1884 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1884 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1884 college football season . The team compiled a 2 – 0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 36 to 10 . The team captain was Horace Greely Prettyman . Prettyman played a record eight years on the Michigan Wolverines football team between 1882 and 1890 . The team ' s manager and starting center was Henry Killilea . Killilea was one of the five men who founded baseball ' s American League as a major league in 1899 . He also owned the Boston Red Sox from 1903 until 1904 . Quarterback Thomas H . McNeil went on to become the 30th Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias . Schedule . Season summary . Pre - season . In early October 1884 , " The Michigan Argonaut " ( a University of Michigan weekly newspaper ) wrote that prospects looked good for Michigan ' s rugby team . ( The game of American football was evolving in 1884 and was sometimes referred to as rugby and sometimes as football . ) The " Argonaut " noted that many students were gathering daily at the northeast corner of campus to practice for the fall games . With several key players returning , including Olcott , Prettyman , and Killilea , and many new prospects , the paper concluded " there is no reason why an eleven cannot be made up which will equal any Rugby team the University ever had . " The football team was managed by the university ' s Rugby Association . In early October , the Association met and elected Edward Adolphus Rosenthal as the president , Frank G . Higgins as the vice president , Ross L ' Estrange Mahon as the treasurer , Edward Lester Dorn as the corresponding secretary , and James S . Skinner as the recording secretary . Henry Killilea was appointed as the manager . At a meeting held on the Tuesday before the Chicago game , Horace Greely Prettyman was elected as the team ' s captain . In late October and early November , " The Chronicle " urged " every student who takes an interest in Rugby " to participate in the " scrub " or " practice " games or to try their hand at umpiring . Several lines above the notice about the scrub game , the introduction of a new technology was rumored : " There is rumor of the introduction of incandescent lights into Ann Arbor . " During the first week of November , the Albion College team invited the Michigan eleven to play a game at Albion on November 7 . The team was unable to accept the invitation because the required permission from the faculty could not be secured . " The Chronicle " expressed its hope that a game with Albion could be arranged . Such a game was arranged for the following week in Ann Arbor . Albion . The 1884 football team played its first game on November 15 , 1884 against the team from Albion College . The game was the first meeting between the two programs . As Albion was the only other college in Michigan at that time with a football program , Michigan played Albion on a regular basis . The two programs played 16 games between 1884 and 1905 , with Michigan winning 15 of those games . Michigan won the inaugural game by a score of 18 – 0 in a match that was limited to a single inning . Michigan ' s 18 points were scored on three goals . " The Chronicle " ( a weekly newspaper at the University of Michigan ) wrote : " The Albion team was only recently organized , but nevertheless did some good playing . They proved themselves a gentlemanly set of fellows , and expressed their satisfaction at the treatment received . " The game was played at the Ann Arbor Fairgrounds and was part of university ' s annual field day . The program for the field day included a ten - mile walk , three - mile walk , “ collar and elbow , ” standing long jump , half mile run , “ hop , step and jump , ” heavyweight boxing ( won by Higgins ) , tug - of - war , Indian club swinging ( won by W . J . Olcott ) , hammer throw , " catch - as - catch - can wrestling , " " passing rugby ball " ( won by Thomas H . McNeil with a distance of 116 feet ) , drop - kick , 100 yard dash , sprint exhibition by Michigan ' s national collegiate sprint champion Fred N . Bonine , baseball throwing , “ chasing greased pig , ” obstruction race , lawn tennis , and the rugby game at 4 : 15 pm The " Detroit Free Press " wrote that " [ t ] he game of Rugby between the University and Albion College [ was ] for the championship of Michigan . " The " Free Press " wrote that growing interest in the new game was creating a market for weights in Ann Arbor stores : " As a result of the field - day Rugby games a new invasion of villainous looking Indians clubs and weighty dumb bells occupies a conspicuous place in nearly all the stores resorted to by students . It is no uncommon thing to see a sprig of youth walk calmly into a store and come out again in a few minutes lugging a pair of dumb bells having enough iron to last a foundry a week ; and he never fails to take his way homeward through the principal streets . " The Michigan team that played in the Albion game consisted of Prettyman , Brock , Wilson , Killilea , Goss , Dorn and Duff as " rushers " ; McNeil as quarterback ; Olcott and Jaycock as halfbacks ; and Duffy as goal - keeper . Frank G . Higgins was reportedly " severely injured " in the game . " The Chronicle " reported a week later that Higgins " has been unable to attend lectures and can barely get out of his room by the aid of a crutch . " Chicago . On November 22 , 1884 , Michigan played its second and final game of the season , an 18 – 10 victory over a Chicago city team reportedly " composed of business men . " " The Chronicle " reported that the Chicago city team was " made up almost wholly of Englishmen who learned to kick shins at the English public schools . " The game began at 2 : 15 pm and was played before 200 spectators at the Ann Arbor Fairgrounds . In the first inning of play ( the halves were referred to as " innings " ) , Goss scored a quick touchdown for Michigan , but Duffy missed the kick for goal . The game was played according to " American college rules " which put the Chicago team ( nine of whom were Englishmen ) at a disadvantage due its practice of playing under the English rugby rules . After Michigan ' s touchdown , the game was paused briefly to allow the Chicago team to receive instruction on the American rules . After the break , Chicago scored a touchdown and kicked the goal to take a 6 – 4 lead . Michigan kicked a field goal ( six points ) and scored another touchdown ( four points ) and led 14 – 6 at the end of the first inning . In the second inning , Chicago scored a quick touchdown to narrow Michigan ' s lead to 14 – 10 . Michigan scored a final touchdown in the second inning but missed the kick for goal . The " Detroit Free Press " called it a " very exciting and hotly contested game , " but the paper criticized the poor condition of the playing field : " [ I ] t is due the Chicagoans to say that they played at a disadvantage on account of the unevenness of the field , which the home team were accustomed to . " The " Chicago Daily Tribune " called it " A Fine Game of Foot - Ball . " " The Chronicle " wrote : " The game was by far the finest ever witnessed in Ann Arbor and has greatly increased the interest in Rugby . Of the home team , Killilea , Olcott , Prettyman , and McNeil ought to be noticed for their fine playing . " . " The Chronicle " also credited Duffy with " some good playing as goal - keeper " against Chicago . Michigan ' s lineup against Chicago was Goss , Dorn , Duff , Prettyman , Beach , Schemm and Killilea ( rushers ) , McNeil ( quarterback ) , Olcott and Jaycox ( halfbacks ) , and Duffy ( goal keeper ) . A Michigan player , Higgins , was the umpire for Michigan . Wild was the umpire for Chicago . Killilea was " severely hurt " in the game and was still carrying his arm in a sling two weeks later . He was replaced in the game by Charles E . Everett from the Class of 1887 . A return game had been planned against the Chicago team for Thanksgiving Day in Chicago . However , the team did not make the trip due to the weather .