1879 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1879 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1879 college football season . The team was the first intercollegiate football squad to represent the University of Michigan . They played two games , winning one and tying the other . In its first intercollegiate football game , Michigan defeated a team from Racine College . Irving Kane Pond scored the first touchdown , and team captain David DeTar scored the first point and the first field goal . Schedule . Season summary . Pre - season . The 1879 football season began with a challenge from Racine College in the fall of 1878 . " The Chronicle " ( a weekly newspaper at the University of Michigan ) published the following letter dated September 30 , 1878 , from C . L . Cleveland of Racine College , addressed to the secretary of Michigan ' s Foot - ball Association : " Dear Sir , – We have organized a foot - ball eleven of members of our college , one of the objects of which is to create an interest for athletic sports in our western colleges . We , knowing that you having [ sic ] a foot - ball team , are exceedingly desirous of playing you this fall . The best offer we can make is this : Chicago seems to be the most convenient place . We will see that the White Stocking grounds are procured , tend to all the advertising , and give you " two - thirds " of the ' gate money . ' We play according to modified Rugby rules , which we will be able to send you , in printed form in about a week . Trusting that you will present this before your association , and accept our invitation – in the meantime awaiting your prompt reply – I am respectfully yours , C . L . Cleveland , Sec . " On October 21 , 1878 , Michigan ' s Foot - ball Association met to consider the challenge from Racine . The association voted to accept the challenge on condition that the game be played in the spring . The Association explained : " Inasmuch as the University possesses no eleven , and as the lateness of the season prohibits the training of one , a game this fall is out of the question . " On October 26th , " The Chronicle " expressed skepticism , noting that past plans for an inter - collegiate game had been thwarted : " Our University is then , at length to engage in an athletic contest outside its own precincts . . . . Yet we have so often intended to put similar plans into execution , which have so invariably been frustrated through some unforeseen obstacle , that we are still in doubt as to the issue . " The paper also emphasized the importance of winning : " [ O ] ne very important point must not be overlooked . It is essential that we win the first game . . . . Defeat would put an end to all our fond expectations , while success alone can make them possible . " On April 5 , 1879 , " The Chronicle " expressed concern over the lack of work in preparing the team for its game against Racine : “ The time for the long - expected and much - talked of foot - ball match with Racine is rapidly approaching and as yet little or no work has been done by our teams to prepare for it . We learn from the Racine paper that . . . the men have been at work in the gymnasium all winter . Of course , we , not having the advantage which a gymnasium affords , could not work in the winter , but now that the snow has gone , it is high time that our teams were hard at work every day . But they are not . Indeed they seem to be distinguished only by their laziness and lack of enthusiasm . ” On May 3 , 1879 , " The Chronicle " wrote that the Athletic Association had appointed committees to select the players for the university football team , to select uniforms for the team , and " to obtain subscriptions to meet the expense of sending the team to Chicago . " On May 17 , 1879 , " The Chronicle " devoted its front page to coverage of the upcoming football game in Chicago . The paper reported that a team of 22 players had been selected and had decided to practice " after supper , when the campus would be free , and it would not interfere with study . " The paper continued to express concerns about the lack of rigor in the team ' s practice : " [ T ] hey have not all been on the ground at the same time since they were selected , the least sprinkle of rain , a little stiffness of the joints , a slight lack of energy , anything in short that could be twisted into an excuse seemed to be enough to keep them off the grounds . Now this will not do if the boys expect to win , if they expect even to make a respectable showing they must practice every possible moment , must put off everything else , study , amusement , girls , everything , and be promptly on hand for the nightly game . … [ T ] hey must work hard and faithfully else they will disgrace our University and make it anything but an honor to have been a member of the team of 1878 – 9 . " On the Wednesday evening before the Racine game , the team appeared on campus in their new uniforms : “ They presented quite a neat appearance . The uniform is of white canvas , close fitting , with blue stockings and belt . ” The team left for Chicago on “ the day express ” on the Thursday before the game . In his history of the Class of 1879 , team member Irving Kane Pond recalled the events leading up to the Racine game as follows : " During the first semester of the year a slight ripple was caused in athletic circles by the receipt of a challenge from the Racine college eleven , to our , then not existing , University eleven . The Rugby game , then unknown to us , was to be played . The challenge was accepted , but no interest seemed to be taken in the game until late in the spring of the year , when elevens practiced evenings on the campus . " vs . Racine . The first intercollegiate football game in Michigan history was played against the " Purple Stockings " from Racine College on May 30 , 1879 , at the Chicago White Stockings ' grounds in Lakefront Park ( now part of Grant Park ) . The Michigan team stayed at the Clifton House and was taken to the playing field by bus at 3 : 15 p . m . The game was played in front of a crowd of 500 spectators , amid heat described as " oppressive , " and began at 4 : 15 p . m . The " Chicago Daily Tribune " called it " the first rugby - football game to be played west of the Alleghenies . " " The Chronicle " ( a weekly newspaper at the University of Michigan ) called it " the finest game of Rugby foot - ball every played this side of the Alleghenies . " The game was played in two innings of 45 minutes . ( The periods of play were referred to as " innings " in 1879 . ) Irving Kane Pond ( who later became a architect ) scored the first touchdown in Michigan football history midway through the first inning . According to Will Perry ' s history of Michigan football , the crowd responded to Pond ' s plays with cheers of " Pond Forever . " No points were scored for a touchdown , with a point being scored from touchdown only if the kick for goal after the touchdown succeeded . After Pond ' s touchdown , Michigan ' s team captain , David DeTarr , attempted the kick for goal . The Michigan players and umpire opined that the kick was good , but the referee ruled it had missed . The first inning ended at 4 : 55 p . m . with no points having been scored . Play was resumed after a ten minute rest period . In the second inning , Michigan scored the only point of the game on a place - kick by DeTarr after a catch by John Chase . " The Chronicle " wrote that the teams " fought like dogs of war " in the second inning , with the play of Chase leading to the yell of " Chase is there " repeated " at least twenty times . " In its account of the game , the " Racine Advocate " wrote that the Purple Stockings " had the worst of it , the ball constantly near their goal . " The " Chicago Daily Tribune " also described the game as one - sided in Michigan ' s favor : " From first to last the Racine boys were on the defensive . " The Racine newspaper credited Michigan ' s passing and teamwork as the difference in the game : " Perfect harmony characterized the Michigan boys ' playing , when one of them caught the ball he instantly passed it to a colleague nearer the enemy ' s goal and they were only discomfited when they practiced Racine ' s attempt to run the with the ball dodging others . " The " Chicago Daily Tribune " concluded its game coverage with an injury report : " No bones were broken , but [ Racine ' s ] Torbert was stretched out on the turf . A bucket of water however revived him . " During the game , telegrams were sent from Chicago to Ann Arbor with updates on the game . A boy was hired to deliver the updates by " velocipede " from the telegraph office to the campus . The updates were then posted on a blackboard near the medical building , where a number of students gathered . When the final update was posted ( " 6 : 28 p . m . : Game finished , won by Michigan , – one goal – kicked by DeTarr " ) , the gathering of students " manifested their feelings in the usual student manner . " Michigan ' s lineup against Racine consisted of David DeTarr , John Chase , Irving Kane Pond , Jack A . Green , William W . Hannan , Frank F . Reed , Richard Guy DePuy , and Thomas R . Edwards ( rushers ) , Charles H . Campbell , and Edmond H . Barmore ( halfbacks ) and Charles S . Mitchell ( goal - keeper ) . The referee was Mr . Van Dyke of Milwaukee , a former Princeton football player . After the game , the team attended an alumni banquet at the Palmer House . vs . Toronto . Michigan ' s second intercollegiate football game was played in Detroit against the University of Toronto on November 1 , 1879 . A large number of students arrived from Ann Arbor on the Friday before the game , and a number of Canadian " excursionists " were also in the city . Another group of 250 students arrived in Detroit on the Saturday morning train from Ann Arbor and walked to Recreation Park to watch the game . Shortly after the crowd arrived from Ann Arbor , word was received that Zachariah Chandler , the former mayor of Detroit , U . S . Senator from Michigan , Secretary of the Interior , and U . S . Presidential candidate , had died . Flags in the city were lowered to half mast , and the " Detroit Free Press " noted that an absurd report spread that the demonstration by the Michigan students " had some reference to that sad event . " The game was scheduled to start at 2 : 00 p . m . , but the players did not arrive on time . Attendance was reported at 500 – 600 persons by the " Detroit Free Press " , though University of Michigan records place the figure at 1 , 500 . Given the novelty of the game in Detroit , the " Free Press " devoted much of its coverage to educating readers on the rules and methods of play . The paper described it as football " of the scientific kind in vogue in all universities and throughout England and her provinces , and known the world over as ' Rugby . ' " The paper noted that the field was 300 feet wide and 400 feet long . At both sides stood two 12 - foot high posts about 20 feet apart . White lines were drawn in plaster to mark the boundaries of the field . A string was drawn from one post to the other eight feet from the ground , and " the point of the game was to get the ball over the string or goal . " The game was declared a draw after the teams played two hard - fought , 45 - minute innings without either team scoring . The " Free Press " called it " One of The Most Exciting Sporting Events Ever Seen at Recreation Park " and credited the efforts of both teams : " This was the result of Saturday ' s match and at its close both teams were awarded rounds of cheers . The playing on both sides was marked by perfect courtesy and the honors of the game were evenly divided . " Michigan ' s lineup against Toronto was David DeTarr ( captain ) , Frank Gates Allen , Thomas R . Edwards , William W . Hannan , Richard Guy DePuy , Collins H . Johnston , Jack A . Green , John Chase , Edmond Barmore , Frank Reed and Charles S . Mitchell . Captain Rogers of the Yale Foot Ball Club served as referee . W . Axford was the umpire for Michigan , and J . H . Campbell was the umpire for Toronto . Players . Starting lineup against Racine . The following players were the first Michigan football team that played against Racine in May 1879 :