The episode delves into the historical rivalry between the University of Michigan and the University of Notre Dame, a conflict that began in November 1887 when Michigan imparted foundational knowledge of American football to Notre Dame players before their inaugural encounter. This initial meeting culminated in an 8-0 victory for Michigan, setting the stage for decades of rivalry. However, the dynamics shifted dramatically in 1909 when Notre Dame achieved a stunning 11-3 upset against Michigan, a result that reverberated throughout the Western Conference and catalyzed the emergence of Notre Dame’s legendary identity as the “Fighting Irish.” The ensuing fallout, characterized by Fielding Yost’s boycott of the rivalry, effectively severed the competition for 33 years, compelling Notre Dame to seek alternative opponents and inadvertently shaping its national prominence. Throughout the episode, we engage with esteemed historians Dr. John Behe and Timothy Brown, who illuminate the profound implications of this rivalry on the trajectory of college football.
Don’t forget to check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel for additional content and the regular Football History Minute Shorts.
Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don’t, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.
Do you want more football history? Test your Gridiron Knowledge, we feed you Daily with our new FREE activity, The Pigskin Trivia Drive.
Grab a copy of our latest book, "Marooned," on the 1925 Pottsville Maroons NFL franchise saga.
*OR* Grab a copy of our book on Western Pennsylvania football history, "World's Greatest Gridiron Team" on the 1903 Franklin All-Stars
Drop us a line at PigskinDispatch@gmail .com and check out and subscribe to the Pigskin Dispatch YouTube channel.
Contact us directly at [email protected]
Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well, don't because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.
The discourse encapsulates the rich history of the storied rivalry between the University of Michigan and the University of Notre Dame, commencing from a seemingly innocuous encounter on a frigid day in late November 1887. On this occasion, a contingent of Michigan student-athletes arrived in South Bend, Indiana, not merely to engage in a game of football but to impart the foundational rules and strategies of the nascent sport to their Notre Dame counterparts prior to the commencement of the match. Michigan triumphed with an 8-0 victory, yet this initial interaction would set the stage for a rivalry that would evolve into one of the most intense in American collegiate sports. Fast forward to 1909, and the narrative takes a dramatic turn as Notre Dame, under the guidance of coach Frank Longman—a former pupil of Michigan’s illustrious Fielding Yost—achieves a monumental upset, defeating the Wolverines 11-3. This victory not only reverberated throughout the Western Conference but also forged the Fighting Irish moniker, heralding a new chapter in college football history and instigating a prolonged rivalry freeze as Yost retaliated by boycotting Notre Dame for an astonishing 33 years. To elucidate the significance of this rivalry, we delve into the contrasting coaching philosophies of Yost and Notre Dame’s subsequent coach, Newt Rockne, who emerged as a transformative figure in the sport. The segment features insights from historians Dr. John Behe and Timothy Brown, who provide context regarding the tactical evolution of football during the early 20th century. The discussion highlights how, despite the legalization of the forward pass in 1906, many traditional powerhouse teams relied heavily on brute strength and conventional strategies. Notre Dame’s strategic innovation and resilience ultimately culminated in their first victory over Michigan, a feat that would resonate through the annals of college football. The episode serves not only as a historical recounting but also as a reflection on the profound impact of rivalries in shaping collegiate sports culture, illustrating how early encounters sowed the seeds for future confrontations and the development of team identities. As the episode progresses, it becomes apparent that the rivalry is not merely a tale of victories and defeats, but a narrative steeped in character, tenacity, and evolution. The animosity between Yost and Rockne, along with the consequential actions taken by Yost to isolate Notre Dame, would inadvertently propel the Irish towards national prominence as they sought competitive matchups beyond the confines of the Western Conference. The narrative culminates in the realization that what began as an educational engagement in 1887 evolved into a fierce competitive spirit, illustrating the intricate tapestry of sports history where individual narratives intertwine to forge legacies that endure through time. The episode concludes with a reminder of the significance of understanding historical contexts as we explore the modern landscape of college football, reinforcing the notion that the legacies of figures like Yost and Rockne continue to influence the sport today.
Transcript
Welcome back to Pigskin Dispatch your portal deposit of football history.
Speaker A:I'm your host, Darren Hayes.
Speaker A:And in late November:Speaker A:They didn't just come to play a game.
Speaker A:They literally had to teach young men from the University of Notre Dame the basic rules and strategies of early American football right before the kickoff.
Speaker A:Now, Michigan handed out a friendly eight to nothing lesson that afternoon.
Speaker A:wo decades later, in November:Speaker A:Notre Dame stunned Fielding at yoast.
Speaker A:Mighty Wolverines 11 3.
Speaker A:That upset didn't just rattle the Western Conference, it birthed the legend, spawned the nickname the Fighting Irish, and triggered a boycott by Fielding Yost that froze the rivalry for 33 years.
Speaker A:Today, with the help of historians Dr. John Behe and Timothy Brown, we're digging into the roots of the Michigan Notre Dame clash, the evolution of Fielding Yost and how Newt Rockney's world was shaped by the fallout.
Speaker A:,:Speaker A:Notre Dame didn't just have a varsity team.
Speaker A:Michigan, on the other hand, was on their way to play.
Speaker A:Chicago made a scheduled stop in South Bend.
Speaker A:They held a walk through explaining the line scrums, downs and tackling, and then played a scrimmage.
Speaker A:For the next decade, Michigan dominated the every encounter.
Speaker A:By:Speaker A:Folks fielding, hurry up.
Speaker A:Yost teams weren't just winning, they were blittering opponents by a point a minute era.
Speaker A:Now, to give us some insight into Yost's fearless nature and relentless mindset, here's Dr. John Behe, author of Cocchiost Michigan, the tradition maker.
Speaker A:When I look at the guy's character as I studied his football teams and his coaching techniques, he was fearless.
Speaker A:tells us that he was born in:Speaker A:In those early coaching years, Joost never felt it was his job to stop his team from performing there at their peak.
Speaker A:It was his opponent's job.
Speaker A:He pushed every advantage he had.
Speaker A:An unmatched intensity.
Speaker A:Under Yost, Michigan ran up scores and took pride in relentless execution.
Speaker A:But tactically, football at the turn of the century was a bruising, dangerous affair.
Speaker A:Brown explaining what the pre:Speaker B:Opened up the early days of what we now think of as gridiron North American football, U.S. and Canada.
Speaker B:It was rugby and you know, when they started the game, they made some minor tweaks, but it was rugby.
Speaker B:much rugby esque until, say,:Speaker B:And they made some real changes that, including allowing tackling below the waist and things like that that made it harder to do the outside, wide open running of rugby.
Speaker B:And so the game started steering towards this, what ultimately became mass and momentum football.
Speaker B:So mass meaning, you know, it was basically like playing goal line football.
Speaker B:You know, a goal line offensive goal against goal line defense, all 110 yards of the field at the time.
Speaker A:By:Speaker A:rd pass had been legalized in:Speaker A:,:Speaker A:Michigan was heavily favored, but Longman knew yo said some inside and out.
Speaker A:Notre Dame punched back with ferocious tackling and sharp execution, handed Michigan an 113 defeat.
Speaker A:It was Notre Dame's first ever victory over their former teachers.
Speaker A:The Detroit newspapers took notice.
Speaker A:Writing at the Detroit Free Press, legendary sports writer E.A.
Speaker A:Bachelor described the resilient grit of South Bend squad, declaring, quote, eleven fighting Irishmen wrecked the Yos machine yesterday afternoon.
Speaker A:End quote.
Speaker A:That headline gave birth to the moniker that defines the Golden Domers to this day.
Speaker A:d a year later in the fall of:Speaker A:game win streak in:Speaker A:Rockne absorbed the belief that brains and innovation could topple the gridiron giants.
Speaker A:he very next year in November:Speaker A:Notre Dame wanted to prove:Speaker A:But just days before the game, Fielding Yost challenged the eligibility of two Notre Dame stars, George Philbrook and Ralph Dimick, claiming they had exceeded collegiate eligibility limits under Western Conference rules.
Speaker A:And Notre Dame stood by its players.
Speaker A:came back and he canceled the:Speaker A:And he didn't stop there.
Speaker A:Yoast used his considerate power and influence to ban Notre Dame from playing anyone in the Western Conference, which is now the Big Ten, effectively blackballing Notre Dame from the conference schedule altogether.
Speaker A:Now remember where Notre Dame is and the teams that play around them and where the Big Ten is.
Speaker A:Ironically, as Dr. Behe notes in his biography, Yost lived by the public model.
Speaker A:If you lose.
Speaker A:Don't find excuses.
Speaker A:Just congratulate the winners and move on.
Speaker A:Yeah, when it came to Notre Dame, Yost never scheduled them.
Speaker A:He never again during his entire coaching career as an athletic director tenure either.
Speaker A:Now that freeze forced Notre Dame to look elsewhere for opponents.
Speaker A:Instead of staying in the regional midwestern schools, Notre Dame traveled to the west coast to face army and USC and some of those big teams out there.
Speaker A:Playing against Notre Dame in:Speaker A:t again on the gridiron until:Speaker A:And it's amazing when you think about that.
Speaker A:These two fluent influential coaches, Newt Rockne who brought Notre Dame to power in their glory and by far their their pinnacle of coaching fielding H yos is probably that same man for Michigan.
Speaker A:Those hurry up offenses and you know, bringing that team, it's national championships and probably the top tier coach in the Michigan's history.
Speaker A:Debatable I'm sure.
Speaker A:But those two coaches didn't like each other.
Speaker A:Their schools didn't like each other.
Speaker A:But they never played a game opposing each other.
Speaker A:That:Speaker A:as a player in Notre Dame in:Speaker A:So kind of amazing and ironic there.
Speaker A:chilly November afternoon in:Speaker A:Now Michigan taught Notre Dame how to play football.
Speaker A:And Notre Dame learned a lesson well enough to beat its master.
Speaker A:And the ripple effects shaped the modern game today.
Speaker A:And that rivalry really gelled that big.
Speaker A:Thank you to our guest, Dr. John Behe.
Speaker A:Make sure you check out his book Coach Yost, Michigan's tradition [email protected] b e h e.com and Timothy P. Brown at footworkarchaeology.com find their books on Amazon as well.
Speaker A:Visit [email protected] for that daily gridiron history articles and bonus audio.
Speaker A:Also our YouTube channel.
Speaker A:Until next time, keep your helmets high and your eyes on the gridiron.
Speaker A:I'm your host, Darren Hayes.
Speaker A:Have a great gridiron day.
Speaker A:Think you know your football history?
Speaker A:It's time to put your pads on with the pigskin trivia drive.
Speaker A:Choose your play.
Speaker A:Go for a run short pass or risk it all with a long pass.
Speaker A:Answer fast to rack up the yardage and reach the yellow line for a first down and then and earn audible to wipe away those wrong answers.
Speaker A:But watch out.
Speaker A:That play clock has gotcha.
Speaker A:We got 25 seconds before the penalty hits.
Speaker A:Score as many touchdowns as you can in five minutes and claim your spot on a global leaderboard.
Speaker A:Pigs can drive.
Speaker A:You drive where your football IQ is the MVP play [email protected] that's all the football history we have today, folks.
Speaker A:Join us back tomorrow for more of your football history.
Speaker A:We invite we invite you to check out our website, pigskindispatch.com not only to see the daily football history, but to experience positive football with our many articles on the good people of the game as well as our own football comic strip, Cleetmark Comics.
Speaker A:Pigskindispatch.com is also on social media outlets, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and don't forget the BigSkin Dispatch YouTube channel to get all of your positive football news and history.
Speaker A:Special thanks to the talents of Mike and Gene Munro, as well as Jason Neff for letting us use their music during our broadcast.
Speaker B:This podcast is part of the Sports.
Speaker A:History Network, your headquarters for the yesteryear of your favorite sport.
Speaker A:You can learn [email protected].