The 1904 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in the 1904 Western Conference football season. In the team's fourth season under head coach Fielding H. Yost, the Wolverines compiled a perfect 10–0 record and outscored opponents 567–22. The 1904 team was the fourth of Yost's legendary "Point-a-Minute" teams. Michigan's games were of varying length from 22½ minutes to 70 minutes. Over the course of ten games, Michigan played 476 minutes of football and averaged a point scored for every 50.3 seconds played. The team included future

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inductee

Willie Heston William Martin Heston (September 9, 1878 – September 9, 1963) was an American football player and coach. He played halfback at San Jose State University and the University of Michigan. Heston was the head football coach for Drake Universit ...

, who scored 20 touchdowns for 100 points that season; touchdowns were worth five points under 1904 rules.

Schedule

Game summaries

Michigan 33, Case 0

Michigan opened the

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on October 1 with a 33–0 win over

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

's Case School of Applied Science. The game was played in 20-minute halves, and the Wolverines scored 22 points in the first half. Numerous substitutions were made at half-time, and the backup players added 11 points in the second half. Fullback

Frank Longman Frank Chandler "Shorty" Longman (December 7, 1882 – April 4, 1928) was an American college football player and coach. He was born Dec. 7, 1882 in Fulton, a small community in rural Kalamazoo County, Michigan. By 1894, the Longman family had mov ...

scored three touchdowns in the game, and

, Walter Rheinschild, and Joe Curtis scored one touchdown each. Tom Hammond converted three extra point kicks. Heston's touchdown came on a 75-yard run. Case managed only one first down in the game. The Michigan players appearing in the game were: John Garrels (left end), Joe Curtis (left tackle),

Henry Schulte Henry Frank Schulte (February 4, 1879 – October 18, 1944) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. Schulte played football at Washington University in St. Louis from 1898 to 1900 and at ...

(left guard), Ted Hammond (starting center),

Germany Schulz Adolph George "Germany" Schulz (April 19, 1883 – April 14, 1951) was an All-American American football center for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1904 to 1905 and from 1907 to 1908. While playing at Michigan, Schulz is credited wit ...

(right guard), Roy Beechler (starting right tackle and substitute at center), Smull (substitute at right tackle), Tom Hammond (starting right end), Harry Patrick (substitute at right end), Fred Norcross (starting quarterback and substitute at right halfback), Walter Becker (substitute at quarterback), Willie Heston (starting left halfback), William Dennison Clark (substitute at left halfback), Ted Stuart (starting right halfback), James DePree (substitute at right halfback), Frank Longman (starting fullback), and Walter Rheinschild (substitute at fullback).

Michigan 48, Ohio Northern 0

In the second game of the 1904 season, Michigan defeated Ohio Northern, 38–0, in a game consisting of halves of 20 and 15 minutes. Willie Heston scored three touchdowns and had runs of 45, 32, 35 and 30 yards.

Michigan 95, Kalamazoo 0

In the third game of the season, Michigan defeated

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, K ...

, 95–0, in a game consisting of two 20-minute halves. Heston scored six touchdowns and had long touchdown runs of 65, 70, 85 and 65 yards.

Michigan 72, Physicians & Surgeons 0

In the fourth game of the season, Michigan defeated the Physicians & Surgeons team 72–0 in a short mid-week game lasting only 22½ minutes, a 15-minute first half and a 7½ minute second half. Quarterback Fred Norcross scored four touchdowns, and Heston scored three. Norcross had touchdown runs of 67, 35 and 90 yards.

Michigan 31, Ohio State 6

Michigan defeated

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

, 31–6, in a game consisting of 30-minute halves in

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. Heston scored three touchdowns, bringing his season total to 16.

Michigan 72, American Medical 0

For its sixth game of the season, Michigan played a short mid-week game against the American Medical School. The game consisted of a 20-minute first half and a 3½ minute second half. Right halfback Clark led the scoring with four touchdowns. Weeks scored three touchdowns. Heston was limited to a single touchdown.

Michigan 130, West Virginia 0

The most lopsided score in Michigan football history. In a game consisting of 25 and 20-minute halves, the Wolverines scored 22 touchdowns and 20 extra points (which would have resulted in a margin of 152-0 under modern scoring rules). Joe Curtis alone accounted for 49 points with six touchdowns and 19 extra points. The undefeated 1904 team won Michigan's fourth national championship and scored 567 points in 476 minutes of football, averaging a point every 50.3 seconds. For the first time in the 1904 season, Heston did not score.

Michigan 28, Wisconsin 0

Michigan played its first full-length game (two 35-minute halves) of the season against

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Michigan won the game, 28–0. Heston and Carter each scored two touchdowns, and Norcross added another.

Michigan 36, Drake 4

In its ninth game, Michigan defeated the team from

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

by a score of 36–4. The game was played in two 25-minute halves. Curtis led the scoring with 16 points on two touchdowns and six extra point kicks. Willie Heston did not play in the game.

Michigan 22, Chicago 12

Michigan concluded an undefeated season with a 22–12 win over the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

on November 12. The game, played in 35-minute halves, featured several

inductees, including Walter Eckersall and

Hugo Bezdek Hugo Francis Bezdek (April 1, 1884 – September 19, 1952) was a Czech American athlete who played American football and was a coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He was the head football coach at the University of Oregon (1906, 1913–1 ...

for Chicago and Willie Heston and Germany Schulz for Michigan. Heston, Eckersall and Bezdek each scored single touchdowns, but the lead scorer was Michigan's Tom Hammond with 17 points on three touchdowns and two extra points. Heston finished the season with 20 touchdowns for 100 points.

Players

Varsity letter winners

The following 13 players received varsity "M" letters for their participation on the 1904 football team:

Scoring leaders

Reserves

*Charles W. Anderson,

Albion, Michigan Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,700 at the 2020 census. Albion is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area. The earliest ...

*Harry S. Bartlett, Detroit, Michigan *Walter Cooley Becker, Chicago, Illinois *Roy Beechler,

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- started 1 game at right tackle * James DePree,

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa and Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the West Michigan, western region of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula, the city is si ...

*Robert M. Drysdale,

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at the ...

*George Palmer Edmonds, Wayne, Michigan * John Garrels, left end, Detroit, Michigan - started 6 games at left end *Edward P. "Ted" Hammond, Detroit, Michigan - started 2 games at center *John F. Lewis,

Covington, Indiana Covington is a city in, and the county seat of, Fountain County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,645 at the 2010 census. History Fountain County was formed on April 1, 1826. Later that year, the county seat was established at Covin ...

* Jay Mack Love,

Arkansas City, Kansas Arkansas City () is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States, situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of the county. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,974. Pronunc ...

* Paul Magoffin,

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- started 3 games at right halfback *William Joseph Miller,

Escanaba, Michigan Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city and the county seat of Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,450 at the 2020 census, making it the ...

*Harry E. Patrick, Detroit, Michigan - started 1 game at left halfback *Duncan H. Pierce,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

* Walter Rheinschild,

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*Mason Rumney, Detroit, Michigan *Reuben S. Schmidt, Los Angeles, California *Charles Smoyer,

Wadsworth, Ohio Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. Founded on March 1, 1814, the city was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War hero and War of 1812 officer who owned the largest share of the ...

*Edward G. Weeks, Allegan, Michigan *Harry A. Workman, Chicago, Illinois

Others

*Charles A. Briggs, Red Oak, Iowa *William Cole,

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*Roswell Murray Wendell, Detroit, Michigan

Awards and honors

* Captain:

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

(as selected by

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American college football player and coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage a ...

, ''New York Evening Telegram'', and

Fred Lowenthal Fred Lowenthal (November 22, 1878 – October 4, 1931) was an American college football player, coach, sportswriter, and attorney. He served as head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illino ...

); Joe Curtis (as selected by Fred Lowenthal) * All-Western:

('' Chicago Record-Herald'', ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'', ''

Detroit Tribune The ''Detroit Tribune'' was a newspaper in Detroit. It started as the ''Daily Tribune'' in 1849 and used the name until 1862, the same year the ''Tribune'' joined with the (Detroit) ''Daily Advertiser'' which then absorbed other papers, becomin ...

''), Tom Hammond (''Chicago Record-Herald'', ''Chicago Tribune'', ''Detroit Free Press''),

(''Chicago Record-Herald'', ''Detroit Free Press'', ''Detroit Tribune''), Joe Curtis (''Chicago Record-Herald'', ''Chicago Tribune'', ''Detroit Tribune''), Carter (''Detroit Tribune'')

Coaching staff

* Head coach: Fielding H. Yost * Assistant coach: William C. "King" Cole * Trainer:

Keene Fitzpatrick Dennis Keene Fitzpatrick (December 25, 1864 – May 22, 1944) was an American track and field, track coach, athletic trainer, professor of physical training and gymnasium director for 42 years at Yale University (1890–1891, 1896–1898), the ...

* Graduate director of athletics: Charles A. Baird * Manager: A.H. MontgomeryAlbert Horr Montgomery, born September 8, 1882, in Chicago. Graduate of University of Michigan, 1905, AB. Rush Medical College, Chicago, 1907. Professor of surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Clinical Professor of Surgery at Rushc Medical College. Co-founder of the American Board of Surgery. Retired in 1946 as Chief of Surgical Department at Children's Memorial Hospital. Died January 31, 1948. Se
obituary

References

External links

* ttps://books.google.com/books?id=hIQqAAAAYAAJ Michigan Alumnus, 1904–1905- includes accounts of each game
1905 Michiganensian
- University of Michigan yearbook for the 1904–1905 academic year {{Big Ten Conference football champions

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Michigan Wolverines football seasons College football national champions Big Ten Conference football champion seasons College football undefeated seasons

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...