History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Kipke years

Hiring of Kipke

After Michigan compiled a 3–4–1 record (2–3 Big Ten) in 1928, Michigan athletic director Fielding H. Yost announced in May 1929 that head football coach Elton Wieman would not be a member of the coaching staff in the fall. Two weeks later, in June 1929, Yost announced that Harry Kipke had been hired as Michigan's new head football coach. Kipke had been an All-American halfback on Yost's Michigan football teams from 1921 to 1923 and had developed a reputation as one of the best punters in the game. After graduating from Michigan, Kipke had been an assistant football coach at Missouri (1924–1927) and had been the head football coach at Michigan State in 1928. Kipke had signed a three-year contract with Michigan State, but the athletic board there accepted his resignation and agreed to release him from the final two years of his contract.

The tenure of Kipke's predecessor had been marred by a power struggle between the head coach and Yost. With Kipke in place, Yost announced that he was stepping aside and thereafter would "act solely as an interested spectator" unless his advice was sought. Kipke retained Jack Blott, Franklin Cappon, Cliff Keen, Bennie Oosterbaan, and George F. Veenker as assistant coaches.

Rebuilding in 1929

In Michigan's first year under Kipke, the team finished in 7th place in the Big Ten Conference with record of 5–3–1 (1–3–1 Big Ten). The season began with three wins against non-conference opponents, Albion (39–0), Mount Union (16–6), and Michigan State (17–0). Three consecutive losses followed against conference opponents, Purdue (30-16), Ohio State (7-0), and Illinois (14-0). The team rebounded with wins against Harvard (14-12) and Minnesota (7-6) and closed the season with a scoreless tie against Iowa. The victory over Harvard was the first for Michigan, which had lost all four prior games against Harvard.

Undefeated in 1930

In Kipke's second year, the Wolverines compiled their first undefeated season since 1923. They finished the season 8–0–1 (5–0 Big Ten), outscored opponents 111 to 23, and tied with Northwestern for the Big Ten championship. The sole setback was a scoreless tie against Michigan State in the third game of the season. The 1930 season marked the debut of Michigan's College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Harry Newman, who became a star in his first season leading the Wolverines' offense. Four members of the 1930 Michigan team were selected as first-team All-Big Ten players – Newman, center Maynard Morrison, halfback and team MVP Jack Wheeler, and right tackle Leo Draveling.

Eight shutouts in 1931

The 1931 team compiled an 8–1–1 record (5–1 Big Ten), shut out eight of ten opponents, and outscored opponents 181 to 27. The team's only loss was a 20-7 defeat against Ohio State. In the nine other games, the Wolverines allowed only seven points throughout the season and did not allow a single point to be scored in the final six games. In the sixth game of the season, the Wolverines shut out a Princeton Tigers team coached by Fritz Crisler – the person who would replace Kipke as Michigan's coach in 1938.

The 1931 season ended with Michigan, Purdue and Northwestern in a three-way tie for the Big Ten championship. Center Maynard Morrison, who was known for his outstanding play on defense, was a consensus first-team All-American. Four Wolverines were named first-team All-Big Ten players – Morrison, Harry Newman, Ivy Williamson, and Bill Hewitt.

National championship in 1932

In 1932, Michigan compiled a perfect 8–0 record, outscored opponents 123–12, and won both the Big Ten Conference and national championships. The defense shut out six of its eight opponents and gave up an average of only 1.6 points per game. Although there was no AP Poll to determine a national champion in 1932, the Knute K. Rockne Trophy was presented at the end of the season to the team deemed to be the national champion using the Dickinson System, a rating system developed by Frank G. Dickinson, a professor of economics of the University of Illinois. Michigan won the Rockne Trophy, edging Southern California in the Dickinson rating system.

On offense, quarterback Harry Newman was selected as the consensus first-team quarterback on the 1932 College Football All-America Team. He also won the Chicago Tribune Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference, the Douglas Fairbanks Trophy as Outstanding College Player of the Year (predecessor of the Heisman Trophy), and the Helms Athletic Foundation Player of the Year Award. Newman scored all 22 points for Michigan in the last three games of the season. The Associated Press wrote, "Without Newman providing the winning spark, the Michigan team might have been just another football club."

Center Chuck Bernard and end Ted Petoskey were also selected as first-team All-Americans by some selectors. The team captain, Ivy Williamson, was selected as a second-team All-American in the Central Press Association's captains poll. Gerald Ford, who later became the 38th President of the United States, was the back-up center on the team and won the Meyer Morton Award as the most improved player in spring practice.

National championship in 1933

The 1933 team compiled an undefeated 7–0–1 record, outscored opponents 131 to 18, extended the team's unbeaten streak to 22 games, and again won both the Big Ten and national championships. The defense shut out five of its eight opponents and gave up an average of only 2.2 points per game. For the second consecutive year, Michigan was awarded the Knute K. Rockne Tropy as the No. 1 team in the country under the Dickinson System. By winning a share of its fourth consecutive Big Ten football championship, the 1933 Wolverines also tied a record set by Fielding H. Yost's "Point-a-Minute" teams from 1901 to 1904.

In the first half of the season, Michigan outscored its opponents, 101 to 6, including a 13–0 shutout of Ohio State. In the second half, Michigan outscored its opponents 30 to 12 and defeated Illinois, 7–6, with the difference being Willis Ward's block of an extra point kick. In the annual Little Brown Jug game, Michigan and Minnesota played to a scoreless tie, breaking Michigan's 16-game winning streak (but still preserving the unbeaten streak). Two of Michigan's adversaries also finished among the top five teams in the post-season Dickinson ratings: Minnesota at No. 3 and Ohio State at No. 5.

Left halfback Herman Everhardus was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player. He was also the leading scorer in the Big Ten Conference with 64 points on eight touchdowns, 10 extra points, and two field goals. Center Chuck Bernard and tackle Francis Wistert were consensus first-team picks for the 1933 College Football All-America Team. Left end Ted Petoskey was also selected as a first-team All-American by several selectors. Michigan players also won four of the eleven spots on the All-Big Ten teams selected by the Associated Press and United Press. Michigan's first-team All-Big Ten honorees were Bernard, Everhardus, Petoskey, and Wistert.

"Punt, Pass and Prayer" years

From 1934 to 1937, Michigan did not have a winning season, compiling a record of 10-22 (.313). Michigan's offense scored only 179 points during those four years, an average of 5.59 points per game.

Due in part to injuries, Kipke's offense in 1934 was sometimes referred to as "Punt, Pass and Prayer." A September 1934 newspaper story described the system:

"A punt, a pass and a prayer. By Harry Kipke's own words, that's all they have over there. But when it's a [John] Regeczi punting, a [William] Renner passing, and a typical Michigan squad of good ends, good tackles, good guards, and a great center 'preying', how are you going to stop them?"

In a 1994 interview, Gerald Ford joked about how injuries during the 1934 season eliminated two of the options in the "Punt, Pass and Prayer" offense:

"In '32 and '33, we were undefeated, and then in '34 we had a tough, tough year. In those years, our offense was called a punt, a pass, and a prayer. We had an outstanding passer, Bill Renner, who broke an ankle before the season started. Our punter, John Regeczi, was the greatest college punter I ever saw and he ruined his knee. All we had left was the prayer."

Ford was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1934 team.

Racial integration

During the Kipke years, Michigan's football team became racially integrated. Though George Jewett had broken the race barrier as Michigan's first African-American football player in 1890, Michigan had not played another African-American in the 40 years after Jewett. Kipke actively recruited Willis Ward to Michigan and assured him that he would be given full opportunity to play football as well as compete in track. Kipke reportedly "threatened to fight, physically fight, those alumni and fellow coaches who opposed his playing Ward."

In the spring of 1932, Kipke ordered his veterans to pound Ward "without mercy" during practice. "If, at the end of the week", said Kipke, "he doesn't turn in his uniform, then I know I've got a great player." Ward started four games in 1932 and all eight games in 1933. In November 1933, Time magazine credited Ward and halfback Herman Everhardus for Michigan's undefeated season.

In 1934, Ward started seven of eight games for Michigan. He scored 12 of Michigan's 21 points in 1934, including the only touchdown from the line of scrimmage. However, he was not permitted to play against Georgia Tech after the southern team announced that it would not take the field if Ward played. The controversy sparked mass meetings, petitions and demonstrations on the Michigan campus. Time magazine reported that 200 "campus radicals" threatened to prevent the game from being played by standing in the middle of the field. In an attempt to thwart any attempt to disrupt the game, Yost hired a Pinkerton agent to infiltrate "The United Front Committee on Ward", a conglomerate of student organizations that supported Ward's right to play.

Playwright Arthur Miller, then a writer for Michigan's student newspaper arranges a meeting with Georgia Tech players and appealed to their sense of fair play. The Georgia Tech players rebuffed "the Yankee" Miller "in salty language" and told him they would actually kill Ward if he set foot on the Michigan gridiron. Miller was furious and wrote an angry article which the newspaper refused to publish.

The Georgia Tech incident later became part of the public legacy of President Gerald Ford. Ward and Ford met during freshman orientation in 1932, and the two became friends and roommates when the football team traveled for road games. When Ford learned that the school had capitulated to Georgia Tech, he reportedly quit or threatened to quit the team to take a stand for his friend, Ward. Ford wrote in his autobiography that he felt the decision to keep Willis out of the game was "morally wrong" and that he played in the game only after Ward urged him to do so. Ford recalled that, in the game against Georgia Tech, "we hit like never before and beat Georgia Tech 9–2."

Firing of Kipke

On December 9, 1937, Kipke was notified by the Board in Control of Athletics that his contract would not be renewed when it expired in June 1938. Kipke expressed shock at the decision, noting that he had expected a "splendid season" in 1938 based on the performance of 1937's freshman squad which included Tom Harmon, Forest Evashevski, Reuben Kelto, and Ralph Fritz. Kipke's firing created controversy among Michigan's alumni, leading University President Alexander Grant Ruthven to announce three weeks later that he would refer to the Board of Regents an alumni request for an investigation into Kipke's dismissal. Fritz Crisler was hired as Kipke's replacement in February 1938.

The firing of Kipke and hiring of Crisler revealed a shift in power in Michigan athletics away from long-time athletic director Fielding H. Yost. Ralph W. Aigler, a law professor and chairman of Michigan's Faculty Board in Control of Athletics since 1917, was one of the first persons within the University to challenge Yost's authority. In 1937, Aigler's hiring of former Notre Dame head coach Hunk Anderson as assistant football coach was seen as a sign that "the iron hand of Fielding Yost carries less power than it did." At the time, it was reported: "Prof. Ralph Aigler is said to be rapidly becoming the dominant figure in Michigan's athletics." When Kipke was fired as Michigan's head coach in December 1937, Yost and Aigler were authorized to begin interviewing candidates for head coach. On February 10, 1938, Aigler made a public announcement that Fritz Crisler had been hired as Michigan's new head football coach. Aigler was reported to have hired Crisler without Yost's knowledge. In fact, the report of Crisler's hiring was combined with indications that "the impending retirement of Fielding H. Yost as Michigan's athletic director will be hastened to put Crisler in complete control." At that point, "it became clear that Yost no longer ran the athletic department. Uncharacteristically, Yost did not raise a ruckus; instead, he stepped aside graciously."

Michigan State

Michigan coach Kipke is the only head coach in Michigan football history to have also served as the head football coach for the Michigan State Spartans. During the Kipke years, Michigan compiled a 3-4-2 record in the Michigan - Michigan State football rivalry. The Kipke years began with three wins and two ties. The Wolverines then lost four consecutive games to the Spartans from 1934 to 1937. Prior to the Kipke years, Michigan had lost only two games to Michigan State.

Minnesota

During the Kipke years, Michigan compiled a 4-4-1 record in its annual Little Brown Jug rivalry game with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Michigan defeated Minnesota four straight years at the beginning of the Kipke years, including victories in 1930 and 1931 over Minnesota teams coached by Fritz Crisler, who replaced Kipke as Michigan's head football coach in 1938. In 1932, Bernie Bierman took over as Minnesota's head coach. Bierman's teams played Michigan to a scoreless tie in 1933 and then won nine straight games against the Wolverines, extending from 1934 to 1942.

Notre Dame

The Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry was inactive during the Kipke years. The two programs did not meet between 1909 and 1942.

Ohio State

During the Kipke years, Michigan compiled a 3-6 record in the Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry. Michigan's only victories over the Buckeyes were in the Wolverines' undefeated seasons in 1930, 1932, and 1933. During the prime Kipke years from 1930 to 1933, Michigan lost only one game, the 1931 Ohio State game. Ohio State hired Francis Schmidt as its head football coach in 1934, and Schmidt's teams defeated Kipke's team four consecutive years from 1934 to 1937. Prior to 1935, the Michigan-Ohio State game was not played as the final game of the season. The tradition of having the two programs conclude their seasons with the rivalry game began in 1935, with Ohio State defeating Michigan 38–0 in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes' 38-point margin in 1935 remains the largest victory margin for any Ohio State team in the rivalry's history.

Michigan Stadium and attendance

Michigan played its home games at Michigan Stadium during the Kipke Years. On October 19, 1929, a record crowd of 85,088 spectators attended the Ohio State game, setting a single-game attendance record that stood until 1943. Ten days after the record-setting crowd attended the Ohio State game, the stock market crash of 1929 struck on Black Tuesday. The Great Depression followed for the next ten years and resulted in greatly reduced attendance at college football games nationwide. Michigan was not immune from the trend and saw its attendance drop significantly during the Kipke years, as follows:

In October 1930, Michigan Stadium became the first to use electronic scoreboards. The electronic scoreboards, installed at both ends, were controlled from a switchboard in the press box and displayed the score, downs, yards to go, and other information on a current basis.

Assistant coaches

Others