1894 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1894 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1894 college football season . The team , with William McCauley as head coach , compiled an 9 – 1 – 1 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 244 to 84 . The Wolverines played a home - and - away series with Cornell , losing at Ithaca and winning the second game in Detroit . The win over Cornell " marked the first time in collegiate football history that a western school defeated an established power from the east . " The Wolverines closed the season with a victory over Amos Alonzo Stagg ' s University of Chicago Maroons . Pre - season . Prior to the 1894 season , three individuals took charge of the Michigan football program — each of whom would play an important role in its development . The first was Charles A . Baird , manager of the football team who later became Michigan ' s first athletic director and was the person who hired Fielding H . Yost in 1901 . In 1894 , Baird hired William McCauley , who had played at the tackle position on Princeton ' s championship team in 1893 , as Michigan ' s head football coach . In two years as Michigan ' s head coach , McCauley led the Wolverines to a 17 - 2 - 1 record . The third member of Michigan ' s football triumvirate in 1894 was Keene Fitzpatrick , a nationally known track coach , who Baird hired as the football team ' s trainer . Baird ' s hiring of McCauley and Fitzpatrick led to a heightened level of interest in the football team . " The Michigan Alumnus " described the impact of the new coaching staff : " The work of both of these enthusiasts can be seen in the practice of the team from day to day . At a mass meeting held last month great enthusiasm was shown by students , and several hundred dollars was [ sic ] raised for the team . Thus , for the first time in the history of Michigan football , the manager was able to secure the necessary equipment for a first - class eleven . Lack of money has been the cry hitherto . " Several players returned in 1894 from the 1893 team , including quarterback and team captain Jimmy Baird , halfbacks Gustave Ferbert , Horace Dyer , and George Dygert , guard " Pa " Heninger , center C . H . Smith , end Henry Senter , and tackle Giovanni " Count " Villa . Game notes . Michigan 12 , Michigan Military Academy 12 . The Michigan football team opened the 1894 season on October 6 , 1894 , with its first of two games against the Michigan Military Academy from Orchard Lake , Michigan . The game was played at Regents Field and ended in a 12 – 12 tie . " The Inlander " , a monthly magazine published by the students at the University of Michigan , noted that the team had been training for only four days , and the result was " quite a disappointment for those interested in the team . " " The Michigan Alumnus " also blamed the result on lack of training , noting that the team did not commence practice until October 1 , and concluding that the Academy ' s Cadets " had the advantage of longer training , and played a quick , snappy game . " Michigan 26 , Albion 10 . After the tie with the Michigan Military Academy , the Wolverines rolled to five consecutive by a combined score of 178 to 24 . The first win of the season came against Albion College by a score of 26 to 10 . The game was the 11th meeting between the Michigan and Adrian football teams with Michigan winning ten games and Albion winning one . As of 1894 , Michigan had played more games against Albion than any other team . Michigan 48 , Olivet 0 . On October 17 , 1894 , Michigan defeated the team from Olivet College by a score of 48 to 0 . The game was the second and final meeting between Michigan and Olivet . Michigan won the first game in 1891 by a score of 18 to 6 . After lackluster performances in the first two games of the 1894 season , Michigan won convincingly over Olivet . The " Detroit Free Press " wrote that , following the lopsided win , " [ t ] he croakers are silent to - night . " Olivet gained positive yardage on only 10 plays in the entire game and gained the required five yards for a first down only three times . Michigan scored five touchdowns in the first half and four in the second half . Michigan ' s touchdowns were scored by Henninger ( 2 ) Ferbert ( 2 ) , Villa ( 2 ) , Richards ( 1 ) , Leonard ( 1 ) , and Yont ( 1 ) . Michigan ' s starting lineup was made up of Greenleaf ( left end ) , Villa ( left tackle ) , Carr ( left guard ) , Smith ( center ) , Henninger ( right guard ) , Yont ( right tackle ) , Hadden ( right end ) , Baird ( quarterback ) , Ferbert ( left halfback ) , Richards ( right halfback ) , and Dyer ( fullback ) . Substitutions were Ninde for Carr , Leonard for Ferbert , and Freund for Richards . Michigan 40 , Michigan Military Academy 6 . On October 21 , 1894 , Michigan played its second game of the season against the Michigan Military Academy . After playing the Michigan Military Academy to a 12 - 12 tie in the season opener , the Wolverines defeated the Cadets 40 - 6 in the rematch . Michigan ' s team captain and quarterback Baird was injured in the game and was unable to play for three weeks . Michigan 46 , Adrian 0 . On October 24 , 1894 , Michigan defeated the football team from Adrian College by a score of 46 to 0 . The game was the first and last game between the Michigan and Adrian football teams . It was played in Ann Arbor and consisted of halves of 25 and 15 minutes . According to an account published in the " Detroit Free Press " , the game was played in " a steady downpour of rain and was witnessed by a small crowd . " Michigan scored six touchdowns in the first half and three in the second half . Michigan 18 , Case 8 . On October 28 , 1894 , Michigan played the team from the Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland . The game was the first meeting between Michigan and Case . The two teams played each other 27 times between 1894 and 1923 , with Michigan winning 26 of those games . The inaugural 1894 game was played in Cleveland and was described as " by long odds the finest and best game of the season so far as Cleveland is concerned . " Michigan ' s win was attributed to " the superior strength and weight of their rush line , " and its line play was described as " beautiful to see " and " about as fine as could be imagined . " Playing at right halfback , Bloomingston scored all 18 points for Michigan with three touchdowns and two goals after touchdown . Although Bloomingston did the scoring , the " Detroit Free Press " wrote that Ferbert , playing at left halfback , consistently " wriggled " away from the Case tacklers and covered himself in glory . Michigan ' s 11 starters played the entire 60 - minute game without substitution . They were Hadden ( left end ) , Villa ( left tackle ) , Neinde ( left guard ) , Smith ( center ) , Henninger ( right guard ) , Baird ( right tackle ) , Price ( right end ) , Greenleaf ( quarterback ) , Bloomingston ( right halfback ) , Ferbert ( left halfback ) , and Dyer ( fullback ) . Cornell 22 , Michigan 0 . Michigan played the first of two games against Cornell on November 3 , 1894 , in Ithaca , New York . Even though Michigan ' s team , referred to in the press as " gridiron giants , " outweighed the Cornell players by an average of five pounds , the Cornell players were reported to have " greater skill and agility . " Michigan had never beaten Cornell prior to 1894 , and the betting in advance of the game was 5 to 1 the Cornell would win and 2 to 1 that Michigan would not score . Cornell won the game by a score of 22 to 0 . The loss to Cornell was Michigan ' s only loss of the 1894 season . It also marked the seventh consecutive loss to Cornell dating back to 1889 . Michigan played the game without its captain and starting quarterback , Jimmy Baird , following a knee injury in the rematch with the Michigan Military Academy . Michigan 22 , Kansas 12 . On November 10 , 1894 , Michigan played on the road against Kansas University . The game drew a crowd of 5 , 000 people to Exposition Park in Kansas City , Missouri . It was the second meeting between the two schools , Michigan having won the first meeting in 1893 by a score of 22 to 0 . The Michigan team won by a score of 22 to 12 . The " Detroit Free Press " reported : " Despite a cold bleak day , 5 , 000 people witnessed the contest and pronounced it the best ever seen in Kansas City . Society was out in full force , the entire east side of the field being packed with carriages of every description . " Michigan won the coin toss at the start of the game and chose to play with the wind during the first half . On the opening kickoff , Ferbert " made a pretty run of 20 yards , " and Michigan drove the distance of the field for a touchdown . The biggest gains on the scoring drive were runs of 25 yards by Bloomingston and 20 yards by Dyer . Dygert scored the touchdown , and Bloomingston kicked the goal after touchdown to give Michigan a 6 - 0 lead . Michigan ' s second touchdown came on a 30 - yard run by Senter , and Bloomingston again kicked the goal to give Michigan a 12 - 0 lead . On the next drive , Michigan scored its third touchdown on a 20 - yard run by Price . The goal was missed , and Michigan led 16 - 0 . Kansas scored a touchdown after Dyer fumbled on a punt return . Armour , the right end for Kansas , returned the ball 75 yards for the touchdown . Kansas converted its goal after touchdown . Shortly before halftime , Michigan blocked a Kansas kick and Ferbert fell on the ball one foot from Kansas ' goal line . Time was called by the linesman before Michigan could run another play , and the Wolverines led 16 - 6 at halftime . According to the game account in the " Detroit Free Press " , " the Michigan team seemed to go completely to pieces " during the second half . Dyer was injured during a Kansas drive , and after he left the game , Hester , the Kansas fullback , broke through for a touchdown , reducing Michigan ' s lead to 16 - 12 . Ferbert scored Michigan ' s final touchdown in the second half , and Bloomington kicked the goal to give Michigan a 22 - 12 lead . The " Nebraska State Journal " wrote : " Michigan won the game by sheer strength . Her team is unusually heavy and her centers a stone wall . " After concluding the home - and - away series with Kansas in 1893 and 1894 , Michigan did not play another game against Kansas for 85 years . ( Michigan beat the Jayhawks in 1979 by a score of 28 to 7 . ) Ten of Michigan ' s starters played the entire game without substitution . They are Smith ( center ) , Henninger ( right guard ) , Reynolds ( right tackle ) , Price ( right end ) , Carr ( left tackle ) , Villa ( left tackle ) , Senter ( left end ) , Bloomingston ( right halfback ) , Dygert ( left halfback ) , and Ferbert ( quarterback ) . Dyer started the game at fullback , but was replaced due to injury by Baird . Baird was then replaced by Richards . Michigan 14 , Oberlin 6 . On November 17 , 1894 , Michigan played Oberlin College on Regents Field in Ann Arbor . The game was played in front of 2 , 200 spectators , described as " [ t ] he largest and most enthusiastic crowd that ever attended a game in the athletic field . " Michigan won by a score of 14 to 6 in a game that the " Detroit Free Press " described as follows : " The game was the hardest played here this season , but was characterized by gentlemanly playing throughout . . . . Michigan played slow at first , but gradually warmed up to the work and showed its strength . Every man on the team played good ball . Villa was particularly good and did brilliant work on the offense and defense . " Oberlin scored the games first points on a 60 - yard touchdown run by Boothman , a sprinter who had run the 100 - yard dash in 10 seconds . Michigan did not score until 16 minutes into the game . Michigan ' s first touchdown was scored by Bloomingston on a drive that consisted of " bucking Oberlin ' s line " and moving the ball steadily down the field . Michigan missed the goal after touchdown and trailed 6 - 4 at halftime . In the second half , " Michigan had it all her own way , Oberlin fought hard , but could do nothing against the constant hammering of her line . " Michigan halfback Richards scored six minutes into the second half , but again missed the goal after touchdown . Michigan led 8 - 6 . The final touchdown was scored by Villa " who broke through the line and ran forty yards . " University of Chicago head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg acted as umpire in the game . The " Detroit Free Press " complained that Stagg ' s " biased decisions " slowed Michigan ' s progress and opined that he was " decidedly one - sided in his decisions , giving Oberlin the ball four times for holding and also 40 yards for off side . " All 11 of Michigan ' s starters played the entire game without substitution . They were Senter ( left end ) , Villa ( left tackle ) , Carr ( left guard ) , Smith ( center ) , Henninger ( right guard ) , Hadden ( right tackle ) , Price ( right end ) , Ferbert ( quarterback ) , Richards ( left halfback ) , Dygert ( right halfback ) , and Bloomingston ( fullback ) . Michigan 12 , Cornell 4 . After losing to Cornell earlier in the season , Michigan played Cornell again on November 24 , 1894 , this time at the Detroit Athletic Club Field in Detroit . With team captain Baird back in the lineup at quarterback , Michigan fans anticipated a close match . In preparation for the game , " The Michigan Daily " developed a plan to have the Michigan fans sing appropriate songs to familiar tunes during the game , and a yell - master was appointed to lead the " noise - making ceremonies , " including the " time - honored college yell and cheers and the foghorns , etc . " Two - thousand students traveled from Ann Arbor to watch the game , as did " a considerable number of the faculty . " The " Detroit Free Press " described the commotion created by the large crowd arriving by train : " Striking Woodward avenue this advance column made policemen for blocks prick up their ears for a moment by their yells and onward the legions filed . . . Every place showing a profusion of yellow chrysanthemums in a window was looted . . . " The game was started at 2 : 30 p . m . on a cloudy and chilly afternoon before 4 , 000 spectators , the largest crowd ever present at a game in Detroit . Michigan scored a touchdown in the first half on a series of tackle plays in which Senter , Ferbert , Villa , Dyer and Bloomingston participated . Cornell followed with its own touchdown but missed the goal after touchdown . In the second half , Michigan drove the ball to Cornell ' s 2½ yard line , and Yont fell on the ball for a touchdown . Bloomingston kicked the goal after touchdown to make the score 12 to 4 . The " Detroit Free Press " described the efforts of Michigan ' s yell - master to incite the crowd : " Stationed at regular intervals along the line were the howling master and his worthy assistants . . . . The howling master would raise his cane and start the college yell and the hundreds nearest him would join in . . . . At first these yells could be heard nearly to Grand Circus park , but in the last ten minutes of play the real enjoyment was in watching the facial movements of the howlers . Their voices had been wafted away by the gentle breezes and all that was left was a rasping , guttural sound accompanied by an expression of determination but nothing vocal to carry it out . " Michigan did not allow Cornell to score in the second half and won the game 12 to 4 . One newspaper described the ferocity of the game as follows : " The fiercest struggle at football that ever took place on Michigan soil was the game between Michigan and Cornell universities . It was pluck against pluck , strategy against strategy , strength against strength , and Michigan developed the most strategy , had the most strength , but in pluck honors were even . " When the game ended , " [ t ] he crowd went wild , and hats , canes and everything available flew into the air . Over the ropes went the crowd and the fortunate players were picked up and carried from the field . " A group of 500 students , stretching a block in length , towed a large green bus carrying the team from the athletic grounds . The procession , accompanied by a large crowd , moved loudly up Woodward Avenue with the team in tow until the bus reached Russell House where the team spent the night . The team was entertained by a vaudeville show while seated in the boxes at the Whitney Opera House , which was decorated with chrysanthemums and colored ribbons . According to an account in the " Detroit Free Press " , the city was given over to " the U . of M . boys " for the night : " Wherever one turned he was confronted with the din and tumult ; the ear - splitting yells from throats with vocal chords of extraordinary vibratory possibilities . " The police " showed no disposition to exercise any authority to quell this miniature riot . Probably they knew that it would be like battling with the raging elements , and wisely resorted to extreme discretion . " Many of the city ' s residents were reportedly entertained by the spectacle : " Heretofore some idea of college boys had only been gleaned from a minstrel performance . . . But last night the city was deluged with college enthusiasm , and the vitality of the boys was something amazing and awe - inspiring . There seemed to be no limit to their energy . " All but one of Michigan ' s starters played the entire game . The starting lineup for Michigan was : Senter ( left end ) , Villa ( left tackle ) , Carr ( left guard ) , Smith ( center ) , Henninger ( right guard ) , Hadden ( right tackle ) , Price ( right end ) , Baird ( quarterback ) , Ferbert ( left halfback ) , Bloomingston ( right halfback ) , and Dyer ( fullback ) . The sole Michigan substitution was Yont for Villa after Villa wrenched his leg and had to leave the field . Historical significance of the Cornell game . The victory over Cornell was the first by a Michigan football team against one of the elite Eastern football team , and " the Michigan men went wild " as blue and yellow were " all the colors that could be seen . " One newspaper wrote that the victory placed Michigan among the top programs in football : " The victory places Michigan in the position of worthy foeman of Yale , Harvard , Princeton or Pennsylvania . " The " Detroit Free Press " filled its front page with a lengthy account of the game under the headline , " GLORIOUS ! " , and proclaimed the start of " halcyon days at the university " and opined that " the day of logy teams , slow signalling and dumb playing at the university are but pages in history now . " The " Free Press " predicted that the victory would mark a turning point in the popularity of football in the West , such that " it will become the only acknowledged game of the fall , and its devotees will outnumber those of any other game . " The University of Michigan yearbook , " The Palladium " , wrote : " The enthusiasm of that day at Detroit transformed our foot ball team from the practically ' backwoods ' organization that they were to skillful , scientific players of the great American game of foot ball . Let the good work go on . " On the Monday evening following the game , 3 , 000 students gathered for a mass meeting in University Hall to celebrate the victory . Speeches were delivered University President James Burrill Angell , Coach McCauley , team captain Jimmy Baird , and team manager Charles Baird . President Angell told the crowd , " I have been asked often today , ' What will be the effect of the game ? ' I am neither a prophet or the son of a prophet , but there is one thing of great value that I believe will result . . . . I think the benefit of victory lies in the cultivation of this broad , generous university spirit that pervades all departments and makes us feel here one interest and common joy . " After the mass meeting , the students gathered until midnight around a large bonfire on the campus . In December 1894 , " The Michigan Alumnus " credited the victory over Cornell with the formation of permanent alumni associations in various cities : " Michigan alumni all over the country are rejoicing because of our great victory over Cornell on the foot - ball field . It presages better days for athletics at the University , for it means that hereafter we may look for greater encouragement from the authorities and from the student body than ever before this . It is proving a new and powerful bond of union and sympathy among our alumni . Brought together , as in Buffalo , to celebrate this foot - ball victory , our graduates have felt the old fire of enthusiasm for their grand old University , and have formed permanent alumni associations , the value and importance of which is bound to be great . " Michigan 6 , Chicago 4 . Michigan closed its 1894 season with a trip to Chicago to face Amos Alonzo Stagg ' s Chicago Maroons . Two hours before kickoff a " driving sleet storm " hit the city , and when the players lined up " the grounds were better fitted for skating rink purposes rather than a gridiron . " Despite the inclement weather , a large crowd turned out to watch the game . According to a newspaper account , " the grand stand and outfield were packed with yelling collegians , and the boxes and carriage rooms were well filled with society people . " An account published in the " Detroit Free Press " described the atmosphere surrounding the game : " Notwithstanding the threatening weather , fully 6 , 000 of Chicago ' s best and fairest witnessed the hardest fought battle ever seen in Chicago . . . . Michigan was not entirely over her hard - fought game in Detroit last Saturday and her men did not play with the snap and dash she displayed against Cornell . The east and south sides of the field were lined with tally - hos , landaus , etc . Everyone wore the colors of one of the colleges . The yellow and blue of Michigan was as prominently displayed as was the maroon of Chicago . Everyone was out to yell for his respective team and from the noise it seemed as if pandemonium had been turned loose . " Some accounts indicate that Michigan had been expected to " bury the Chicagos under a big score , " while others indicated that " the betting was even on the two teams . " Chicago scored the game ' s first touchdown on an end run by Nichols less than ten minutes into the game . However , Chicago missed the try for goal after touchdown . The first half ended with the score 4 to 0 in favor of Chicago . Michigan won the game on a touchdown drive late in the second half that featured runs of 20 yards by Dyer and 10 yards by Senter . Ferbert scored the touchdown on a five yard run around the end . Bloomingston kicked the goal after touchdown . Michigan won the game by a final score of 6 to 4 . Near the end of the game , Bloomingston narrowly missed a field goal attempt from the 40 - yard line , with the ball passing just under the cross bar . One newspaper account of the game stated that Chicago had outplayed Michigan for 67 minutes , " but in three minutes victory was wrested from Capt . Stagg ' s men and perched on the yellow and blue banner of the college from across the lake . " A controversy arose after the game as Michigan supporters charged that " Stagg had secured [ Michigan ] ' s signals and made use of the knowledge , hoping to win by any means , however questionable . " In another account , the " Detroit Free Press " complained of biased officiating by the umpire , Phil Allen , who was a cousin of Chicago ' s captain . The game was Michigan ' s second consecutive Thanksgiving Day game against Chicago . The first game , in 1893 , drew a crowd of 2 , 000 , and in 1894 , the attendance more than doubled . The large attendance solidified Chicago ' s status as Michigan ' s " natural rival , " and " The Michigan Alumnus " reported that " all parties hope to make this game the leading athletic event of the west , but above all to have the contest manly and free from criticism . " Michigan ' s starting lineup in the game was Senter ( left end ) , Villa ( left tackle ) , Carr ( left guard ) , Smith ( center ) , Henninger ( right guard ) , Hadden ( right tackle ) , Price ( right end ) , Baird ( quarterback ) , Ferbert ( left halfback ) , Dyer ( right halfback ) , and Bloomingston ( fullback ) . The sole substitutions for Michigan were Yont for Villa and Reynolds for price . Price and Gale of Chicago were ejected from the game for " slugging . " Season overview and finances . After totaling seven wins in 1892 and again in 1893 , Michigan ' s nine wins in 1894 marked the highest win total in Michigan football history to that time . In an article on Inter - Collegiate Athletics in the Middle West , Reuben M . Strong of Oberlin College wrote , " Michigan University , without doubt , deserves the honors of first place in foot - ball for ' 94 . Wisconsin University would make a close second . Unfortunately the two did not meet , as Michigan is inclined to give more attention to the Eastern colleges of late . " In April 1895 , the report by the treasurer of the University of Michigan Athletic Association showed a cash balance of $ 1 , 013 . 17 . Receipts for the year totaled $ 5 , 613 . 17 , with game receipts comprising $ 4 , 100 . Expenditures included $ 3 , 350 for " trips and foot - ball expenses , " $ 560 for a coach , $ 440 for the training table , and $ 150 for printing .