James B . Craig James B . " Jimmy " Craig ( March 1893 - – January 1990 ) was an All American football halfback and quarterback who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1911 to 1913 . He was named an All - American in 1913 . He also served as the athletic director and head football coach at the University of Arkansas from 1919 to 1920 . Early years . Craig was born in March 1893 in Detroit , Michigan . He was the son of William Craig , born in 1856 , and Alice Craig , born in 1867 . At the time of the 1900 U . S . Census , the Craig family was living at 136 Charlotte Avenue in Detroit . The family at that time consisted of William , identified as a capitalist , Alice , and sons Ralph ( born 1889 ) , James ( born 1893 ) , and William ( born 1896 ) . The Craig brothers : track champions . Before Craig ever played a down for the Wolverines , he established himself as one of the top hurdlers in the country . In a meet against Cornell in March 1911 , Craig broke the world indoor record running the high hurdles in 5 1 – 5 seconds . And in 1912 , Craig won the low hurdles competition in the 1912 Eastern Inter - Collegiate Athletic Association . Craig ' s older brother , Ralph Craig , was also a track star at the University of Michigan who went on to win the gold medals in the 100 and 200 - meter events at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm , Sweden . College football at Michigan . The 1911 season . Craig debuted with the Michigan Wolverines football team in 1911 , playing games at both quarterback and halfback . In October 1911 , Coach Fielding H . Yost worked with Craig as a quarterback . Yost reported in early October that he was attaining considerable success with Craig , but he was " far from being a finished performer . " Yost noted that Craig was diligent and he " runs the team fast and uses his brains in directing plays . " The Wolverines finished the 1911 season with a 5 – 1 – 2 record . They started the season with convincing wins against and Case Institute of Technology , 24 – 0 , Michigan Agricultural College , and Ohio State , 19 – 0 , and narrowly beat Vanderbilt , 9 – 8 . After starting the season 4 – 0 , the Wolverines went 1 – 1 – 2 in their final four games , including a loss to Cornell and ties with Syracuse and Nebraska . In the Syracuse game , Craig suffered an injury to his ribs ( believed to be torn cartilage ) after being " fiercely tackled " and was expected to be unable to play " for an indefinite period . " Despite the rib injury , Craig came back to lead the Wolverines to an 11 – 9 win over Pennsylvania two weeks later . News accounts at the time reported that the " craftiness of Coach Yost and the speed of ' Jimmy ' Craig " led Michigan to the win in an icy blizzard at Ferry Field . Late in the game , Craig scored the winning touchdown on a " double pass . " In one of Yost ' s " trick plays , " Michigan ' s " interference started to the right , " and the ball was then shot to Craig , waiting far to the left . Craig dodged two tacklers , and sprinted for a touchdown . The New York Times and referred to Craig as " Michigan " s offensive and defensive hero " in a " clean , snappy , spectacular , thrilling " game . The 1912 season . In 1912 , the Wolverines again got off to a 3 – 0 start with convincing wins over Case ( 34 – 0 ) , Michigan Agricultural College ( 55 – 7 ) , and Ohio State ( 14 – 0 ) . After the first three games , the " Syracuse Herald " noted that " according to all the reports from Ann Arbor , ( Craig ) is tearing up the opposing lines with ease . " After the strong start , Michigan lost two of three games to Syracuse ( 18 – 7 ) and Pennsylvania ( 27 – 21 ) . In the final game of the season , Michigan beat Cornell , 13 – 7 , with the help of " speed merchant " Jimmy Craig . At the end of the season , Craig won numerous accolades for his strong performance : Craig ' s " holdout stunt " in 1913 . In the summer of 1913 , Craig shocked the football world when he announced that he would not play football in 1913 . There were varying accounts in the press as to the reason for his decision . In initial comments , Craig said he needed to drop athletics or fall behind in his university courses . A second reason given for the decision was a bad knee . A third reason discussed in the press was that Craig decided not to play because he was not selected as captain of the 1913 team . " Craig has never admitted that that was the reason he was out but it is the general accepted belief here that it was so . Craig said he was staying out until the Syracuse game due to a bad knee and too much work in the university . " Whatever the reason , Craig ' s decision was the subject of extensive attention . A wire service report in August 1913 suggested that as long as Craig stuck to his decision to give up football , every conversation would turn to his " holdout stunt . " The report also noted : " If the . . . football star really needs the time he might devote to football for his studies it is a pity . He will hardly gain all the time he hopes by quitting , for much of it will be taken up by the persistence of the well - wishers of the football team . And , moreover , in the end he is almost certain to give way . " The pressure on Craig intensified when Michigan lost to Michigan Agricultural College for the first time in the school ' s history . After a 55 – 7 drubbing in 1912 , the Aggies beat Michigan , 12 – 7 , in 1913 . Less than a week after the loss , Craig announced he would return . " The New York Times " reported : " There was joy in the Michigan football camp this afternoon when Jimmy Craig , star halfback on the 1911 and 1912 Michigan football eleven , appeared in uniform and joined his teammates in practice . . . Michigan ' s defeat by M . A . C . last Saturday and urgent pleading by the entire student body , however , induced him to re - enter the game to - day . " Craig ' s All - American performance in 1913 . Craig ' s first game back in the lineup was a 43 – 8 win against Syracuse . Craig scored a touchdown soon after the game started and added three more in the second period . " Jimmy Craig , playing his first game of the season , was the mighty power behind Michigan ’ s offense . Time after time , for two periods , he dashed around the ends or battered between the tackles . " " The New York Times " and " The Washington Post " referred to Michigan as " a savage offense , the product of a desperate eleven , " and noted that the Syracuse line " melted against a whirlwind attack . " In the final two games , Craig and the Wolverines had convincing wins against Cornell ( 17 – 0 ) and Pennsylvania ( 13 – 0 ) to finish the year 6 – 1 . Yost referred to the 1913 football team as " the best I ever coached . " At a " smoker " in the team ' s honor , Coach Yost presented Craig with the prized Heston - Schulz Cup given to the team ' s most valuable player as selected by Yost , Germany Schulz , and the team trainer . Craig was also chosen by Walter Camp as an All - American in 1913 . While Harvard ' s Charles Brickley was chosen for other All - American teams , Yost publicly proclaimed Craig as the best all around back in the country . Yost said : " Craig hits his man as hard as any player in the country and is one of the surest tacklers I have ever seen . When he hits a runner around the knees he throws him with such a jar that it usually takes all the spice out of him for the rest of the afternoon . Craig , although he weighs but 160 pounds , is also a better blocker than Brickley . In intercepting forward passes I have never seen his equal , and what he can do in shooting through quick openings in the line and circling ends need not be dwelt upon . As far as scoring points goes , Brickley ' s toe makes him more valuable , but otherwise I wouldn ' t trade Craig for Brickley or any other back in the country . Craig played wonderful football this year and was far better than last season or 1911 . " In 1929 , former Michigan head coach and then University of Wisconsin – Madison athletic director , George Little spoke of Craig as an example of a team player . Little told how , at the end of the 1913 football season , after Craig had been named by Walter Camp as an All - American , Craig went to the room of one of his teammates and thanked this player for helping him make the All - American team . Craig said : " I couldn ’ t have carried the ball if you hadn ’ t done the blocking . " Little said Craig " had ability , was clean in body , possessed an appreciation of the work of others and was not cocky . When you find one man with all these qualities , you may be sure he has everything necessary for success . " Even 20 years after his graduation , Craig was " often mentioned as the last great running back at Ann Arbor . " Later life . Though not on the varsity football coaching staff , Craig was a coach at Michigan in 1914 , and in 1915 he coached at Mercersburg Academy an independent , boarding school in Pennsylvania . Yacht racing . In 1916 , Craig was appointed fleet captain of the Detroit Boat Club . Craig was described as an " ardent skipper " who won several races in the " catboat " class . Service in World War I . In March 1917 , Craig was hired to succeed T . T . McConnell as the athletic director of the University of Arkansas . However , on account of Craig ’ s desire to go into the Army during World War I , the University released him from the contract . Craig served for two years as a first lieutenant in the 315th F . A . , 80th Division , of the American Expeditionary Force , including 13 months of service in Europe . Around Thanksgiving in 1917 , seven games were played between inter - service , inter - camp and Western Conference teams . The proceeds were donated to soldier funds . Craig played for the Fort Sheridan team that also included former Michigan stars Albert Benbrook and Ernest Allmendinger . The Fort Sheridan team played the Great Lakes team on Thanksgiving Day on Stagg Field in Chicago . University of Arkansas athletic director . Craig returned from France in August 1919 and was promptly re - hired by the University of Arkansas as director of athletics and coach of the football and baseball teams . The football team was 3 – 4 in Craig ' s first season as head coach – the first losing season since 1914 . Craig served only one year at Arkansas , announcing his resignation in March 1920 , effective at the end of the college year . Later years . At the time of the 1930 Census , James B . Craig and his wife Ruth J . Craig were living in Scio Township , Michigan , west of Ann Arbor . The couple had two children , John ( age 9 ) and Mary ( age 7 ) . Craig listed his occupation as farmer .