page_title: Chicago–Michigan football rivalry
section_title: 1898: Birth of "The Victors"
hierarchical_section_title: Chicago–Michigan football rivalry / The rivalry at its peak: 1892 to 1905 / 1898: Birth of "The Victors"
caption_attribution_description: English: Charles Widman's touchdown run against the University of Chicago, November 24, 1898
context_page_description: The Chicago–Michigan football rivalry was an American college football rivalry game played by the Wolverines of the University of Michigan and Maroons of the University of Chicago. From 1892 to 1905, it was the most important game of the season for the two schools, which were the first major football powers in what was then considered the western United States. The rivalry ended after the 1939 season when the University of Chicago dropped out of the Big Ten Conference. The roots of the rivalry date back to 1879 when Michigan played its first intercollegiate football game in Chicago and to a series of matches played between Michigan and the "Chicago University Club" between 1888 and 1891.
context_section_description: The 1898 Michigan-Chicago game proved to be one of the most significant in the history of the rivalry.  Michigan concluded its undefeated season on Thanksgiving Day with a 12–11 victory over the Maroons at Marshall Field. The game was played for the championship of the Western Conference.  In order to accommodate the 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 price of five dollars.  The special excursion tickets allowed fans to spend the weekend in Chicago and return on Monday.
  A crowd of 12,000 spectators attended the game.  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."
  Michigan's first score came after 25 minutes of play on a run by Charles Widman from the five-yard line.  Widman was shoved over the goal line for a touchdown, and Neil Snow 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' All-American Clarence Herschberger kicked a field goal from placement to cut Michigan's lead to 6 to 5. (Field goals were counted as five points.)
  
  Early in the second half, Michigan scored its second touchdown and converted the extra point to take a 12–5 lead.  Widman ran 65 yards for the touchdown on a "delayed pass" on the most exciting play of the game.  The Chicago Daily Tribune described Widman's run:
  "Widman scurried out of the back of the mass of players with the ball under his arm and down the field with nothing in sight ahead of him except the goal posts.  All the fast men of the Chicago team went in fast pursuit.  It was a beautiful race down the field.  Three Chicago men were close behind.  But the blue-legged runner gained almost imperceptibly at times, and then barely held his own.  He could run as fast as his pursuers, and with his start was safe.  If one or two of those Chicago players had made a dive for him perhaps he might have been stopped. One of them did try up near the goal, but missed him, tripping him slightly, but he rolled over the line.  Michigan had another touchdown and the game, and the Western championship in its pocket."
  
  Widman described the run after the game as follows:
  "The play was a revolving wedge on Chicago's left tackle.  Their end and tackle had been drawn in by our men, and when the ball was given to me on a delayed pass I had a clear field, except for Chicago's backs.  I ran as fast as I could diagonally across the field, realizing that I was hotly pursued.  At last I was tackled on what I afterwards learned was about the six-yard line.  I was slightly dazed by the fall, but saw a goal post ahead of me and managed to crawl over the line.  I did not know I had made a touchdown, however, until Captain Bennett told me."
  Snow added his second extra point kick to give Michigan a 12–5 lead.  Chicago responded with a touchdown run by its 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."  After the game, Michigan's team captain, J.W.F. Bennett, told reporters: "Widman's sensational run was the feature of the game, but every player deserves the victory.  We must thank Keene Fitzpatrick for our splendid condition."  Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg said: "It was perhaps the fin
caption: Illustration of Widman's run
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