Back to the Michigan Wolverines Newsfeed

Going Indoors (1896) | This Week in Michigan Football History

These days there’s no question about the identity of Michigan’s biggest rival—that’s that team from Ohio —but back in the late 1800s and well into the Fielding Yost era, public enemy number one was Chicago and Coach Stagg.

While today we play the Buckeyes after the Thanksgiving holiday each season, did you know that Michigan actually used to play ON Thanksgiving day?

Indeed and On this day exactly 120 years ago, Michigan and Chicago squared off on Thanksgiving Thursday in Chicago and they did this a few times starting in the 1890s.

This week take a trip waaay back to 1896, as the Wolverines led by coach William Ward headed to the Windy City to face Amos Alonzo Stagg and his Chicago Maroons.