Notre Dame has been playing football for 135 years and along the way some momentous decisions were made to shape the history of this storied program now entering a daring new phase of college sports. This off-season, we look back at the 10 best decisions made for the Fighting Irish in the decades past.
#6
Michigan’s Malfeasance
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer is a quote that Michigan would’ve been wise to remember. In November 1887, a pair of Michigan students linked up with former Notre Dame students to come back to South Bend and teach the game of football on campus. In front of a small assembled crowd, the two sides played a game leading to a 8-0 Michigan win. In April the following year, the schools played a pair of games on back-to-back days leading to 2 more Michigan wins. In total, the Irish were outscored 44-10 in what became the first 3 football games in school history.
The school’s would play several more times in the early days of the 20th Century before Notre Dame–coached by former Michigan player Frank “Shorty” Longman–upset Michigan 11-3 in Ann Arbor during the 1909 season to break the 8-game losing streak to the Wolverines.
The reaction to that defeat from Michigan changed the course for Notre Dame.
To many, the history is well known. Michigan head coach Fielding Yost threw a hissy fit, cancelled the 1910 matchup with Notre Dame at the last second, and then spent years making sure the growing Notre Dame program was blackballed from playing other Western Conference (the precursor to the Big Ten) opponents and denied entry into the league.
The inability to schedule Western teams lasted just 8 years but the denial of Notre Dame into the league (when the school very much wanted access) shaped the program in incredibly positive ways, ultimately backfiring on Michigan.
There was a home-and-home in 1942-43 that broke the icy relations but after Notre Dame’s 35-12 win in Ann Arbor there was yet another renewed attempt by Michigan to blackball the Irish from the Big Ten, although several league opponents continued to schedule the Irish in defiance of the Wolverines edict from on high.
In essence, Michigan in their pathetic way tried to suffocate Notre Dame football but the Irish overcame it and only grew stronger. So many decisions from this friction-filled relationship with Michigan resulted directly or indirectly in many other circumstances that also made the top 10 countdown in our list of best decision in Notre Dame football history.
Good book. Football prior to ND’s first win in the series was more rugby. The rules changed in ninety-ten or so, including the shape of the football and allowing the forward pass. Michigan likes to include those eight wins in the rivalry series. But eliminating those, the series is about even.
Can I assume this Best Decision is in not playing Michigan (but establishing regular games against Michigan State and Purdue who bucked Michigan’s attempt to blackball ND? We ended up playing annual coast-to-coast series with Army and USC. All did not share Yost’s anti-Catholic feelings but did respect us. Outside of a couple of games in the late 40s, Michigan would refuse to play us for almost seventy years.
That decision by Michigan put ND on the path of football independence, its scheduling freedom, historic games, national championships for the Irish and the growth of college football. We can only speculate on whether they back out of the home-and-home games in 2033 & 2034. My image of a wolverine includes a yellow stripe along its back.
The best decision in this case seems to have been made by Michigan. If they had just been able to get over themselves for 10 seconds and allowed ND into the B1G, the Irish would probably be a slightly better Northwestern right now. Instead they’re what they are.
The worst decision in Notre Dame football history was renewing the Michigan series and not letting 37-0 stand for all time.
Remember the 6!