University Of Michigan Wolverines
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The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at 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 ...
. These teams compete in the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
's Division I and in the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
in all sports except women's
water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisional
Collegiate Water Polo Association The Collegiate Water Polo Association is a conference of colleges and universities in the Eastern United States that sponsor 19 men's teams and 17 women's teams that compete in varsity water polo. The winners of the conference tournaments earn ...
. Team colors are maize and blue, though these are different shades of "maize" and "blue" from those used by the university at large. The
winged helmet A winged helmet is a helmet decorated with wings, usually one on each side. Ancient depictions of the god Hermes, Mercury and of Roma depict them wearing winged helmets, and in the 19th century the winged helmet became widely used to depict t ...
is a recognized icon of Michigan Athletics. In 13 of the previous 24 years (as of the end of 2021–22), Michigan has finished in the top five of the
NACDA Directors' Cup The NACDA Directors' Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the NACDA Learfield Directors' Cup or simply as the Directors' Cup, is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to the colleges an ...
, a list compiled by the
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) is a professional non-profit organization for college and university athletic directors in the United States. NACDA boasts a membership of more than 6,100 individuals and more tha ...
that charts institutions' overall success in college sports. UM has finished in the top ten of the Directors' Cup standings in twenty-three of the award's thirty seasons (through 2024); 6th best nationally.


Sports sponsored

The University of Michigan Athletic Department sponsors teams in 14 men's and 15 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.


Baseball

The men's baseball team won national championships in
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
and
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
and has sent 138 players to the major leagues. The current coach of the Michigan Wolverines is
Erik Bakich Erik Michael Bakich (born November 27, 1977) is an American baseball coach and former left fielder, who is the current head baseball coach of the Clemson Tigers baseball, Clemson Tigers. Bakich played college baseball at San Jose City College (1 ...
, who came to the University of Michigan after the 2012 season when
Rich Maloney Richard Allen Maloney (born September 23, 1964) is an American college baseball coach, the head coach at Ball State Cardinals baseball, Ball State since the start of the 2013 NCAA Division I baseball season, 2013 season. He is the former head co ...
stepped down. Michigan has won 35 conference championships, made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances and won those 2 national titles. For 13 seasons from 1990 to 2002, Michigan won a lone Big Ten title in 1997 and made just one NCAA appearance in 1999. In 2015, Coach Bakich led the program to its first NCAA tournament berth since 2008 after needing to win the
Big Ten tournament Big Ten Tournament can refer to any Big Ten Conference sport that has a tournament or championship game: * Big Ten Football Championship Game * Big Ten men's basketball tournament * Big Ten women's basketball tournament * Big Ten baseball tournamen ...
to qualify. In 2019, the Michigan Wolverines baseball team made it to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, its first trip to the College World Series since 1984.


Basketball


Men's basketball

The men's basketball team plays its games at
Crisler Center Crisler Center (formerly known as the University Events Building and Crisler Arena) is an indoor arena located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the home arena for the University of Michigan's men's and women's basketball teams as well as its w ...
. The Wolverines have won 14 Big Ten regular season titles, as well as the inaugural
Big Ten tournament Big Ten Tournament can refer to any Big Ten Conference sport that has a tournament or championship game: * Big Ten Football Championship Game * Big Ten men's basketball tournament * Big Ten women's basketball tournament * Big Ten baseball tournamen ...
in 1998, which it later forfeited due to NCAA violations. The team has appeared in the NCAA
Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
on eight occasions (1964, 1965, 1976, 1989, 1992*, 1993*, 2013, 2018) and won the National Championship in 1989 under Steve Fisher. The program later vacated its 1992 and 1993 Final Four appearances due to NCAA violations. Other notable players who played for Michigan include
Roy Tarpley Roy James Tarpley Jr. (November 28, 1964 – January 9, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions in the National Basketball Association (NBA), earning an NBA Sixth Man of the Year Awa ...
,
Loy Vaught Loy Stephen Vaught (born February 27, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), primarily with the Los Angeles Clippers. Vaught played at East Kentwood High S ...
, Gary Grant, Terry Mills,
Glen Rice Glen Anthony Rice Sr. (born May 28, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a small forward, Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star and made 1,559 three-point field goa ...
,
Jalen Rose Jalen Anthony Rose (born January 30, 1973) is an American sports analyst and former professional basketball player. In college, he was a member of the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines, Wolverines' "Fab Five (University of Michigan), Fa ...
,
Rumeal Robinson Rumeal James Robinson (born November 13, 1966) is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player and convicted felon. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Robinson graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and went on to pl ...
,
Rickey Green Rickey Green (born August 18, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, a and point guard, led Chicago's Hirsch High School to the 1973 IHSA Class AA State ch ...
,
Phil Hubbard Philip Gregory Hubbard (born December 13, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He won a gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics and after graduating from the University of Michigan, played for the Detroit Pistons ...
,
Jamal Crawford Aaron Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000 to 2020. Nicknamed "J-Crossover", he is regarded as one of the best ball handlers in ...
,
Juwan Howard Juwan Antonio Howard ( ; born February7, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach ...
,
Chris Webber Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III (born March 1, 1973), nicknamed "C-Webb", is an American former professional basketball player. Webber played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with the largest portion of his career sp ...
,
Jimmy King Jimmy Hal King (born August 9, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. King played in the NBA and other leagues. He is most famous for his time spent on the famed University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five along with Ray J ...
, Ray Jackson,
Cazzie Russell Cazzie Lee Russell (born June 7, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An NBA All-Star, he was selected by the New York Knicks with the first overall pick of the 1966 NBA draft. He won an NBA championship with t ...
, Daniel Horton,
Campy Russell Michael Campanella "Campy" Russell (born January 12, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks for ni ...
, and
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
. During the 1990s, the program became involved in a
scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
involving payments from a booster named Ed Martin to four players: Chris Webber,
Maurice Taylor Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and was ...
,
Robert Traylor Robert DeShaun "Tractor" Traylor (February 1, 1977 – May 11, 2011) was an American professional basketball player. He got his nickname because of his hulking frame. Traylor was the sixth pick in the 1998 NBA draft and played seven seasons in th ...
, and
Louis Bullock Louis "Lou" Bullock Jr. (born May 20, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Although his records have officially been vacated, due to the University of Michigan basketball scandal, his vacated records are unsurpassed for mos ...
. The scandal ultimately resulted in four years' probation and a self-imposed ban from postseason play in the 2002–03 season. UM also voluntarily vacated regular season wins and NCAA tournament games from selected past seasons. Vacating the results of 113 games won while the four players were eligible, including the 1992 and 1993 Final Fours, the entire 1992–93 season, and all seasons from fall 1995 through spring 1999. After the scandal, Michigan men's basketball would then go 10 years without making the NCAA tournament from 1999 to 2008. They would eventually end the drought in 2009 under then-head coach John Beilein. In 2013, the program would reach its first Final Four in 20 years before falling to Louisville in the national championship, 82–76. The program reached another Final Four in 2018, its second under Beilein. The team would once again reach the championship game, but instead fall to the
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball The Villanova Wildcats men's basketball program represent Villanova University in men's college basketball and competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. Their first season was the 1920–21 season. Named the Wildcats, Villanova is a ...
. Beilein would accept a position as the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...
head coach after 12 years at Michigan. His replacement for the following season would be alumnus
Juwan Howard Juwan Antonio Howard ( ; born February7, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as the head coach ...
.


Women's basketball

Michigan traveled to St. Thomas for the
Paradise Jam tournament The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam is an NCAA college basketball tournament that takes place annually in late November. The men's tournament typically takes place the week before Thanksgiving (United States), Thanksgiving, with the women's tou ...
over Thanksgiving weekend in 2011. They took on Prairie View A&M in their first game on Thanksgiving Day, and won 59–53. In their second game, they faced Washington State and won easily, 69–39. On the final day of the tournament, they played Marquette, and won 71–51, to win the 2011 Paradise Jam (Reef Division) Championship. Jenny Ryan had a double-double, with 13 points and ten rebounds, to help Michigan to a 7–0 record on the year. The women's basketball team is coached by
Kim Barnes Arico Kimberly Ann Barnes Arico (born August 9, 1970) is an American basketball coach and the current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team. She is the all-time winningest Michigan basketball coach. Previously, she was head co ...
, who became the head coach in 2012. Formerly the head coach of the
St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 17 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University, in the U.S. state of New York. St. John's 17 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencin ...
, Arico was named the Big East Conference Coach of the Year for 2012.


Cross country

The men's and women's cross country teams have been nationally renowned since 1974 when Ron Warhurst started coaching the men, and more recently as alum Mike McGuire took on the women's team in 1991. The women's team has qualified for the NCAA championships every year but two since 1988, finishing 2nd in 1994, and winning five consecutive Big Ten titles from 2002 to 2006. The men's team has qualified for the NCAA 24 times in the last 34 years, with a highest finish of 4th. Michigan men have won seven Big Ten titles in that period.


Football

The Wolverines have won a record 1,012 games, have the most all-time wins, and the second-highest winning percentage in college football history. Michigan won the inaugural Rose Bowl in 1902, the first college
bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...
ever played. The Wolverine football program has claimed 12 national titles. Michigan's 12 national championships have come under the direction of six coaches. The first six were garnered by the team's first coaching superstar,
Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American college football player, coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...
. Yost directed his "Point-a-Minute" teams to four consecutive national titles from 1901 to 1904, amassing a record of 41–0–1. Yost also led Michigan to national titles in 1918 and 1923. Yost was instrumental in the creation of
Michigan Stadium Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "the Big House," is the American football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third-largest stadium in the wo ...
and designed it to permit its expansion to expand to a capacity of over 150,000. Yost's legacy also lives on with
Yost Ice Arena Yost Ice Arena, formerly the Fielding H. Yost Field House, is an indoor ice hockey arena located on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It is the home of the Michigan men's ice hockey team. Yost Field House opened in 1923 ...
, where Michigan's men's ice hockey team plays their home games. Michigan football has won six more national titles since Yost permanently retired in 1926. The Wolverines won back-to-back titles under
Harry Kipke Harry George Kipke (; March 26, 1899 – September 14, 1972) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929 to 193 ...
in 1932 and 1933 and two more consecutive championships under
Fritz Crisler Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler ( ; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football", an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and ...
and
Bennie Oosterbaan Benjamin Oosterbaan ( ; February 24, 1906 – October 25, 1990) was an American football end and head coach for the University of Michigan. He was a three-time All-American college football player, a two-time All-American basketball player, and ...
in 1947 and 1948. Michigan then won a national title under
Lloyd Carr Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season, replacing Gary Moeller. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolve ...
in 1997. Michigan won its most recent national title under
Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh ( ; born December 23, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at ...
in 2023. Michigan's famous football coaches include: Yost, who came to Michigan from
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in 1901, Fritz Crisler, who guided Michigan to a pair of Big Ten Conference championships and the 1947 national title, has his name carried by the home of Michigan men's basketball team,
Bo Schembechler Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler Jr. ( ; April 1, 1929 – November 17, 2006) was an American college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the Univers ...
won 13 Big Ten titles in his 21 seasons as head coach between 1969 and 1989, the first in 1969 when he beat his friend and mentor
Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American college football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at Denison University from 1946 to 1948, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 1949 to 195 ...
, beginning of "The Ten Year War" era of the
Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry Michigan ( ) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio t ...
, Lloyd Carr won five Big Ten titles in his 13 seasons at the helm and posted a winning percentage of .753. His winning percentage of .779 in conference play trails only that of Schembechler in Michigan history.
Rich Rodriguez Richard Alan Rodriguez (; born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an American college football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at West Virginia Mountaineers football, West Virginia University, his second sti ...
succeeded Carr following his retirement in 2007. Rodriguez coached the Wolverines through the 2010 season, compiling a record of 15–22. Rodriguez would be followed by coach
Brady Hoke Brady Patrick Hoke (; born November 3, 1958) is a former American football coach. He was most well known for serving as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 2011 to 2014. He also served as the head football coach at Ball ...
who would go on to coach four seasons. Hoke would end with a record of 31-20. Hoke was replaced by alumnus
Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh ( ; born December 23, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at ...
beginning with the 2015 season. Harbaugh went on to post an 86-25 record in his nine seasons. In Harbaugh's last three seasons, Michigan won 40 out of their 43 games, including three straight Big Ten Championships and College Football Playoff (CFP) appearances, the third and final of which resulting in Michigan's first national title under the
BCS BCS may refer to: American football * Bowl Championship Series, a system that selected matchups for major college football bowl games between 1998 and 2013 * BCS conferences, the six FBS conferences with automatic major bowl bids under that sys ...
/CFP system. Following the national title season, Harbaugh left for the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...
and was soon replaced by offensive coordinator
Sherrone Moore Sherrone Banfield Moore (first name , born February 3, 1986) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for the University of Michigan. Moore served as Michigan's acting head coach in four games during ...
.


Rivalries

Michigan has a major rivalry with
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 ...
, considered one of the fiercest rivalries in American sports. In a pair of
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
fan polls, in 2000 and 2003, the Michigan–Ohio State series was voted the greatest rivalry in sports in America. Michigan's meeting with Ohio State is almost always the last game of the two schools' regular seasons and has provided many memorable contests, such as the " Snow Bowl" of 1950. The game has frequently decided the Big Ten Champion. As of 2024, Michigan leads the series 62–51–6. The contest on November 18, 2006 marked the first time ever these teams had been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 going into the game, and the first time they were both undefeated since 1973. The 2007 college football match-up between Ohio State and Michigan was predicted to be the No. 2 college football game to watch in 2007 by SI.com's "Top 20 Games To Watch in 2007" list. Michigan has a spirited rivalry with the
Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...
. Michigan leads the series 25–17–1. The two schools are among the top college football programs in all-time wins (Michigan first, Notre Dame fifth) and winning percentage (Michigan third, Notre Dame fourth) in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), so it is perhaps fitting that when college football was in its infancy, students from the University of Michigan traveled to South Bend to teach the game to students there. Michigan also has an intrastate rival in
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
; the schools' football teams compete for the
Paul Bunyan Trophy Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...
. Michigan leads the series 74–38–5. The Wolverines also have a tradition-rich history with the
Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college athletics, college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 21 (9 men's, 12 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and com ...
. The two football teams compete for the Little Brown Jug, a five-gallon jug with the respective schools' "M"s on either side and the scores of previous games down the middle. The Little Brown Jug was the first trophy played for between college football teams. Through 2024, Michigan leads the Brown Jug series 78–25–3.


Field hockey

Women's
field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
became a varsity sport at Michigan in 1973. The Wolverines field hockey team won the 2001 NCAA title, which was the school's first national title in a women's team sport.
Marcia Pankratz Marcia Anne Pankratz (born October 1, 1964) is an American former field hockey forward and head coach for the Michigan Wolverines. Pankratz participated in two Summer Olympics. In 1988 she finished in eighth position with ''Team USA'', in 1996 ...
served as the head coach of the program from 1996 to 2004 and returned to the position in 2009. The Wolverines have won a total of eleven Big Ten regular season titles and nine Big Ten tournaments.


Golf


Men's golf

Men's golf has been a varsity sport at Michigan since 1919. The team's first coach was elocution and oratory professor
Thomas Trueblood Thomas Clarkson Trueblood (April 6, 1856 – June 5, 1951) was an American professor of elocution and oratory and the first coach of the University of Michigan golf and debate teams. He was affiliated with the University of Michigan for 67 year ...
who served as coach from 1920 to 1935. Trueblood led the Michigan golf team to consecutive
national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
in 1934 and 1935. Two coaches,
Bert Katzenmeyer Albert C. Katzenmeyer (July 11, 1918 – October 2, 1970) was an American coach and administrator who was the men's golf coach at the University of Michigan from 1947 to 1968 and the Wichita State University athletic director from 1968 to 1970. He ...
(1947–1968) and Jim Carras (1982–2002), have had tenures of at least 20 years with the program. Andrew Sapp was the coach from 2002 to 2011. In 2009, he led the team to its best record in more than 50 years with 6th-place finish at the NCAA championship finals. Chris Whitten became head coach in 2011 and led the team to a runner-up finish in
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
. Three Michigan golfers have won the individual intercollegiate golf championships:
Johnny Fischer John W. Fischer (March 10, 1912 – May 25, 1984) was an American amateur golfer in the 1930s. Fischer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He won the 1932 NCAA individual golf championship and the Big Ten Conference individual championship in 193 ...
(1932),
Chuck Kocsis Charles R. Kocsis (January 27, 1913 – May 30, 2006) was an American amateur golfer. Kocsis was introduced to the game as a caddie at the Phoenix Country Club, which is now Rogell Municipal Golf Course. One of fourteen children, he grew up in th ...
(1936), and
Dave Barclay David Barclay (July 5, 1920 – October 28, 2009) was an American amateur golfer in the 1940s. He played for the Michigan Wolverines golf team and won the 1947 NCAA golf championship held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Early life Barclay was a native ...
(1947). The team has won the Big Ten Conference Championship 12 times: 1932–36, 1942–44, 1946–47, 1949, and 1952.


Women's golf

Women's golf has been a varsity sport at Michigan since 1976. Cheryl Stacy, a former All-American golfer for
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 ...
, took over as the team's head coach in 2009. In the fall of 2009, Stacy signed a trio of highly rated high school golfers from Ohio, Florida and Georgia to national letters of intent for the 2010–11 academic year. The Wolverines won their first Big Ten Championship in 2022 by four shots with a total of 857.


Gymnastics


Men's gymnastics

The Michigan men's gymnastics team has won 6 NCAA championships, 18 Big Ten championships and have been invited to 33 NCAA tournaments.
Newt Loken Newton Clayton Loken (February 27, 1919 – June 28, 2011) was an artistic gymnast and coach of gymnastics, trampolining and cheerleading. While a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's gymnastics team, Loken was NCAA all-around gymna ...
was the head coach for 36 years from 1948 to 1983, during which time he coached the Wolverines to two NCAA team gymnastics championships, two NCAA team trampoline championships, and 21 NCAA individual event championships. Since 1999, head coach Kurt Golder has led Michigan to national championships in 1999, 2010, 2013, 2014 and the Super Six at the NCAA tournament in 13 of the last 14 seasons. Until 1969, men's trampoline was one of the events that comprised the NCAA gymnastics championships. At that time, the event was removed in order to conform to the international gymnastics itinerary. The NCAA then bestowed a separate national title in trampoline for two years, both won by Michigan.


Women's gymnastics

Women's gymnastics has been a varsity sport at Michigan since 1976.
Bev Plocki Beverly Jean Plocki (born Beverly Jean Fry; September 6, 1964) is an American gymnastics coach, and the current coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics team. In 32 years as the head coach at Michigan, her teams have a record of 830 ...
has been the head coach of the women's gymnastics team since 1990. Under Plocki's leadership, the Wolverines have won 25 Big Ten championships, advanced to 28 consecutive NCAA tournaments (1993–2021) and had seven seasons in which they finished in the Top 5 at the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines gymnastics team won their first
NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
in
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
.


Ice hockey

The Wolverines
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team, which was a member of the
Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference in the Midwestern United States that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previ ...
until 2013 and is now a member of the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
, plays its home contests at
Yost Ice Arena Yost Ice Arena, formerly the Fielding H. Yost Field House, is an indoor ice hockey arena located on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It is the home of the Michigan men's ice hockey team. Yost Field House opened in 1923 ...
. The hockey team was coached by
Red Berenson Gordon Arthur "Red" Berenson (born December 8, 1939) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre, world champion, Stanley Cup champion and head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team from 1984 to 2017. Berenson was indu ...
, a former UM player and is currently coached by Brandon Naurato. Altogether, the program has won nine NCAA national championships (1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1996, 1998), which is also an NCAA record. In 2011, the team was invited to the NCAA tournament for a record 21st year in a row. In 2011, Michigan reached the national semi-finals (now referred to as the "Frozen Four") for an unmatched 24th time.
Vic Heyliger Victor Heyliger (September 26, 1912 – October 4, 2006) was an American ice hockey player and coach. He played 33 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks between 1937 and 1944 and then worked as the head coach A hea ...
led Michigan to a record six NCAA titles, including the first one in college hockey history in 1948. Heyliger, who played for the Wolverines from 1935 to 1937, also won national titles as Michigan coach in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955 and 1956. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974, in recognition of his lifetime achievement. Heyliger is considered instrumental in getting the NCAA Tournament off the ground. Following the 1946–47 season, Heyliger wrote to each of the college coaches around the country to see if they would be interested in creating a national tournament. They obliged and the inaugural four-team NCAA tournament began the following season in 1948. Heyliger was 228–61–13 as head coach at Michigan, and his .776 winning percentage is the best at the school. His only losing season was his first year, 3–6 in 1944–45. In 1980, Heyliger was inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor. The Vic Heyliger Trophy has been given out at the end of each season by the Michigan hockey team to recognize its most outstanding defenseman.


Lacrosse


Women's Lacrosse


Men's lacrosse

The Michigan men's lacrosse team is one of the oldest collegiate lacrosse programs in the midwest, having been founded in 1940, the program is also the most successful athletic program at Michigan, with an .830 all-time win percentage. The program was elevated from varsity-club status to NCAA status by the university in May 2011 and began NCAA Division I competition in 2012. The Wolverines previously competed at the Division I level of the
Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association The Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) is a national organization of non-NCAA men's college lacrosse programs. The MCLA oversees game play and conducts national championships for over 200 teams in ten conferences throughout the United ...
(MCLA), in the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (CCLA). In 2008 the team became the first MCLA team to complete a season undefeated, finishing 20–0 and winning their first national championship at
Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was an American football stadium located in Irving, Texas, a suburb west of Dallas. Opened on October 24, 1971, it was known for its distinctive hole in the roof, the result of abandoned plans to construct a retractable roof. Th ...
. The feat was repeated in 2009 with another 20–0 season and earned their second national championship with a 12–11 victory over
Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...
at
Dick's Sporting Goods Park Dick's Sporting Goods Park, also known as DSG Park, is a soccer-specific stadium in Commerce City, Colorado, that is home to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer (MLS). The stadium seats up to 18,061 people for soccer matches, but can acco ...
in
Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
. In 2010, they won their third MCLA national championship in a row, defeating
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
12–11 in Denver.


Women's rowing

Women's
rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...
has been a varsity at sport at Michigan since 1996. Mark Rothstein has been the team's coach for 18 years – since it was a club sport in 1991. Rothstein led the rowing program "from an over-achieving club squad to one of the nation's top-notch varsity rowing programs." The team has placed in the Top 10 at the NCAA tournament ten times in the past 12 years. The team's best seasons came in 2000–01 and 2011–12 with Big Ten championships and second-place finishes in the NCAA tournament.


Soccer


Men's soccer

The men's soccer team plays
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
annually for the rights to the Big Bear Trophy, a wooden sculpture purchased by Michigan head coach Steve Burns in 2000. The men's soccer advanced to the College Cup in 2010, their first in program history. More recently, the program won its first Big Ten championship in 2017.


Women's soccer

The women's soccer team has played at the varsity level since 1994 and has twice won the Big Ten conference tournament, in 1997 and 1999. It has also reached the quarterfinals of the
NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, sometimes known as the Women's College Cup, is an American college soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I women's natio ...
twice, in 2002 and 2013 during the tenure of
Debbie Rademacher Debbie Belkin Rademacher (; born May 27, 1966) is an American retired soccer defender who was a member of the United States women's national soccer team. She was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The National Jewish Spo ...
, who coached the team from its inception until 2007. The team is currently coached by Jennifer Klein.


Softball

Carol Hutchins Carol Sue Hutchins (born May 26, 1957) is an American former softball coach. In 38 years as the head coach of Michigan Wolverines softball, (1985–2022), she won more games than any other coach in University of Michigan history in any sport, ma ...
has been the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines softball team since 1985. With a career record of 1,274–435–4 (.745 winning percentage), Hutchins has more wins than any other coach in the history of the university—in both men's and women's athletics. Hutchins' teams have won 22 Big Ten championships and appeared in 28 NCAA tournaments. In June 2005, the team won the
NCAA Division I Softball Championship The NCAA Division I softball tournament is held annually in May/June and features 64 college softball teams in the United States, culminating in the Women's College World Series (WCWS), which is played in Oklahoma City. Tournament play and team ...
, defeating two-time defending champion and perennial softball power
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
two games to one. Michigan won the decisive game, 4-1, with Samantha Findlay slamming a three-run homer in the top of the tenth inning. Michigan was the first school east of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
to win the
Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...
since rival
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
(with Carol Hutchins playing shortstop) did so in
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. The Wolverines have appeared in 13
Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...
in
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
, 1995–98, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2009, 2013 and 2015–16.


Swimming and diving

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams, which had been coached separately, were combined in August 2012 by the University of Michigan Athletic Department.


Men's swimming and diving

Men's swimming and diving has been a varsity sport at Michigan since 1921. With 12 NCAA national championships (as well as 7 unofficial) including the 2013 NCAA championship, the Michigan men's swimming and diving team has won more national championships than any other varsity sport in the history of the university. In addition to its 19 national championships, the team has finished in the Top 5 nationally 48 times. The team's swimmers have also won 145 individual NCAA championships. Three head coaches have led the squad for a combined 77 years: Matt Mann (1925–54),
Gus Stager Augustus Pingree "Gus" Stager, Jr. (February 18, 1923 – July 6, 2019) was an All American competitive swimmer for the University of Michigan. As a Hall of Fame swimming coach, he was best known for leading the University of Michigan swimming t ...
(1954–82) and
Jon Urbanchek Jon Urbanchek (born János Urbancsok; August 23, 1936 – May 9, 2024) was a Hungarian-born American swimming coach, best known for his 22-year tenure as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team of the University of Mich ...
(1982–2004). Michigan swimmers and divers inducted into the
International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...
include
Mike Barrowman Michael Ray Barrowman (born December 4, 1968) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Barrowman was one of the pioneers of the "wave-style" breaststroke technique. Prior to attending Universit ...
, Dick Degener,
Tom Dolan Thomas Fitzgerald Dolan (born September 15, 1975) is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Dolan grew up in Arlington, Virginia. He attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, w ...
, Taylor Drysdale,
Bruce Harlan Bruce Ira Harlan (January 2, 1926 – June 22, 1959) was a diver from the United States and Olympic champion. He represented his native country at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, where he received one gold medal and one silver medal. Harla ...
,
Harry Holiday Harry Holiday, Jr. (July 2, 1923 – February 16, 1999) was an American swimmer. He was the world record holder in the backstroke at the University of Michigan in the 1940s and the president of steelmaker American Rolling Mill Co. (Armco) from 1 ...
,
Dick Kimball Dick Kimball (born c. 1935) is an American former diving champion and diving coach at the University of Michigan. He was the NCAA springboard champion in 1957 and the Professional World Diving champion in 1963. He coached the University of Mich ...
,
Carl Robie Carl Joseph Robie III (May 12, 1945 – November 29, 2011) was an American competitive swimmer, who swam for the University of Michigan and was first a silver medalist in the 1964 Olympics, and then a gold medalist in the 1968 Olympics. He was ...
, and
Bob Webster Robert David "Bob" Webster (born October 25, 1938) is a retired American diver who won the 10 m platform event at every competition he entered between 1960 and 1964, including the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and 1963 Pan American Games. He later bec ...
. Mike Bottom took over as the team's head coach in 2008. In his first season as the team's head coach, Bottom led the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship and a 7th-place finish at the NCAA championship. In 2013, Bottom won the program's 12th official NCAA national championship (19th overall) and its first since 1995.


Women's swimming and diving

Women's swimming and diving has been a varsity sport at Michigan since 1974. The team has won 19 Big Ten championships, including 12 consecutive championships from 1986 to 1998. The team has also finished in the Top 10 teams nationally 17 times. The team's best finish came in the 1994–95 season with a second-place finish in the national tournament. The team has produced several national individual champions, including Julie Bachman (one-meter and three-meter diving, 1978), Emily Brunemann (1,650-yard freestyle, 2008), Ann Colloton (200-yard backstroke, 1989), Mary Fischbach (one-meter and three-meter diving, 1988), Mindy Gehrs (400-yard individual medley, 1993), Lara Hooiveld (100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, 1993), Alecia Humphrey (100-yard backstroke, 1994; 200-yard backstroke 1994 and 1995), Sue Cahill (400-yard individual medley, 1982), and Chris Seufert (one-meter and three-meter diving, 1977). Jim Richardson is in his 25th season as the head coach of the women's swimming and diving team.


Tennis


Men's tennis

Michigan's men's tennis team was formed in 1893. Between 1948 and 1999, the team had two head coaches. William Murphy was the coach from 1948 to 1969 and led the Wolverines to 11 Big Ten championships and the NCAA championship in 1957 with Barry MacKay. Brian Eisner was the coach from 1969 to 1999 and led the team to 16 Big Ten championships and 21 NCAA tournament appearances.
Peter Fishbach Peter Fishbach (born August 29, 1947) is an American former professional tennis player. Biography Fishbach was born and raised in New York City. He attended Great Neck North High School. In 1963, 1964, and 1965 he was the New York State Public ...
and
Eric Friedler Eric Friedler (born September 8, 1954) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. Biography Friedler grew up in Chicago and attended Evanston Township High School. From 1972 to 1976 he was at the University of Michigan, where ...
played for the school.
Joel Ross Joel Ross may refer to: *Joel Ross (DJ) Joel Ross (born Joel Hogg 31 May 1977) is a British radio DJ and television presenter. He has worked with a co-host Jason King (Presenter), Jason King (known on-air as JK). He now presents ''The Hits Radi ...
was captain of the tennis team, and was
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
singles champion in 1971.
Bruce Berque The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...
was the head coach from 2004 to 2014 and led the team to four consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament. The current coach is Adam Steinberg.


Women's tennis

Women's tennis was established as a varsity sport in 1973. Bitsy Ritt was the head coach for 22 years from 1984 to 2006 and led the team to NCAA tournament berths in 8 of her last 11 years as head coach. The current head coach is Ronni Bernstein who has led the team to NCAA tournament berths in her first two years with the program.


Track and field


Men's track and field

The men's track and field team has won 57 Big Ten men's team titles and one NCAA team championship. Notable alumni include
Ralph Craig Ralph Cook Craig (June 21, 1889 – July 21, 1972) was an American track and field athlete. He was the winner of the sprint double at the 1912 Summer Olympics.Brian Diemer Brian Lee Diemer (born October 10, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete, who mainly competed in the 3000 metre steeplechase during his career. He was high school state champion in the mile while running at South Christian High Sch ...
,
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
bronze medalist in the steeplechase, Bill Donakowski, U.S. marathon champion in 1986,
Archie Hahn Archie Hahn may refer to: * Archie Hahn (actor) (born 1941), American actor * Archie Hahn (athlete) Charles Archibald Hahn (September 14, 1880 – January 21, 1955) was an American track athlete and is widely regarded as one of the best sprin ...
, a winner of four Olympic gold medals at the 1904 and 1906 Olympics,
DeHart Hubbard William DeHart Hubbard (November 25, 1903 – June 23, 1976) was a track and field athlete who was the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event: the running long jump at the 1924 Paris Summer games. He al ...
, the first African-American to win an individual Olympic gold medal and a former world record holder in the
long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
,
Greg Meyer Greg Meyer (born September 18, 1955) is an American long-distance runner. Meyer's winning time for the 1983 Boston Marathon race was 2:09.00. He was the last American to win the Boston Marathon until 2014, and the last person born in America to w ...
, 1983
Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
winner,
Ralph Rose Ralph Waldo Rose (March 17, 1885 – October 16, 1913) was an American track and field athlete. He was born in Healdsburg, California. Biography Standing 6 ft 5.5 in (197 cm) and weighing 250 pounds (115 kg), Rose was the fi ...
, winner of 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals in three Olympic games, Kevin Sullivan, Canadian 1500 meter record holder,
Eddie Tolan Thomas Edward Tolan (September 29, 1908 – January 30, 1967), nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who competed in sprints. He set world records in the 100-yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic recor ...
, winner of two gold medals and a former world record holder in the 100-yard dash, Alan Webb, U.S. mile record holder, and
Nick Willis Nicholas Ian Willis (born 25 April 1983) is a New Zealand middle-distance runner and the country's only two-time Olympic medalist in the 1500 metres. He won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and bronze at the 2016 Olympics in R ...
, a four-time Olympian and a two-time Olympic medallist, with a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and a bronze at the summer Rio Olympics in 2016, Joseph Ellis, a multiple-time Big Ten champion and first-team All American in the hammer throw and member of the British national team, and Andrew Liskowitz, a Big Ten champion and first-team all American in the shot put.


Women's track and field

Women's track and field was established as a varsity sport in 1978. The team has won 18 Big Ten titles (eight outdoor and ten indoor). James Henry has been the head coach since 1984. The Wolverines have had their strongest finishes in the NCAA championship meet in recent years—finishing third outdoors in 2007 and third indoors in 2008. Notable alumna include Lisa Larsen Weidenbach Rainsberger, who won the Boston and Chicago Marathons.


Women's volleyball

The women's volleyball program at the University of Michigan began in 1973. Mark Rosen has been the head coach since 1999 and has led the team to the NCAA Tournament in 18 of his 22 years as head coach, as well as took the program to its first-ever national semifinal in the NCAA Tournament in 2012.


Women's water polo

Women's
water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
became a varsity sport at the University of Michigan in 2001. In its first nine years, the program has placed first in the conference nine times, won eight NCAA division titles and four NCAA eastern titles, and appeared four times in the NCAA national tournament. The Wolverines finished in the Top 5 at the national tournament in 2002 and 2009. In the spring of 2014, the Athletic Department hired Dr. Marcelo Leonardi as their new head coach. The Wolverines enter their 15th season in 2015. Former Olympic Gold Medalist Betsey Armstrong was hired as the assistant coach in 2012.


Wrestling

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
has been a varsity sport at Michigan since 1921. The Wolverines have finished in the Top 5 in the NCAA tournament 19 times. Home dual meets and tournaments take place at Cliff Keen Arena, dedicated and named after longtime wrestling coach
Cliff Keen Clifford Patrick Keen (June 13, 1901 – November 4, 1991) was an American coach who served as the head coach of the University of Michigan collegiate wrestling team from 1925 to 1970. He led the Michigan Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference ...
, who coached the team from 1925 until 1970 and led the Wolverines wrestling team to 13
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
championships. The Michigan wrestling team has produced 175 individual NCAA All-Americans dating back to 1928, has 22 individual NCAA Championships for the university, and made two winners of the NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler Award (1940, 1978). A few notable former Wolverine wrestlers include Olympic gold medalist
Steve Fraser Steven Howard "Steve" Fraser (born March 23, 1958) is an American Greco-Roman wrestler and coach. He was the 1984 Olympic Games gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, in the 90 kg weight class. Fraser's gold medal was the first ever for t ...
, 1978 NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler Mark Churella, professional wrestlers
The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Rick Steiner (real name Robert Rechsteiner) and Scott Steiner (real name Scott Rechsteiner). The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Mich ...
and 2006 Greco-Roman World Wrestling Champion Joe Warren, currently a
mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...
in
Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...
.


Sponsorship

Michigan Athletics announced in July 2015 that it would switch from sponsorship by
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
to
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
. The deal at the time had an estimated value of $169 million and was described as "the richest apparel deal in intercollegiate athletics". In April 2016, the University announced the signing of an 11-year $127.12 million contract for 31 Michigan sports teams, going into effect on August 1. With the agreement,
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 ...
became the first football program to wear
Jordan Brand Air Jordan is a line of basketball and sportswear shoes produced by Nike, Inc. Related apparel and accessories are marketed under Jordan Brand. The first Air Jordan shoe was produced for basketball player Michael Jordan during his time with the ...
attire accompanied by the
jumpman logo The "Jumpman" logo is owned by Nike to promote the Air Jordan brand of basketball sneakers and other sportswear and footwear. It is a silhouette of former NBA player and current Charlotte Hornets minority owner Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is ...
. Nike identifies the yellow color in the new uniforms as "Amarillo" rather than the traditional "Maize".


Varsity club sports

In 2000, athletic director Bill Martin announced the creation of a special level for sports at Michigan called Varsity Club status. The new system was established to recognize and increase support for club sports teams that have reached a level of budget, organization and competition that is similar to varsity levels. Varsity club squads are not necessarily closer to being elevated to full varsity status, and will remain for the time being primarily self-funded and administered through the Department of Recreational Sports. However, the designation will give these teams a closer relationship to the U-M athletic department.MGoBlue
Retrieved September 3, 2012.
The Varsity Club status has proven to be a launching pad for sports to eventually become varsity sports at Michigan. In May 2011, men's and women's lacrosse were officially granted varsity status. Men's lacrosse began their first season of NCAA competition in 2012, and the women's program began varsity competition in 2014. Current varsity club sports: * Men's rowing * Women's synchronized skating * Women's synchronized swimming


Club sports

The Club Sports Program at the University of Michigan, administered by the Department of Recreational Sports, comprises 38 club sports. Each club sport is a student-led organization composed primarily of students, faculty, and staff. Each club is formed, developed, governed, and administered by the student membership of that particular club, working with the Club Sports Program staff. The club sports programs include: * Alpine skiing * Baseball * Basketball * Boxing – Men * Boxing – Women * Brazilian jiu-jitsu * Climbing * Cycling * Dance * Esports * Fencing * Field Hockey * Gymnastics * Ice Hockey – Men * Ice Hockey – Women * Lacrosse – Women * Rifle * Roller Hockey * Rugby – Men * Rugby – Women * Running * Sailing * Shotokan * Soccer – Men * Soccer – Women * Softball * Tae Kwon Do * Tennis * Triathlon * Ultimate Frisbee – Men * Ultimate Frisbee – Women * Volleyball – Men * Volleyball – Women * Water Polo – Men * Water Polo – Women * Waterski * Weightlifting * Wrestling


Boxing

The men's and women's boxing teams compete as part of the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association. The men's team won the USIBA national championship in 2014 and 2017, while the women's team won four straight championships from 2015 to 2018 and was the runner-up in the 2022 tournament. Michigan also hosted the 2015 USIBA tournament.


Rugby

The University of Michigan Rugby Football Club plays
college rugby College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the auspices of ...
in the Big Ten Universities conference of
Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
against its traditional rivals such as Michigan State and Ohio State. The Michigan rugby club was formed in 1959, although rugby at Michigan dates back to at least 1890 before fading from campus. Michigan rugby is led by head coach Brandon Sparks. Michigan reached the 2013 Big Ten championship match, where they lost to Indiana 58–38. Michigan played in the 2014
Collegiate Rugby Championship The Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) is an annual college rugby sevens tournament. The CRC capitalized on the surge in popularity of rugby at major universities following the 2009 announcement of the addition of rugby sevens to the Summer Olymp ...
, notching some upset wins to reach the quarterfinals in a tournament broadcast live on NBC from
PPL Park Subaru Park is a soccer-specific stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania, located next to Commodore Barry Bridge on the waterfront along the Delaware River. The venue is home to the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. Subaru Park was designed ...
in Philadelphia. Michigan returned to the 2015 Collegiate Rugby Championship, where they notched wins against UCLA and Texas to again reach the quarterfinals.


Athletic facilities

University of Michigan Athletics Facilities
, Retrieved December 29, 2011.


Other facilities


Championships


NCAA team championships

Michigan has won 40 NCAA team national championships. *Men's (37) **
Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
(2): 1953, 1962 **
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
(1): 1989 **
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
(2): 1934, 1935 **
Gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
(7): 1963, 1970, 1999, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2025 **
Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
(9): 1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1996, 1998 **
Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
(12): 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1995, 2013 **
Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
(1): 1957 **
Outdoor Track & Field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
(1): 1923 **
Trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame often using many coiled spring (device), springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes. The fabric that use ...
(2): 1969, 1970 *Women's (3) **
Field Hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
(1): 2001 **
Gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
(1): 2021 **
Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
(1): 2005 † The NCAA started sponsoring the intercollegiate golf championship in 1939, but it retained the titles from the 41 championships previously conferred by the National Intercollegiate Golf Association in its records. *See also: **
List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships Listed below are the colleges or universities with the most NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I-sanctioned team championships, individual championships, and combined team and individual championships, as documented by information published on offi ...
** Big Ten Conference NCAA national team championships


Other national team championships

* Below are the 19 national team titles that were not bestowed by the NCAA (although seven were unofficial NCAA championships): * Men's ** Football (12): 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923, 1932, 1933, 1947, 1948, 1997, 2023 ** Swimming (7): 1927, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936 UM's official NCAA Division I national championships have come from 11 different sports – this broad-based success is the fifth most in the NCAA record book. Only UCLA and Stanford, each with titles in 16 varying sports, USC in 15, and Texas in 12, have more diverse championship histories than the Wolverines. University of Michigan teams have also been national runners-up 41 times in 14 different sports: baseball (1), men's basketball (6), women's cross country (1), field hockey (2), men's golf (3), men's gymnastics (2), women's gymnastics (2), men's ice hockey (3), rowing (2), softball (1), men's swimming and diving (10), women's swimming and diving (1), men's outdoor track and field (1), and wrestling (6). *See also: ** List of Big Ten Conference National Championships **
List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships This is a list of U.S. universities and colleges that have won the most team sport national championships (more than 15) that have been bestowed for the highest level of collegiate athletic competition, be that at either the varsity or club level, ...


NCAA Division I Directors' Cup

In the NCAA Division I Director's Cup (renamed Learfield Sports Directors' Cup), Michigan has ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten rankings in 16 out of the last 28 years ending in 2021–22; the university has ranked in the top 5 nationally a total of 15 years during that 28-year span.


Olympians

Through the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
, 204 UM students and coaches had participated in the Olympics, winning medals at each
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
except 1896, and winning gold medals in all but four Olympiads. Through the year 2020, UM students/student-coaches (e.g., notably, Michael Phelps) have won a total of 185 Olympic medals: 85 Golds, 48 Silvers, and 52 Bronzes.


Athletic directors


Mascot

The Michigan Wolverines is one of the few college sports teams that does not have a live or costumed
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...
, largely for reasons of tradition. In the late 1920s, the Wolverines did have an unofficial mascot – Biff, the Michigan Wolverine. The first Biff was a stuffed wolverine. The second Biff was a live wolverine, who had a companion named Bennie, but the two
mustelids The Mustelidae (; from Latin , weasel) are a diverse family of carnivoran mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, polecats, martens, grisons, and wolverines. Otherwise known as mustelids (), they form the largest family in the suborder Can ...
grew to become too ferocious to be taken to games, which ended their career as mascots. In the 1980's, a group of students created an unofficial mascot named Willy the Wolverine, which was rejected by the university.


See also

* List of college athletic programs in Michigan *
Big Ten Athlete of the Year The Big Ten Athlete of the Year award is given annually to the top male and female collegiate athletes in the Big Ten Conference. It was first awarded in 1982, with winners being selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submi ...
*
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan#Athletics, University of Michigan sportsperson, athletes, Coach (sports), coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to t ...


References


External links

* {{Michigan Sports