The Michigan Wolverines football team, representing the University of Michigan, boasts the most all-time wins in college football history. Known for its iconic winged helmet and high attendance at Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines are defined by intense rivalries. The most prominent is "The Game," their annual season-ending clash against Ohio State, a matchup considered one of sports' greatest rivalries.
Michigan football is predicted to land an elite quarterback in the 2027 class. Experts are anticipating that Michigan will secure a top prospect. This prediction highlights the program's recruiting efforts and future potential.
After the 1900 season, Charles A. Baird offered Fielding H. Yost the position of head coach at Michigan.
From 1900, Michigan was led by a series of nine head coaches who were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
At the end of the 1901 season, Michigan participated in the inaugural Rose Bowl.
In 1901, Fielding H. Yost became Michigan's head coach and guided his "Point-a-Minute" squads to a streak of 56 games without a defeat.
In 1926, Michigan was retroactively awarded national titles for the 1901 season via the Houlgate System.
In 1902, Michigan won the Rose Bowl, the first college football bowl game ever played.
In 1926, Michigan was retroactively awarded national titles for the 1902 season via the Houlgate System.
Other major selectors (such as the National Championship Foundation and Jeff Sagarin) later retroactively awarded Michigan with titles in the 1903 season.
Other major selectors (such as the National Championship Foundation and Jeff Sagarin) later retroactively awarded Michigan with titles in the 1904 season.
In 1906, Michigan tied for another Big 9 title before opting to go independent for the 1907 season.
In 1908, Michigan got battered by Penn, during which Germany Schulz was severely injured.
In 1909, Michigan suffered its first loss to Notre Dame, leading Yost to refuse to schedule another game against Notre Dame.
In 1916, Michigan rejoined the Big Ten Conference after a period of absence.
Overall from 1907 to 1916, Michigan lost at least one game every year (with the exception of 1910).
In 1917, Michigan rejoined the Big 9, after which it was called the Big Ten.
Since 1921, Yost held the athletic director post.
In 1924, the Wolverines' 20-game unbeaten streak ended at the hands of Red Grange.
In 1925, the Benny-to-Bennie combination of Benny Friedman and Bennie Oosterbaan contributed to Michigan's memorable season.
In 1926, Michigan was retroactively awarded national titles for the 1901 and 1902 seasons via the Houlgate System.
In 1926, Yost stepped aside to focus on being Michigan's athletic director, a post he had held since 1921, thus ending the greatest period of success in the history of Michigan football.
Michigan began playing football games in Michigan Stadium in the fall of 1927. Tad Wieman became Michigan's head coach in 1927. That year, Michigan posted a modest 6–2 record.
In 1928, the team ended with a losing 3–4–1 record and coach Tad Wieman was fired.
In 1929, Harry Kipke, a former player under Yost, took over as head coach.
In 1932, Kipke returned Michigan to prominence. In 1932, Harry Newman was a unanimous first-team All-American, and the recipient of the Douglas Fairbanks Trophy as Outstanding College Player of the Year (predecessor of the Heisman Trophy), and the Helms Athletic Foundation Player of the Year Award, the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference.
Until 1933, Kipke returned Michigan to prominence. In 1932 and 1933, Michigan won the national championship.
In 1934, Gerald Ford was voted most valuable player by his teammates on the team.
In 1934, the Michigan team only won one game, against Georgia Tech in a controversial contest due to the refusal to allow Willis Ward, an African-American player for Michigan, to step on the field.
From 1934 to 1937, Kipke's teams compiled a 12–22 record.
In 1938, Fritz Crisler brought his winged helmet from Princeton University to Michigan.
In 1938, Michigan debuted the winged football helmet in a game against Michigan State. This helmet has become one of the iconic marks of Michigan football.
In 1938, Michigan hired Fritz Crisler as Kipke's successor. Crisler demanded the position of athletic director when Yost stepped down and the highest salary in college football.
Starting in 1938, Michigan improved, posting a 48–11–2 record from 1938 to 1944.
In 1940, Tom Harmon led the Wolverines to a 7–1 record and won the Heisman Trophy. Harmon ended the season with three rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, four extra points, intercepting three passes, and punting three times for an average of 50 yards in a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
In 1941, the NCAA changed the rule that allowed players to enter or leave at any point during the game. Crisler took advantage of this rule in 1945.
In 1942, Michigan and Notre Dame played again after Yost refused to schedule another game since 1909.
In 1943, Michigan faced Notre Dame in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 match-up, a game the Wolverines lost 35–12. Michigan ended the 1943 season at 8–1, winning Crisler's first Big Ten championship.
In 1945, Crisler introduced two-platoon football in a game against Army, dividing his team into "offensive" and "defensive" specialists due to NCAA rules from 1941. Though Michigan lost to Army 28-7, this strategy shaped the future of the game and earned him the nickname "the father of two-platoon football."
In 1947, Crisler's use of the platoon system propelled his team to a conference championship and a national title. The 1947 Michigan team, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians" due to their use of two-platoon football, capped their season with a victory in the 1948 Rose Bowl.
In 1947, Fritz Crisler led the Wolverines to a national title and Michigan's second Rose Bowl win.
This marked the first time since 1947 and 1948 that Michigan finished consecutive seasons ranked in the top three.
In 1948, Bennie Oosterbaan took over the football program, and the Wolverines finished the season undefeated at 9–0, winning another national championship.
In 1948, Michigan claimed a national championship from the major wire-service: the AP Trophy and/or Coaches' Trophy.
In 1948, the "Mad Magicians" capped their 1947 season with a 49–0 victory over the USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl.
This marked the first time since 1947 and 1948 that Michigan finished consecutive seasons ranked in the top three.
From 1951 to 1958, Michigan compiled a record of 42–26–2, a decline from the success under Crisler and Yost.
In 1951, Bennie Oosterbaan was selected for the All-Time All-American team.
After facing mounting pressure, Oosterbaan stepped down after the 1958 season.
In 1959, Bump Elliott stepped in place of Oosterbaan as head coach.
In 2008, the team finished at 3-9 suffering its first losing campaign since 1967
In 1969, Michigan, coached by Bo Schembechler, shocked the Buckeyes, winning 24–12 against an Ohio State team that was favored by 17 points and considered one of the greatest college football teams ever assembled. This victory launched The Ten Year War between Hayes and Schembechler and sent Michigan to the Rose Bowl.
In 1970, Schembechler's team lost to Ohio State 20–9, finishing the season at 9–1.
In 1971, Schembechler led Michigan to an undefeated regular season, only to lose to the Stanford Indians in the Rose Bowl, finishing at 11–1.
In 2008, the team missed a bowl game invitation for the first time since 1974.
During the 1975 season, Michigan began its record streak of games with more than 100,000 people in attendance during a game against the Purdue Boilermakers.
On December 2, 2014, Hoke was fired as the head coach after four seasons following a 5–7 record in 2014. This marked only the third season since 1975 in which Michigan missed a bowl game.
The 1979 season included a memorable game against Indiana that ended with a touchdown pass from John Wangler to Anthony Carter with six seconds left in the game. Michigan went 8–4 on the season, losing to North Carolina in the 1979 Gator Bowl.
In 1980, Michigan went 10–2 and achieved their first Rose Bowl win under Schembechler with a 23–6 victory over Washington.
Lloyd Carr, was an assistant at Michigan since 1980, as interim head coach for the 1995 season.
In 1981, Michigan went 9-3 to get Schembechler's second bowl win in the 1981 Bluebonnet Bowl.
From 1982, Jim Harbaugh played quarterback for Michigan under Schembechler.
In 1982, Michigan won the Big Ten championship, led by three-time All-American wide receiver Anthony Carter.
In 1983, Michigan fell to UCLA Bruins in the 1983 Rose Bowl and did not win the Big Ten title, going 9-3.
In 1984, the Wolverines experienced their worst season under Schembechler, going 6–6 with a loss to national champion BYU in the 1984 Holiday Bowl.
In 1985, Michigan began to reverse its fortunes with new quarterback Jim Harbaugh, achieving a 5–0 record and a No. 2 ranking before losing to No. 1 Iowa. Michigan finished the 1985 season at 10–1–1 with a victory over Nebraska in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl.
Until 1986, Jim Harbaugh played quarterback for Michigan under Schembechler.
After Harbaugh's departure in 1986, Michigan stumbled to an 8–4 record in 1987.
In 1988, Michigan bounced back, winning the Big Ten title outright at 9–2–1 with a trip to Rose Bowl.
In 1989, Michigan won the Big Ten title outright at 10–2 with a trip to Rose Bowl.
Until 1989, Michigan was led by a series of nine head coaches who were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 1991, Desmond Howard had a memorable season that propelled him to win the Heisman Trophy.
In 1992, the team, led by quarterback Elvis Grbac, posted a 9–0–3 record and defeated Washington in the 1993 Rose Bowl.
Brady Hoke served as an assistant coach at Michigan under Lloyd Carr from 1995 to 2002.
Michigan's athletic director appointed Lloyd Carr as interim head coach for the 1995 season. After an 8–2 start, Michigan dropped the interim tag from Carr's title and named him its 17th head coach. Michigan finished his first season at 9–4.
In 1997, Carr returned a strong squad, led by Charles Woodson. Michigan went undefeated, and the defense only allowed 9.5 points per game. Michigan ended the season ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, giving Michigan its first national championship since 1948.
In 1997, Charles Woodson won the Heisman Trophy.
In 1997, Lloyd Carr won a national championship as head coach of Michigan.
In 2000, Drew Henson led Michigan to a 9–3 record and a tie for the Big Ten championship. Ohio State fired coach John Cooper and replaced him with Jim Tressel.
In 2001, Jim Tressel immediately ushered in a new era in the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, upsetting the Wolverines 26–20. Earlier that season, Michigan State defeated Michigan with a pass in the last second, leading to the game being referred to as "Clockgate." Michigan's 2001 squad went 8–4 with an appearance in the 2002 Florida Citrus Bowl.
Brady Hoke served as an assistant coach at Michigan under Lloyd Carr from 1995 to 2002.
In 2003, Carr got over the hump against Tressel as John Navarre and Doak Walker Award winner Chris Perry led the Wolverines to a 10–3 record, a Big Ten championship, and an appearance in the 2004 Rose Bowl.
In the Big Ten Championship Game against Big Ten West champions Iowa, the No. 2 ranked Wolverines dominated the Hawkeyes 42–3 to win their first outright Big Ten Championship since 2003.
In 2004, John Navarre and Doak Walker Award winner Chris Perry led the Wolverines to an appearance in the 2004 Rose Bowl.
In 2006, Michigan started the season strong, achieving an 11-0 record and rising to No. 2 in the rankings. The highly anticipated game against No. 1 Ohio State, dubbed the "Game of the Century," resulted in a 42-39 loss for Michigan. Prior to the game, Bo Schembechler passed away and was honored by Ohio State.
In 2007, Michigan lost to USC in the Rose Bowl, ending the season with an 11-2 record.
In 2007, despite high expectations, Michigan lost its opening game to Appalachian State, marking the first win by a Division I-AA team over a ranked team. They also lost to Ohio State, and head coach Lloyd Carr announced his retirement.
In Hoke's first season, the Wolverines received an invitation to the Sugar Bowl in which they defeated Virginia Tech, 23–20, in overtime. This was the program's first bowl win since the season of 2007.
In 2008, Michigan, in Lloyd Carr's final game as head coach, defeated the defending national champion Florida Gators 41-35 in the Capital One Bowl.
In 2008, Rich Rodriguez took over as head coach, implementing the spread offense. The team faced significant roster attrition and finished the season with a disappointing 3-9 record, missing a bowl game for the first time since 1974.
In 2009, the Detroit Free Press accused the team of violating NCAA practice time limits. The season ended with a 1-7 record in the last eight games and missing a bowl for the second straight season.
On January 11, 2011, Michigan announced the hiring of Brady Hoke as the new head coach.
On December 2, 2014, Brady Hoke was fired as the head coach after four seasons.
On December 30, 2014, Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh as head coach.
On December 30, 2014, the University of Michigan announced the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as the team's 20th head coach.
In his first season in 2015, Jim Harbaugh led Michigan to a 10-3 record.
In 2016, the Wolverines won their first nine games before losing to Iowa and Ohio State. The season concluded with a loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Jabrill Peppers finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
In his first season in 2015, Harbaugh led Michigan to a 10–3 record, including a 41–7 win over the Florida Gators in the 2016 Citrus Bowl.
In 2017, after losing many key players, the Wolverines finished the regular season 8-4. They lost to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, ending the year 8-5.
In 2017, becoming the only team in the Big Ten Conference to lose its bowl game in the 2017–2018 bowl season, finishing the year 8–5.
In 2018, Sherrone Moore joined Jim Harbaugh's coaching staff.
In 2020, the season was delayed due to COVID-19. Michigan had a challenging season, including a loss to Indiana for the first time since 1987 and being winless at home. The final three games were canceled due to COVID-19. Michigan did not play in a postseason bowl game for the first time under Harbaugh.
On January 8, 2021, Jim Harbaugh agreed to a contract extension with Michigan through 2025 with a pay-cut.
From 2021 to 2023, Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to three consecutive Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances.
In 2021, Michigan won their first outright Big Ten Championship since 2003 and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff, where they lost to Georgia in the Orange Bowl. Aidan Hutchinson finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up.
In 2022, Michigan had a perfect regular season, won their second straight Big Ten Championship, and reached the College Football Playoff. They lost to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. The team set a school record for most wins in a single season (13).
In 2023, Michigan claimed a national championship from the major wire-service: the AP Trophy and/or Coaches' Trophy.
On January 26, 2024, Sherrone Moore was promoted to head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.
On January 8, 2021, the Michigan administration and Jim Harbaugh agreed to a contract extension with a pay-cut through 2025.
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