1901 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1901 college football season . In their first year under new head coach Fielding H . Yost , Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11 – 0 record , outscored their opponents by the unprecedented total of 550 to 0 , and became known as the first of Yost ' s famed " Point - a - Minute " teams . With a conference record of 4 – 0 , Michigan shared the Big Ten title with Wisconsin , a team they did not face in 1901 . The Wolverines concluded their season on January 1 , 1902 by defeating Stanford , 49 – 0 , in the 1902 Rose Bowl , the first college football bowl game ever played . The 1901 Michigan Wolverines have been recognized as national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation , the Houlgate System , and the National Championship Foundation . The 1901 Michigan team featured two future College Football Hall of Fame inductees , Neil Snow and Willie Heston . Snow was selected as an All - American by Caspar Whitney for " Outing " magazine , and four Wolverines were selected for the All - Western team : Snow ( fullback / end ) , Heston ( halfback ) , Boss Weeks ( quarterback ) , and Bruce Shorts ( right tackle ) . The team ' s captain was left tackle , Hugh White . Schedule . Season summary . Overview . The 1901 season was the first in which the Michigan football team won a national championship . The team finished the season undefeated , untied , and unscored upon , having prevailed in all eleven of their games by a combined score of 550 to 0 . The 1901 squad was the first of five consecutive high - scoring teams that came to be known as Coach Yost ' s " Point - a - Minute " teams . From 1901 to 1905 , Yost ' s teams compiled a record of 55 – 1 – 1 and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 2 , 821 to 42 . At the end of the 1901 season , team captain Hugh White wrote : " The fall of 1901 will go down in the history of Michigan athletics , not only as the most successful football season the University has ever had , but also as establishing the most wonderful and unique record in the history of the game . " A summary of the accomplishments of the 1901 Michigan team was published in the 1902 University of Michigan yearbook under the title " Yost ' s Soliloquy . " The accomplishments of the 1901 team included the following : Whitmore Lake . Fielding Yost was hired as the new coach at Michigan in the spring of 1901 . He traveled to Ann Arbor in the spring to evaluate the talent pool with which he would be working . After sizing up the players , Yost asked for early practice in the fall . On September 9 , 1901 , Yost and 1901 team captain Hugh White gathered a small squad of men at Whitmore Lake ; the squad grew over the next two weeks to nearly 20 players . Training continued for nearly two weeks , and " cold baths in the lake soon toughened the men . " Yost worked with the players on the rudiments of the game and later recalled that , by the time they returned to Ann Arbor , " we had worked the men down into fairly good training for football work . " In addition to training , Yost spent time at Whitmore Lake evaluating his talent to fit particular positions . He soon shifted players around . He moved the team ' s only All - American , Neil Snow , from end to fullback on offense , keeping him at right end on defense . Yost moved Arthur Redner from center to right guard and George W . Gregory to center . He also brought Willie Heston with him from California at the halfback position . In a 1952 letter , Heston later recalled : " He brought to Michigan an entirely new brand of football , not known in the Big Ten nor to the Middle West . Particularly , that was true of his offense . Speed and more speed was continually emphasized . Boss Weeks was instructed to call his signal for the next play while the team was getting up from the last play . " Team captain White recalled the time at Whitmore Lake as follows : " The work at the Lake was a review in the first principles of the game , a thorough study and quiz upon the rules – something which had been sadly neglected in former years . It was also the first step in the conditioning of the team . A new freshman , David Banks , wrote a letter to his mother about his experience in trying out for the football team in the fall of 1901 : " I am not sure whether I ought to play football or not . . . . I put on Tom ' s suit one night and went down to the field to meet Yost and a few other men . They made me run around the track a couple times to try my wind . Then they rolled me around the ground and sat on me a while . I did not understand the necessity of all they did to me , but the boys say every great player must begin that way . " On September 24 , 1901 , the " Michigan Daily - News " predicted that " Hurry up " would become the future title of Michigan ' s new coach , Fielding Yost . Michigan 55 , Albion 0 . Michigan opened the 1901 season with a 55 – 0 win against Albion College . The game was played in 20 - minute halves at Regents Field in Ann Arbor on September 28 . Willie Heston appeared in his first game for the Wolverines as a substitute for Shaw at left halfback . In its account of the game , the " Michigan Alumnus " described Heston as a " stocky Californian " who " proved a whirlwind in bucking the line . " Heston ' s first touchdown as a Wolverine came on a defensive take - away described as follows : " Once when Albion had the ball on her 25 - yard line , Heston broke through between guard and center , got possession of the ball before it left the quarter back ' s hands , and made a touchdown . " Michigan 57 , Case 0 . On October 5 , Michigan played its second game of the season against Case Scientific School from Cleveland , Ohio . In a short game of 20 - minute halves , Michigan won by a score of 57 – 0 . Heston scored four touchdowns in the game , and he and Sweeley were singled out for praise in the account of the game published in the " Michigan Alumnus " : " Two men , Sweeley and Heston , constantly won the plaudits of the rooters by their long gains around the ends . Sweeley is fleet , and he kept his feet in a way that reminded the wise ones of McLean ' s remarkable performances . Heston proved himself the ground gainer that he has given evidence of being during the daily practices . " In its coverage of the game , the " Alumnus " also noted that Michigan ' s new coach Yost " refuses to have a man on the field who [ is ] ' yellow ' or who is not willing to work and to take his fair share of knocks . " The " Alumnus " concluded : " If Michigan has a winning team , it will be because some of the enthusiasm of her coach has been transferred to the men . " Michigan 33 , Indiana 0 . On October 12 , Michigan defeated Indiana , 33 – 0 , at Regents Field . The game was played in a light rain on a " wet , heavy " playing field . Michigan scored its points " by straight line bucking . " A newspaper account reported that , " From the first there was no doubt of the result , as Michigan scored a touchdown within four minutes . " Indiana managed to gain five yards for a first down only once in the game , and Michigan turned to a kicking game in the second half . The longest gain of the game was a 70 - yard kickoff return by Boss Weeks . Following the win over Indiana , the student newspaper , " The Wolverine " noted : " The ' Varsity showing was most satisfactory . Against a heavier team , on a slippery field which was all in favor of the visitors and directly opposed to our style of play , the ' Varsity was not found wanting and turned victory into a fight for big scores . Even the most optimistic did not look for such a large score , with the elements against us . The smiling , yet earnest face of Coach Yost has become a favorite feature at the games . His success as a coach has already been demonstrated , and every Michigan man is proud of him as an athlete , as a coach and as a man . " Michigan 29 , Northwestern 0 . On October 19 , Michigan defeated Northwestern by a score of 29 – 0 at Regents Field . In a game of two 25 - minute halves , Heston scored three touchdowns and had runs of 55 and 45 yards . Northwestern ' s longest gain was six yards . The only threat to Michigan ' s goal came in the second half when Heston threw and incomplete pass to Sweeley . Northwestern took over at the ten - yard line and moved it by the " tandem play " to the two - yard line . Yost later recalled the impressive play of his team in preventing Northwestern to score : " The defense at this point was as good as I have ever seen . Northwestern could not advance a foot . When the ball was held for downs and Michigan had again obtained possession , our goal line had passed its only danger of the season . " " The Pittsburgh Press " described the game as follows : " Just to show her superiority during the last few minutes of play , Michigan put in an all substitute line . The Michigan defence was impregnable and her offensive work grand . " Michigan ' s starters in the game were Curtis Redden ( left end ) , Hugh White ( left tackle ) , Dan McGugin ( left guard ) , George Gregory ( center ) , Ebin Wilson ( right guard ) , Bruce Shorts ( right tackle ) , Albert Herrnstein ( right end ) , Boss Weeks ( quarterback ) , Willie Heston ( left halfback ) , Everett Sweeley ( right halfback ) , and Neil Snow ( fullback ) . Michigan 128 , Buffalo 0 . On October 26 , Michigan defeated the University of Buffalo by a score of 128 – 0 at Ann Arbor . Albert Herrnstein led the scoring with six touchdowns , and additional touchdowns were added by Neil Snow ( 4 touchdowns ) , Willie Heston ( 3 ) , Arthur Redner ( 3 ) , Curtis Redden ( 2 ) and Bruce Shorts ( 1 ) . Shorts was also successful on 18 of 22 extra point kicks in the game . A newspaper account reported that " the most spectacular " play of the game came on a 90 - yard touchdown run by Herrnstein . The victory was so dominant that the Buffalo team quit fifteen minutes before the game should have ended . " The New York Times " reported that the Wolverines ' margin of victory was the third largest in the history of the sport : " [ T ] he score of to - day ' s game was one of the most remarkable ever made in the history of football in the important colleges . Only two scores are recorded in American where a victory was won in more decided style . These occasions were when Stevens Institute beat the College of the City of New York by 162 to 0 at Hoboken , N . J . , in 1885 , and when Harvard beat Exeter by 158 to 0 at Exeter , Mass . , in 1886 . " After the game , Buffalo ' s Coach Brown said Michigan was " one of the most wonderful teams he ever saw , " and added , " Michigan can defeat any team in the East . " Buffalo had defeated the team from Columbia University , one of the stronger teams in the east , by a score of 5 – 0 earlier in the season . The 1901 Columbia team defeated Eastern " Big Four " power Penn , 11 – 0 , and narrowly lost a game to Yale , 10 – 5 . Several newspapers used the Buffalo game as a point of reference in assessing the strength of Michigan ' s 1901 team . " The Pittsburgh Press " reported that Michigan ' s big victory over a " fairly strong " Buffalo team " shows that Michigan has a remarkable team . " " The Daily Review " from Decatur , Illinois observed : " Considering the fact that Buffalo trimmed Columbia rather easily , making a larger score against the college than did Harvard or Yale , there seems some justice in " Coach Brown ' s comments that Michigan could defeat Harvard , Yale or Princeton . The " Adrian Daily Telegram " opined : " Michigan defeated Buffalo 128 to 0 , which clearly demonstrates that she can bump the big eastern four without much fear of disaster . " In 1916 , Coach Yost shared his recollections of the Buffalo game with Big Bill Edwards : " Buffalo University came to Michigan with a much - heralded team . They were coached by a Dartmouth man and had not been scored upon . Buffalo papers referred to Michigan as the Woolly Westerners , and the Buffalo enthusiasts placed bets that Michigan would not score . " The score at the end of the first half was 65 to 0 . About fifteen minutes after the second half had started , Yost discovered a Buffalo player , Simpson , " on Michigan ' s side of the field , covered up in a blanket . " Yost was curious and asked , " Simpson , what are you doing over here ? You are on the wrong side . " To which , Simpson replied , " Don ' t say anything . I know where I am at . The coach has put me in three times already and I ' m not going in there again . Enough is enough for any one . I ' ve had mine . " Michigan 22 , Carlisle 0 . The Wolverines defeated the Carlisle Indian School , 22 – 0 , in a game played at Bennett Park in Detroit on November 2 . The game was watched by a crowd of 8 , 000 spectators that included China ' s Minister to the United States , Wu Ting - Fan , occupying a box with former United States Secretary of War , Russell A . Alger . Michigan ' s 22 points came on three touchdowns ( worth five points each ) , a field goal from Bruce Shorts ( worth five points ) and two extra points kicked by Shorts . At the end of the game , former Secretary of War Alger addressed the crowd and congratulated the Wolverines on their victory . " The New York Times " pointed to the Carlisle game as evidence that Michigan ' s remarkable season was not limited to small institutions . Harvard and Cornell beat Carlisle in 1901 by scores of 29 – 0 and 17 – 0 , and Penn narrowly beat Carlisle by a score of 16 – 14 . Coach Yost later wrote that he believed Michigan would have won by an even larger score if Curtis Redden had not been injured . Michigan ' s convincing win over Carlisle , and its wins over Buffalo and Chicago , led the " Times " to conclude that a game between Michigan and one of the " Big Four " teams of the East " would be a conflict well worth seeing and productive of interesting and possibly startling results . " Michigan ' s starters in the game were Curtis Redden ( left end ) , Hugh White ( left tackle ) , Dan McGugin ( left guard ) , George Gregory ( center ) , Ebin Wilson ( right guard ) , Bruce Shorts ( right tackle ) , Albert Herrnstein ( right end ) , Boss Weeks ( quarterback ) , Willie Heston ( left halfback ) , Everett Seeley ( right halfback ) , and Neil Snow ( fullback ) . Michigan 21 , Ohio State 0 . Michigan defeated Ohio State , 21 – 0 , in Columbus , Ohio on November 9 . Ohio State held the Wolverines scoreless for 20 minutes and limited them to their lowest point total of the 1901 season . Fullback Neil Snow and left halfback Willie Heston scored two touchdowns each for Michigan ( worth five points each ) , and Bruce Shorts added one extra point kick . At the end of the season , Coach Yost wrote of the Ohio State game : " The Ohio State game proved to be a hard one . We could score but 21 points against them , although there was no doubt in the minds of all who saw the game that Michigan ' s team was vastly superior in all departments of the game . Costly fumbles and short halves combined to make this score the lowest of the season . " Michigan ' s starters in the game were Curtis Redden ( left end ) , Hugh White ( left tackle ) , Dan McGugin ( left guard ) , George Gregory ( center ) , Ebin Wilson ( right guard ) , Bruce Shorts ( right tackle ) , Albert Herrnstein ( right end ) , Boss Weeks ( quarterback ) , Willie Heston ( left halfback ) , Everett Seeley ( right halfback ) , and Neil Snow ( fullback ) . Michigan 22 , Chicago 0 . On November 16 , Michigan faced its traditional rival in Amos Alonzo Stagg ' s University of Chicago Maroons football team . Coach Yost noted , " I knew long before I came to Michigan of the great rivalry existing between this University and the University of Chicago . It was my desire to win this game above all others . " The game was played at Regents Field in front of one of the largest crowds that ever attended a game up to that time in Ann Arbor . Michigan won the game 22 – 0 on two touchdowns by left tackle Hugh White and one touchdown each by fullback Neil Snow and right tackle Bruce Shorts . Michigan ' s defense held the Chicago offense to two first downs , and Chicago only once had possession of the ball in Michigan territory . Despite the win , Coach Yost was disappointed with the low point total accumulated by his team and publicly stated that " we would have scored many more points on Chicago if the field had been dry . " Yost described the impact of the weather on his team as follows : " Much to our disappointment the game was played on a muddy field in a snowstorm , and the work of our backs was seriously handicapped . The Chicago team was not to the same extent handicapped by reason of the fact that it did not rely upon speed to advance the ball . . . . End - running was impossible , and we were compelled to make our gains by line - bucking which is a slow process . . . " Michigan ' s starters in the game were Curtis Redden ( left end ) , Hugh White ( left tackle ) , Dan McGugin ( left guard ) , George Gregory ( center ) , Ebin Wilson ( right guard ) , Bruce Shorts ( right tackle ) , Albert Herrnstein ( right end ) , Boss Weeks ( quarterback ) , Willie Heston ( left halfback ) , Everett Seeley ( right halfback ) , and Neil Snow ( fullback ) . Michigan 89 , Beloit 0 . Michigan played its final home game on November 23 and won , 89 – 0 , over Beloit College . The game was played on a wet field that was " practically a pond in the centre , filled in with sawdust before the game started . " Because of the field conditions , Michigan was not able to execute its end runs and relied principally on " line bucking . " Right end Albert Herrnstein scored six touchdowns for 30 points , including two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the second half . Coach Yost later recalled the scene on the field after one of Herrnstein ' s runs : " Once when Herrnstein made a long run for a touchdown I remember of seeing four Beloit players stretched on the ground in a line where they had made useless efforts to stop him . " Right tackle Bruce Shorts scored a touchdown and kicked 14 extra points for 19 points . Fullback Neil Snow added three touchdowns for 15 points , and single touchdowns were scored by Heston , White , Graver , Sweeley and Redden . The Beloit team managed to gain the five yards required for a first down on only one drive late in the game . Beloit ' s one first down came on a fake kick followed by a run of 15 yards — the largest gain made by any team against Michigan in 1901 . " The New York Times " reported : " The strong team from Beloit was unable to do anything against the Ann Arbor men . " Michigan ' s starters in the game were Curtis Redden ( left end ) , Hugh White ( left tackle ) , Dan McGugin ( left guard ) , George Gregory ( center ) , Ebin Wilson ( right guard ) , Bruce Shorts ( right tackle ) , Albert Herrnstein ( right end ) , Boss Weeks ( quarterback ) , Willie Heston ( left halfback ) , Everett Seeley ( right halfback ) , and Neil Snow ( fullback ) . Michigan 50 , Iowa 0 . Michigan closed its regular season schedule on November 28 with a 50 – 0 win over the University of Iowa at the National League Baseball Park in Chicago . " The New York Times " reported that " Michigan scored almost at will " and " outclassed " a " sturdy , plucky " Iowa team . Willie Heston and Bruce Shorts scored four touchdowns each for Michigan and " played a spectacular part for the Wolverines . " Shorts added five successful extra point kicks giving him 25 points in the game . Michigan ' s starters in the game were Curtis Redden ( left end ) , Hugh White ( left tackle ) , Dan McGugin ( left guard ) , George Gregory ( center ) , Ebin Wilson ( right guard ) , Bruce Shorts ( right tackle ) , Albert Herrnstein ( right end ) , Boss Weeks ( quarterback ) , Willie Heston ( left halfback ) , Everett Seeley ( right halfback ) , and Neil Snow ( fullback ) . Rose Bowl : Michigan 49 , Stanford 0 . After the conclusion of the 1901 football season , Michigan was invited to play against Stanford in the first Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena , California . Michigan won the game on New Year ' s Day 1902 by the score of 49 – 0 . The players that traveled to California were starters , Hugh White , Curtis Redden , Dan McGugin , George Gregory , Bruce Shorts , Albert Herrnstein , Boss Weeks , Everett Sweeley , Willie Heston , and Neil Snow , and substitutes Arthur Redner ( back ) , Benjamin Harrison Southworth ( guard ) , James E . Forrest ( tackle ) , and Paul J . Jones ( back ) . Accolades . At the conclusion of the 1901 season , team captain Hugh White gave head coach Fielding Yost and trainer Keene Fitzpatrick substantial credit for the performance of the 1901 team . He credited the coach with " inoculating into the men some of Mr . Yost ' s own spirit , impulsiveness and optimism , " and with having the " faculty of adapting his plays to the material at hand so that he got the best there was out of every one of the eleven men . " With respect to the trainer , White noted : " An equally strong element , and one many are apt to overlook , was the work of Keene Fitzpatrick . Consider a team training nearly four months , without a man going stale , and but one injured so that he had to be taken out of the game ! Then in addition a trip of nearly 3000 miles , from a climate where the thermometer registered 10 degrees below zero , into one of summer weather , and eleven men playing through an entire game and finishing it with faster and stronger play than at the beginning ! Such were the results achieved by our trainer . . . . Too much praise cannot be given him . " For its impressive average of 50 points per game on offense and eleven games of scoreless defense , the 1901 team has been recognized as one of the greatest college football teams of all time . Players . Varsity letter winners . The following 13 players received varsity " M " letters for their participation on the 1901 football team :