History of the Michigan Wolverine Football Team

The University of Michigan began playing football in 1879 and hasn’t slowed up yet. The Michigan Wolverines have an All-time record of 849-280-36. The Wolverines’ 849 victories is the most in NCAA history and their .744 winning percentage is also the best of all-time. The Michigan Wolverines have won more Big Ten Championships, forty-two, than anyone, won 18 bowl games, captured three National Championships and have had four Heisman Trophy winners.

Best Team
When you’ve won more games than any other college football program it’s safe to say you’ve had a lot of great teams. But despite having many great teams over the years there is still one team that stands out above the rest. From 1901 to 1905 Fielding H. Yost led a Michigan Wolverine team that seemed unstoppable. The 1901 team went 11-0-0 and outscored their opponents 550 – 0 including a 128 – 0 win over Buffalo. The 1901 Michigan Wolverines’ season concluded with a trip to the inaugural Rose Bowl. From 1901 to 1904 the Michigan Wolverines didn’t lose a game and only tied once. The tie against the Minnesota Gophers would result in the creation of the Little Brown Jug, the oldest college football rivalry trophy. In 1905 the Michigan Wolverines went 12-1-0 to make their total record from 1901 to 1905 55-1-1. Over that five year period the Michigan Wolverines outscored their opponents 2,821 – 42. Before their loss to Chicago in the 1905 season the Michigan Wolverines undefeated streak had reached fifty-six games, which still stands as the second longest streak ever one hundred years later.