The Michigan Wolverines have been great from the start. They had an undefeated season in 1898, ushering in what was to come over the next 125 years of college football. They won the 2023 national championship. They have more Rose Bowl appearances – 21 – than any other school except USC. They have fielded great teams over several decades of college football history. Of all of those moments, which moment is the best? That’s a tough one.
Michigan fans would likely consider the 2023 national title season their favorite moment, if only because that season featured a 15-0 record, unprecedented in UM football history. Jim Harbaugh had an “us against the world” mentality, and Michigan beat all opponents, including – fittingly – a Pac-12 opponent in the championship game, a Rose Bowl with no official name.
Michigan fans can have 2023. If you try to be dispassionate here and look at the truly greatest Michigan football moment of all time — in more than 120 years of history — it’s not an easy decision. The 1997 national title ended a 49-year national title drought. That’s a very special accomplishment that belongs on the short list of great Michigan football moments. Charles Woodson’s 1997 Heisman Trophy win made the 1997 season even greater for the Maize and Blue.
The 1948 national championship and the undefeated 1947 season that preceded it are also considered high points for Michigan. What makes this two-year winning streak special is that it came under two different coaches, Fritz Crisler and Bennie Oosterbaan. So there’s a lot to take in when looking at Michigan’s greatest moment.
But for our No. 1 Michigan moment, let’s go back to the early 1900s. Legendary coach Fielding Yost coached Michigan from 1901 to 1926, all but one season. He was and remains a giant of college football. From 1901 to 1905, his Michigan teams went 55-1-1 in 57 games. That’s crazy, no matter what era. During that time, Michigan won the very first Rose Bowl game—the first bowl game ever—against Stanford in 1902. The 49-0 loss was such a brutal thrashing that the Rose Bowl was discontinued until it was played again in 1916.
Imagine this: Michigan pulled off a win so brutal that it eliminated the Rose Bowl for 14 years. When you think about it, that’s exactly the kind of performance that should rank at the top of the list when looking at over 125 years of Michigan football history.
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