1906 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1906 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1906 college football season . The team ' s head coach was Fielding H . Yost in his sixth year at Michigan . The team compiled a record of 4 - 1 and outscored opponents , 72 to 30 . The 1906 season was played under two sets of new rules . First , the rules governing intercollegiate were changed to promote a more " open " and less dangerous style of play . The changes included the legalization of the forward pass and allowing the punting team to recover an " on - side " kick as a live ball . Second , the Big Nine Conference enacted new rules , including a rule limiting teams to five games ( a drastic reduction from the 13 games played by Michigan in 1905 ) and prohibitions on the " training table " and pre - season training before the start of the academic year . Also before the season began , university officials ruled that two of the stars from the 1905 team , Germany Schulz and Walter Rheinschild , were academically ineligible to compete in football . Despite the setbacks , Michigan won its first four games by a combined score of 72 to 13 . The season opener against Case Scientific School was the first game played on the new Ferry Field . During the bye week before the final game of the season , Michigan ' s captain Joe Curtis sustained a severely broken leg in a practice game against the " scrub " team . The Wolverines lost their final game to the Penn Quakers , 17 – 0 , at Philadelphia ' s Franklin Field . The loss to Penn broke a 95 - game unbeaten streak in home games dating back to November 1893 . Two Michigan players , Joe Curtis and fullback John Garrels , were selected as first - team All - Western players . Garrels , who had broken world records in the discus throw and the high hurdles , was also selected as a second - team All - American by Walter Camp . Season summary . Case . On October 6 , 1906 , Michigan opened its season with a 28 – 0 victory over the team from Cleveland ' s . The game was the first played at the newly completed Ferry Field and attracted a crowd estimated at 2 , 000 persons . The " Detroit Free Press " called the field " a beauty . " The game was the 10th meeting between the two programs . Michigan had won all nine of the prior games by a combined score of 298 to 31 . Fullback John Garrels scored the first touchdown on the new Ferry Field . The score was set up when Case ' s fullback , Wagar , attempted a punt from deep in Case ' s territory . After a bad snap , Jack Loell broke through the line and tackled Wagar at Case ' s five - yard line . Garrels then scored on " two straight line bucks . " Joe Curtis missed the extra point kick , and Michigan was unable to score again in the first half . Case threatened once in the first half , when Case ' s quarterback , Reimenschneider , returned an on - side kick to Michigan ' s 20 - yard line . Wagar ' s attempt at a field goal for Case was unsuccessful , and Michigan led , 5 – 0 , at halftime . In addition to scoring the first touchdown , Garrels handled punting responsibilities ; one of his punts carried 60 yards . He also kicked an extra point and had the longest end run of the game for a 28 - yard gain . Michigan scored four additional touchdowns in the second half . Reimenschneider fumbled the opening kickoff to start the second half , and Michigan recovered the ball at Case ' s 20 - yard line . After the turnover , Michigan quarterback Harry Workman ran for a touchdown . Michigan ' s third touchdown was set up by a poor punt by Case from behind its own goal line . A penalty was tacked on , and Michigan got the ball at the Case 10 - yard line . Workman again ran for the touchdown . Clarence Schenk scored Michigan ' s fourth touchdown on a " cross buck " from the five - yard line . The final touchdown was scored by Arthur " Waukegan " Wright , a substitute right tackle who was described as " the ' pompadour ' haired medic from Illinois , " on a 35 - yard run following an on - side kick . A rule change enacted in 1906 allowed the punting team to recover a punt as a live ball . The " Detroit Free Press " described Wright ' s touchdown as follows : " Garrels made an on - side punt to the Case thirty - five yard line . Wright brought the ball to his breast after the bound as if it was his long - lost child , and was saving it from the kidnappers . Three Case men tried to stop him as he was making the run for his fireside home , but he seemed to have a through ticket without a punch , and scored the first touchdown of the year on the new rules . " Joe Curtis kicked two extra points , and Garrels kicked one . On defense , Michigan did not allow a first down on the ground , Case ' s only first downs coming on an on - side kick and off - side penalties against Michigan . Michigan did not attempt a single forward pass against Case , leading the " Detroit Free Press " to write , " Michigan did not uncan it because it is not fermented enough in this climate to make it look good . " After the game , Case ' s coach , Wentworth , opined that Michigan ' s 1906 team was " 30 per cent weaker than any other team that Yost has coached here . " Yost said , " I am satisfied . My men did as well as I expected . The only star in the game for Michigan was Johnnie Garrels . . . . Not once during the game did Case make its distance on regular football . They tried the forward pass twice , but both times were thrown back for big losses . " Michigan ' s lineup against Case was Davis ( left end ) , Curtis ( left tackle ) , Patrick ( left guard ) , Loell , ( center ) , Graham ( right guard ) , Ruby and Wright ( right tackle ) , Embs and Newton ( right end ) , Bishop and Lewis ( quarterback ) , Workman ( left halfback ) , Schenk ( right halfback ) , and Garrels ( fullback ) . Chase of Michigan served as referee . Raymond Starbuck of Cornell was the umpire . The game was played in 20 - minute halves . at Ohio State . For its second game , Michigan defeated , 6 – 0 , before a crowd of 6 , 000 spectators at University Park in Columbus . A special train carried eleven coaches full of Michigan fans to Columbus , arriving one hour before the game started . The game was the eighth meeting in the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry , with Michigan having won six of the prior meetings and tied once . The game began shortly after 2 : 40 p . m . , on a cool , but not uncomfortable Saturday afternoon . The game was scoreless for the first 56 minutes of play , as Michigan ' s offense struggled . The " Chicago Daily Tribune " attributed the sluggish offensive performance to the fact that Michigan ' s halfbacks , Ivan Steckle and Paul Magoffin , " were not in the best of shape , " having arrived in Columbus on an excursion train a few minutes before the game began . They were rushed to the football field in an automobile and arrived in poor condition . Neither Magoffin nor Steckle had played in the season opener against Case . With four minutes remaining in the game , John Garrels kicked a field goal from a difficult angle at the Ohio State 25 - yard line to give Michigan a 4 - 0 lead . Garrels had attempted four earlier field goals in the game , all unsuccessful . The " Chicago Daily Tribune " noted , " Evidently the Wolverines placed all their reliance on Garrels , for the big fellow was constantly trying goal shots . " With two minutes remaining , Ohio State ' s fullback , Gibson , attempted a punt from behind his goal line . Gibson dropped the ball on a poor snap from the sub center , Claggett , and fell on it , resulting in a safety that accounted for Michigan ' s final two points . On defense , Michigan held Ohio State to four first downs in the game . The " Chicago Daily Tribune " praised Jack Loell as " a whirlwind at center " who " sustained the heaviest attack of the Ohio backs and drove two of his opponents to the side lines and a third to making the poor pass which gave Michigan the last two points . " Michigan ' s lineup against Ohio State was Newton ( left end ) , Curtis ( left tackle ) , Eyke ( left guard ) , Loell , ( center ) , Graham ( right guard ) , Patrick ( right tackle ) , Embs ( right end ) , Bishop ( quarterback ) , Magoffin ( left halfback ) , Steckle and Kanaga ( right halfback ) , and Garrels ( fullback ) . Wrenn of Harvard served as referee , and Hoagland of Princeton was the umpire . The game was played in 30 - minute halves . Illinois . On October 27 , 1906 , Michigan defeated , 28 – 9 , before a crowd estimated at close to 5 , 000 persons at Ferry Field . The game was the fifth between the two schools . Michigan had won all four of the prior games by a combined score of 62 to 5 . The game was also Michigan ' s only contest in 1906 with a member of the Big Nine Conference . The game began at 2 : 37 p . m . , and was played on a soggy field resulting from " a constant rain of fourteen hours . " The rain continued throughout the game , resulting in a slippery ball and numerous fumbles . Illinois turned the ball over four times on fumbles , and Michigan did so three times . In the " Detroit Free Press " , Joe S . Jackson wrote : " All during the game there was a heavy rainfall . . . . With a strong west wind driving this on a slant into the faces of one set of players , and down the necks of all the spectators the joy of the day was not extreme . " On the first play of the game , John Garrels ran 90 yards for a touchdown . Joe S . Jackson wrote : " Seldom does one see a run of ninety yards to a touchdown . . . . On the first kick - off , . . . Garrels got the ball on his own twenty - yard line . For twenty yards he went through the weaving mass of players , practically alone . Then interference began to form . Once or twice he was grabbed at , but shook off the tackler . How he got through is a marvel , unless the rain , beating directly into the faces of the Illini , partially blinded them . . . . He had gone by twenty - one men , friends and foes , when he touched the ball down behind the Illnois goal posts . " Joe Curtis kicked the extra point , and Michigan led , 6 – 0 . Illinois scored a touchdown after a poor punt from deep in Michigan territory gave Illinois the ball at Michigan ' s 20 - yard line . The umpire , Wren of Harvard , then called a 15 - yard penalty against Michigan for " sideline coaching , " moving the ball within two or three yards of the goal line . From there , Pinckney ran for the touchdown , but Green missed the extra point , and Michigan led , 6 - 5 . The touchdown was the first allowed by Michigan since 1904 . Before the half had ended , Joe Curtis scored a second touchdown for Michigan . The extra point failed , and Michigan led , 11 – 5 , at halftime . In the second half , Moynihan kicked a field goal for Illinois from the 40 - yard line , narrowing Michigan ' s lead to 11 – 9 . Michigan responded with three additional touchdowns . Curtis scored on a 20 - yard run and then kicked the extra point to give Michigan a 17 - 9 lead . A short time later , Brooks of Illinois fumbled an on - side kick by Garrels , and Fred Newton fell on the loose ball behind Illinois ' goal line . Michigan ' s final touchdown was set up by a 60 - yard punt by Garrels that rolled almost to the goal line . Brooks was tackled at the five - yard line , and Illinois immediately sought to punt the ball out of danger . Joe Curtis leaped into the air at the 10 - yard line , blocked the kick , and recovered the ball for Michigan ' s final touchdown . The extra point failed , and Michigan led , 28 – 9 . According to Joe Jackson ' s account , the final ten minutes " was all punting , and enthusiasm began to ooze out as the rain oozed in . " Joe Curtis was Michigan ' s scoring leader with 18 points on three touchdowns and three extra points . The " 1907 Michiganensian " opined that the team was " at its best " against Illinois , with " eleven men in every play . " Seward Cramer in the " Detroit Free Press " wrote that Yost had " three truly great players " in Garrels , Curtis and Loell . He noted the Curtis " played like a fiend " and called Loell " the find of the year . " Cramer also expressed surprise at the improvement over the prior week : " Never has any such improvement been seen in a team in seven days time . Last Saturday , at Columbus , Michigan played a loafing , listless game . The backs did not get into their plays with any quickness . Something was wrong with the machinery , and during the past week Yost has taken apart the old machine , rearranged the gearing and put in a new driving wheel that makes the whole thing run so much more smoothly that the team that played Ohio State would look like a traction engine beside an easy running tourist auto . " Michigan ' s trainer , Keene Fitzpatrick opined that the team was 50 to 75 percent better against Illinois than it was the prior week . Michigan did not attempt any forward passes , but Illinois completed two passes " in beautiful style , " demonstrating " how good the pass may be if it is gotten away with . " Michigan ' s lineup against Illinois was Curtis ( left end ) , Loell ( left tackle ) , Eyke ( left guard ) , Clement ( center ) , Graham ( right guard ) , Patrick ( right tackle ) , Newton ( right end ) , Workman and Bishop ( quarterback ) , Magoffin ( left halfback ) , Rumney ( right halfback ) , and Garrels ( fullback ) . McCornack of Dartmouth served as referee with Wrenn of Harvard as umpire and Starbuck of Cornell as linesman . The game was played in 30 - minute halves . Vanderbilt . On November 3 , 1906 , Michigan defeated Vanderbilt , 10 – 4 , in front of a crowd of 10 , 000 at Ferry Field . The game matched Michigan head coach Fielding H . Yost against his former player and brother - in - law , Dan McGugin . McGugin ' s 1906 team was the dominant team in Southern football , defeating Alabama ( 78 – 0 ) , Texas ( 45 – 0 ) , Mississippi ( 29 – 0 ) , Georgia Tech ( 37 – 6 ) , and the Carlisle Indian School ( 4 – 0 ) . Between 1905 and 1907 , Vanderbilt lost only three games – all three of them to Michigan . On the night before the game , 4 , 200 students attended a mass meeting at University Hall . McGugin and Yost both spoke to the crowd and agreed that the game would be one of the closest played in Ann Arbor in many years . D . G . Fite , father - in - law of both McGugin and Yost , traveled from his home in Tennessee to watch the game . John Garrels put Michigan ahead with a field goal from the 25 - yard line . On the preceding drive , Garrels had completed a 15 - yard forward pass to Bishop , the first legal forward pass completed by Michigan under the new rules . Michigan led , 4 – 0 , at halftime . Early in the second half , Vanderbilt tied the score with a field goal by Dan Blake from the 30 - yard line . The game remained tied at 4 – 4 until the closing minutes . With two minutes left in the game , Garrels ran 68 yards for a touchdown . The " Chicago Daily Tribune " wrote : " Garrels , on a fake kick , with splendid interference by Hammond , Curtis , and Workman , ran Vanderbilt ' s left end at lightning speed for sixty - eight yards and a touchdown . " Curtis kicked the extra point , and Michigan led , 10 – 4 . Garrels , who scored nine of Michigan ' s ten points against Vanderbilt , was an outstanding athlete . He broke world records in the discus throw and high hurdles and won two medals in the 1908 Summer Olympics – a silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles and a bronze medal in the shot put . Following the Vanderbilt game , " The Pittsburg Press " wrote : " Garrels is the best fullback in the West , and probably has no equal in the country . Weighing 200 pounds , he is a wonderfully speedy runner , capable of covering the 100 yards in 10 seconds . He is a fine punter , place and drop kicker , tackles well , and is a great line plunger . " Michigan ' s lineup against Vanderbilt was Curtis ( left end ) , Loell ( left tackle ) , Eyke ( left guard ) , Clement ( center ) , Graham ( right guard ) , Patrick and Newton ( right tackle ) , H . Hammond ( right end ) , Workman ( quarterback ) , Magoffin ( left halfback ) , Bishop ( right halfback ) , and Garrels ( fullback ) . Elder of Penn State served as referee with Neil Snow of Michigan was the umpire and Eldridge of Michigan as the head linesman . The game was played in 30 - minute halves . Injury to Joe Curtis . In the first four games of the 1906 football season , Joe Curtis started two games at left end and two games at left tackle . Michigan won those games by a combined score of 72 to 13 . Curtis had been one of the leading scorers on Michigan ' s " Point - a - Minute " teams of 1904 ( 86 points on 11 touchdowns and 31 extra points ) and 1905 ( 105 points on 15 touchdowns and 30 extra points ) . Curtis ' s final game for Michigan was to have been the season finale against Penn . On November 10 , 1906 , one week before the Penn game , Curtis suffered a severely broken leg during a practice game . Curtis had not planned to play in the game , but the varsity was playing " listlessly " and had been held to a 0 – 0 score by the scrubs . Accordingly , Curtis put himself in the lineup at left end for the final three minutes in hopes of inspiring the team . The injury occurred as Curtis carried the ball . An end on the scrub team , Langley , fell trying to keep from being " boxed out . " Curtis tripped on Langley and fell into a half somersault . In an attempt to protect his ankle , Curtis gathered his leg under him while in the air . The mass of players " fell in a heap on poor Curtis . ' Snap ' went his left leg at a point between the knee and ankle . The noise of the breaking of the bones could be heard distinctly in the bleachers . " Trainer Keene Fitzpatrick walked onto the field to examine Curtis and quickly saw that the leg was broken . In what the " Detroit Free Press " described as " one of the most touching scenes ever witnessed on a football field , " the crowd of 1 , 000 sitting in the bleachers fell silent and Michigan ' s quarterback , Harry Workman , " was seen to come out of the bunch of standing players , put his hands to his face , and break down and weep like a child . " A surgeon who was in the stands came onto the field , examined Curtis , and called for an ambulance . The crowd sat silently as Curtis was " carefully placed on a stretcher " and into the hospital wagon . As the crowd finally walked slowly up State Street , the " gloom was awful . " The " Detroit Free Press " wrote : " Big Joe Curtis – one of the best fellows who ever went to college – who was acknowledged to be the best tackle in the west , and who was preparing himself to play the game of his life against Pennsylvania , the last college game in which he could ever participate , and who was practically certain of recognition for the All - American team , is down and out on the eve of what was to be the great climax of his spectacular football career . . . . ' G - L - O - O - M ' spells Ann Arbor tonight . " Due to the seriousness of the injury , Curtis was hospitalized for several weeks and did not play in the Penn game . at Penn . Michigan concluded its season on November 17 , 1906 , with a 17 – 0 loss to in front of a crowd of nearly 26 , 000 spectators at Franklin Field in Philadelphia . The game was the second between Michigan and Penn . Penn won the first game in 1899 , 11 – 10 . The start of the game was delayed by half an hour after Michigan head coach Fielding H . Yost sought a ruling that Penn ' s “ tackle back ” play ( in which the tackle dropped back into the backfield as a ball carrier ) was illegal under the new rules . The referee , Kelly , agreed with Yost and informed the Pennsylvania team . The Quakers refused to take the field in light of the ruling , and twenty minutes of wrangling followed . Yost reported after the game that the umpire Langford finally approached Yost and said , " Now , Mr . Yost , you act the gentleman and go on the field . " According to the " Detroit Free Press " , the officials ruled that the play was legal if the a guard or tackle had both feet or both hands up to the line of scrimmage and waited until the snap to receive the ball . With many of its best players either injured or academically disqualified , Michigan played an inexperienced group against Penn . Left guard Sam Davison was playing his first game for the Wolverines . Jack Loell replaced Curtis at left end and played his first game as an end . Walter Eyke and Fred Newton played only their second games at tackle , and Carl Clement played his third game at center . With Curtis out of action , the Penn team focused on John Garrels . Early in the game , Michigan kept the ball in Penn territory , and Garrels narrowly missed a field goal from the 45 - yard line . Also early in the first half , Penn ' s right tackle Gaston shoved Garrels to the ground after he had punted . The blow nearly knocked Garrels out of the game , and the head linesman called a penalty of 30 yards and ejected Gaston from the game . The " Chicago Daily Tribune " wrote that " Gaston slugged Garrels , knocking the big acting captain ' silly ' for a few minutes and dazing him for the entire half . " After the game , Michigan ' s trainer , Keene Fitzpatrick noted that " Garrels ' face is badly disfigured for the time being . " The " Tribune " also reported that Penn ' s fullback Hollenbach had kneed Michigan halfback Paul Magoffin in the face . In the " Detroit Free Press " , Seward Cramer wrote : " The Pennsylvania men watched [ Garrels ] above all others , and he could not make a move that was not followed . . . . Eleven times did Johnny Garrels try the famous fake play that has worked against every other team this season . He would form for a punt and then try a dash for the harbor . But Scarlett and Levine , the scout boats , would intercept him , and in ten plays of this character he was thrown for a total loss of sixty - five yards , and in only one did he get away with the goods for any substantial gain . That was a run of twenty yards around Pennsylvania ' s left end . " Cramer blamed the " almost total lack of interference " for Garrels ' inability to gain through Penn ' s line . A soggy field was also blamed for slowing Garrels . Penn ' s first touchdown was set up by a forward pass that took the ball to Michigan ' s 25 - yard line . Penn then faked a field goal , and Hollenbach ran the ball to the two - yard line . Folwell then scored , and Penn led , 6 – 0 , at halftime . At the start of the second half , Yost again protested the Penn ' s " tackle back " play in which the tackle was deployed in the backfield . The Penn team refused to accept Yost ' s interpretation and told him , " Take your team and go home . " Rather than risk a disruption in the relations between the schools , Yost opted to lead his team back onto the field for the second half . Penn ' s captain and right halfback Green scored two touchdowns in the second half . In a post - game interview , Coach Yost said : " Pennsylvania outplayed us . There are all sorts of ' buts ' and ' ifs ' that might be put in , but even if they were the Quakers would have a good margin over us . Our line could not hold them , therefore our back field could not do anything on the offense . " In the " Detroit Free Press " , Joe S . Jackson wrote that Michigan fans considered the game the first real loss ever suffered by a Yost - coached team , the 2 – 0 loss to Chicago in 1905 having been dismissed as a fluke . Jackson noted , " However , Ann Arbor may now cut out the proud boast referred to . For a Yost - coached team was beaten today , and it was beaten good . " The " Chicago Daily Tribune " wrote : " The Quakers simply trapped the Wolverine , slaughtered him , ripped off his hide , scraped it , and pegged it up to dry in the sun . " Michigan ' s lineup against Penn was Loell ( left end ) , Eyke ( left tackle ) , Davison ( left guard ) , Clement ( center ) , Graham ( right guard ) , Newton ( right tackle ) , Hammond ( right end ) , Workman ( quarterback ) , Magoffin ( left halfback ) , Bishop and Rumney ( right halfback ) , and Garrels ( fullback ) . Kelly of Princeton served as referee with Langford of Trinity as the umpire and Foltz of Brown as the linesman . The game was played in 30 - minute halves . Post - season . Two Michigan players , Joe Curtis and John Garrels , were selected as first - team players on the All Western team of the " Chicago Daily Tribune " . The " Tribune " chose Curtis as a tackle even though he had been moved to end so he could be drawn back to run with the ball , in light of a rule change the prohibited a tackle from being drawn back behind the line unless he was five yards back of the line of scrimmage . Garrels was chosen at fullback because of his " ability to kick and catch punts , to buck the line , or run the ends and dodge in the open . " The " Tribune " opined that " Garrels is almost as valuable to a team as Eckersall , and if the eastern critics are nonpartisan they will place upon the All - American team Garrels at full back and Eckersall at quarter back . " No Michigan players received first - team All - American honors from Walter Camp or Caspar Whitney . However , Garrels was selected as a second - team player by Camp . Players . Varsity letter winners . The following 14 players received varsity " M " letters for their participation on the 1906 football team : Reserves . The following 23 players received " R " letters for their participation on the 1906 football team :