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The Game. A sports rivalry that is unmatched in many ways. The record books and Wikipedia entry will tell you that it began on Regents Field in Ann Arbor on October 16th, 1897. However, this fiery feud between Wolverines and Buckeyes was sparked over two-hundred-and-thirty years ago because of the use of an erroneous map.
A RIVALRY THAT PREDATES FOOTBALL
When the border between the Michigan and Ohio territories was originally set in 1787, Congress used what was thought to be the most accurate map of the time. In 1802, a fur trapper informed the Ohio Constitutional Convention that the line marking the border was off by about five to eight miles. Ohio filed a boundary provision to the United States Congress in 1803, along with their state constitution. The Ohio constitution was accepted, but the border issue was not formally resolved. As Michigan prepared for statehood in 1833, the dispute simmered on the back burner. The United States Senate and House of Representatives could not agree on the issue, leaving it a festering open wound.
In 1835, what would be known as the “Toledo War” erupted – or maybe sort of just foamed over a bit (like when you get the spaghetti water too hot). Militias were mobilized, armed posses made arrests, and one sheriff’s deputy was stabbed. It seemed as if both states were ready for war, but in the end, no shots were fired and no battles were fought. President Andrew Jackson intervened on behalf of Ohio, and Michigan received the consolation prize of statehood and the western Upper Peninsula.
The land dispute between these two fledgling states may not have reached the level of widespread bloodshed and violence, but it did sew the seeds of a mild hatred. Ohioans were said to have referred to Michiganians as “Wolverines, the ugliest, meanest, fiercest, creatures from the north.” The people of Michigan seemed to take that moniker as a compliment, adopting it as their state nickname and applying it to their state university. Sixty-two years after the Toledo War, the Wolverines of the University of Michigan would take the field of battle against Ohioans. Not for a fight to the death over land, but a fight to the finish for pride and bragging rights. Arguably, a fight just as emotional and violent as the “war” that started it all (save for the one stabbing).
THE FIRST MEETING
In 1895, Michigan joined six other schools in forming the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. The “Western Conference,” as it was more commonly referred to, was intended to provide rules and regulations regarding academics and eligibility. Since starting their football program in 1879, the Wolverines had developed rivalries with teams like Minnesota and the University of Chicago. Although they were part of a seven-team conference, it was common to only schedule three or four games a year with those teams. This left several slots open on the schedule to try out new opponents outside of the conference. However, scheduling new opponents could be difficult when your team consistently produces defensive shutouts and lopsided wins.
Two new opponents were brave enough to join the Michigan football schedule in 1897, and both were from the state of Ohio. The Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan, coached by a 26-year-old Fielding H. Yost, and the Buckeyes of Ohio State University. The team from Ohio State was often overmatched in those early meetings, just like many schools that caught on to the football craze a bit later than others. The Buckeyes had begun playing the game in 1890, eleven years after the Wolverines. As the Michigan Daily newspaper reported, “Michigan had no trouble in defeating the Ohio State University representatives” as they rolled to a 34-0 win.
THE MAN WHO BUILT THE BIG HOUSE, AND THE FIRST UPSET
The next meeting between the two teams wasn’t until 1900 when Ohio State held Michigan to a 0-0 tie. The following year the Buckeyes held Michigan to their lowest point total of 21. The team from Ohio had caught the attention of the Wolverines and their innovative new coach, Fielding Yost going into the 1902 match up. The Buckeyes thought that perhaps this was the year they might score some points in the game, as they seemed to be improving their program. Those hopes would be extinguished by the Wolverines in a hurry, with an 86-0 route by the second “point-a-minute” team at Michigan. A score that still stands today as both the worst loss in Ohio State history and the biggest win for Michigan over the Buckeyes.
Ohio State would join the Western Conference in 1912 (Michigan briefly withdrew membership from 1908-1916), making the game a regular occurrence on the schedule. In 1919, Ohio State All-American halfback, Chic Harley, returned from military service to help beat Michigan for the first time after fourteen failed attempts. A defensive brawl that involved several turnovers and a blocked punt, led to a Wolverine defeat before a capacity crowd at Ferry Field. The Buckeye teams of John W. Wilce found a way to beat Fielding Yost’s team three years running. In 1922, Ohio State opened their brand new football stadium that held 72,000 fans in the shape of a horseshoe. The “house that Harley built” was formally dedicated on October 21st, in front of a packed stadium. The Buckeye faithful would be disappointed that day, witnessing Yost’s Wolverines shutout Ohio State, 19-0.
In 1925, the end of an era came in Ann Arbor. Fielding Yost ended his coaching career at Michigan after a great season and another win over Ohio State. He called his 1925 team “the greatest football team I ever coached,” many of whom would return the following year to play a nail-biter in Columbus. The unique, forward passing game of Michigan, led by Benny Friedman and Bennie Oosterbaan, helped keep the Wolverines in the game. However, a Buckeye missed extra point kick would seal the win for Michigan and new coach Harry Kipke. With Benny Friedman gone to the NFL the following year, Bennie Oosterbaan would help the Wolverines defeat the Buckeyes one more time. The 1927 matchup took place in the new Michigan Stadium, where Oosterbaan christened the house that Yost built with three touchdown passes in a 21-0 victory.
THE SECOND COMING, AND OLD 98
Ohio State would enjoy wins in seven of the next ten games against Michigan. But within those years, the Wolverines won four Big Ten titles and two national championships. The Buckeyes dominated the rivalry from 1934 to 1937 with four straight shutouts, outscoring Michigan 112-0. It was during this stretch of games, in 1935, that playing on the final week of the regular season schedule became a tradition. Now, the game would mean so much more, as it impacted final conference standings and national title claims like never before.
When the Michigan football program falls on hard times, the Wolverines have always found a way to bounce back. Usually, it has involved a coaching change, and sometimes a new and different perspective. Fritz Crisler was just the innovative type that the University of Michigan was looking for. The second coming of Yost, you might say. He came from Princeton, in the Ivy League, with new ideas and strategies. He was the father of two-platoon football. He painted wings and stripes on the helmets and helped shape one of the greatest high school athletes in Indiana history into a national superstar.
Tom Harmon came to Michigan in 1937, one year prior to Crisler, and spent a season on the freshman football squad (as was the custom back then, freshmen did not play varsity). In 1938, Harmon exploded onto the scene as a sophomore contributor, on a team led by Forest Evashevski. Those ’38 Wolverines defeated Ohio State 19-0, and the following year, a close win for Michigan would finish off a 6-2 regular season. Harmon finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1939, then proceeded to upstage himself in 1940. His performance against the Buckeyes may have sealed the Heisman Trophy award for him that season. He rushed for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns, completed 11 passes for 151 yards and 2 more touchdowns. On defense, he intercepted 3 passes, including a pick-six for his fifth score of the day. He also kicked four extra points, averaged 50 yards on three punts, and returned three punts for 81 yards. The Wolverines routed Ohio State 40-0, and even the home crowd in the Horseshoe gave a standing ovation to “Old 98” as he walked off the field.
The two rivals would standoff in a 13-13 tie in 1941, as the world was at war and many upperclassmen began signing up for service. Ohio State would take the 1942 meeting, along with a national championship. Another Buckeye victory in 1944 marked only the second win they would achieve in the series that decade. Then, in 1948, Fritz Crisler would pass the head coaching baton to former Wolverine player. Bennie Oosterbaan finished out the 1940s with success against Coach Wes Fesler, the fourth Buckeye coach since 1941. It seemed like Ohio State could not find the right fit at the head coach position to keep the program competing consistently at a high level.
Unfortunately for Michigan fans, the head coach that Ohio State was looking for would be arriving at the dawn of the new decade. It’s no wonder that the Wolverines didn’t see it coming on the horizon, as there was a blizzard moving in.
Next up: The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry part 2: Never forget it
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