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. Ferbert returned from Alaska several years later as a millionaire.
Assistant coaches on the 1898 football team were James Baird
James Baird (civil engineer)
James Baird was an American civil engineer, football player and coach. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1892 to 1895 and was captain of the 1894 team. He was also an assistant football coach at Michigan from 1897 to 1898. He worked for the George A. Fuller Co. for 23 years...
, John R. Duffy, Forrest M. Hall, Frederick W. Henninger
Frederick W. Henninger
Frederick William "Pa" Henninger was an American businessman and football player and coach. He played football for the University of Michigan from 1893 to 1896 and was the captain of the 1895 team that outscored their opponents by a combined score of 266 to 14...
, William C. Malley
William C. Malley
William Charles Malley was an American football player and coach in the United States. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1888 to 1890 and served as the had football coach to Wabash College in 1892....
, and Giovanni R. Villa. The team managers were Harry B. Potter and F.W. Potter.
External links
- 1898 Football Team -- Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History
- Michigan Alumnus, 1898-1899 - includes accounts of each game
- 1899 Michiganensian - University of Michigan yearbook for the 1898-1899 academic year