page_title: History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Yost era
section_title: Little Brown Jug
hierarchical_section_title: History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Yost era / Rivalries / Little Brown Jug
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of Little Brown Jug published in the 1910 Michiganensian, page 229. The page bore the heading, "The Big White Jug," in reference to the fact that the actual jug was neither little nor brown.
context_page_description: The History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Yost era covers the period from the hiring of Fielding H. Yost as head coach in 1901 through Yost's firing of Tad Wieman as head coach after the 1928 season. The era includes the brief head coaching tenures of George Little and Tad Wieman. Wieman was head coach during the 1927 and 1928 seasons but contended that he had never truly been allowed to take control of the team with Yost remaining as an assistant coach and athletic director.
  During the 28 years of the Yost era, Michigan claims six national championship, had two additional undefeated seasons, and compiled an overall record of 180–37–11. In Yost's first five years as Michigan's head coach, the team compiled a record of 55–1–1 and outscored its opponents by a margin of 2,821 to 42. The teams from these years became known as Yost's "Point-a-Minute" teams, because their offensive production resulted in an average of at least one point being scored for every minute of play.
  Five of Michigan's coaches and nine of its players from the Yost era have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The five coaches are Yost, Little, Wieman, Bennie Owen, and Dan McGugin.
context_section_description: The Little Brown Jug rivalry between Michigan and Minnesota developed into one of the sport's top rivalries during the Yost era.  The tradition of the Little Brown Jug began when Minnesota played Yost's 1903 "Point-a-Minute" team to a 6–6 tie—breaking Michigan's 28-game winning streak.  According to the lore of the Little Brown Jug, Yost was concerned that Gopher fans might contaminate his water supply and sent the team's student manager to purchase a jug from a store in Minneapolis.  When the game ended, pandemonium broke out as Minnesota fans stormed the field, and Michigan left the jug behind.
  The next day, custodian Oscar Munson brought the jug to L. J. Cooke, head of the Minnesota athletics department, and reportedly declared in a thick Scandinavian accent: "Yost left his yug."  Some accounts say that Munson purposely stole the jug in the chaos that ended the game, although most believe it was accidentally left behind.  Michigan's student manager, writing in 1956, stated that the jug had served its purpose, so he intentionally left it sitting on the field.  Cooke and Munson proceeded to paint the jug and commemorated the day by writing "Michigan Jug – Captured by Oscar, October 31, 1903" on the side of the jug.
  When the two schools met in football again in 1909, Cooke proposed playing for the jug.  Yost agreed, and the jug became the traveling trophy it is today.  Michigan reclaimed the jug in 1909 and defeated Minnesota again in 1910. The teams did not play between 1910 and 1919 due to a Western Conference rule prohibiting member schools from playing Michigan.  After Michigan rejoined conference, the teams played in 1919, with Minnesota winning the game and the right to bring the jug back to Minnesota.  Michigan then won eight consecutive games against Minnesota from 1920 to 1926 by a combined score of 142 to 13.  During the 28 years of the Yost era, Michigan compiled an 11-2-1 record against Minnesota.
caption: Photograph of the "Michigan Jug" (which was neither little nor brown) from the 1909 Michiganensian
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