The George Jewett Trophy is an American college football rivalry trophy that was established in 2021 to be awarded to the winner of the Michigan–Northwestern football game.
| First meeting | October 29, 1892 Northwestern 10, Michigan 8 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 23, 2021 Michigan 33, Northwestern 7 |
| Next meeting | November 23, 2024, in Ann Arbor, MI |
| Stadiums | Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. Ryan Field Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Trophy | George Jewett Trophy (Est. 2021) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 76 |
| All-time series | Michigan leads 59–15–2 (.789)[1] |
| Trophy series | Michigan, 1–0 |
| Largest victory | Michigan, 69–0 (1975) |
| Longest win streak | Michigan, 19 (1966–1992) |
| Current win streak | Michigan, 7 (2011–present) |
History
editEstablishment of trophy
editIn 2021, the two universities announced the creation of the George Jewett Trophy to be awarded to the game's winner. The trophy honors Jewett, who was the first African-American college football player at both schools and in the Big Ten Conference. This marked the first FBS rivalry game trophy named for an African-American player.[2][3][4]
George Jewett
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Michigan and Northwestern first played on October 29, 1892, in Chicago. In that game, halfback George Jewett, Michigan's first African-American player, kicked a field goal and led Michigan's play on both offense and defense. Despite Jewett's effort, Northwestern prevailed by a 10–8 score.[5][6]
Jewett transferred to Northwestern in 1893 and became that school's first African-American football player. Jewett scored Northwestern's only touchdown in its 1893 loss to Michigan.[7]
Pre-trophy games
editThe Wildcats went on to win six out of the first thirteen games, before Michigan began to dominate the series. The two programs were co-champions of the Big Ten during the 1926, 1930, and 1931 seasons.[8] And in 1925, Northwestern halted Michigan's march to a national championship with a 3–2 victory on a muddy surface at Soldier Field.[9][10] The three points scored by Northwestern were the only points allowed by the 1925 Michigan team that Fielding H. Yost called "the greatest football team I ever saw in action."[11]
In 1948, the schools met with Michigan ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll and Northwestern at No. 3. Michigan forced four turnovers and prevailed by a 28–0 score, as the Wolverines jumped to No. 1, en route to a national championship.[12][13]
The Wildcats returned to prominence under head coach Ara Parseghian, defeating the Wolverines in consecutive games in 1958 and 1959.[14][15] Following Parseghian's departure, the series reached its nadir as Michigan won 19 consecutive games from 1966 to 1992.
In 1995, No. 25 Northwestern scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to shock No. 6 Michigan, 19–13. The Wildcats took advantage of four Michigan turnovers, and Pat Fitzgerald led Northwestern with 14 tackles including 2 tackles for loss. It was Northwestern's first victory over Michigan in 30 years, and first win in Ann Arbor since 1959.[16] This upset sprung Northwestern on the path to a 10–2 season, reaching as high as No. 3 in the rankings. The Wildcats won their first Big Ten Conference title since 1936, and were invited to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1948.[17][18]
Additional Northwestern upsets of highly ranked Michigan teams in 1996 and 2000 were key in Northwestern's Big Ten title winning seasons. The 1995, 1996, and 2000 teams are Northwestern's only three Big Ten champions in the AP Poll era.
Prior to the creation of the Jewett Trophy, Michigan held a 58–15–2 advantage in the series.[19]
Game results
edit| Michigan victories | Northwestern victories | Tie games |
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Winsipedia – Michigan Wolverines vs. Northwestern Wildcats football series history". Winsipedia.
- ^ "Michigan and Northwestern Establish George Jewett Trophy". mgoblue.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
The University of Michigan and Northwestern University have established the first rivalry game trophy named for an African American player in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history, creating the George Jewett Trophy, announced jointly by the two institutions today (Thursday, Feb. 25).
- ^ Orion Sang (February 25, 2021). "Michigan, Northwestern to play for George Jewett Trophy, honoring Big Ten's first Black football player". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ "Michigan Wolverines, Northwestern Wildcats football to play for George Jewett Trophy". ESPN.com. February 25, 2021.
This becomes the Big Ten's 16th rivalry game trophy – the third for Michigan (Little Brown Jug, Paul Bunyan Trophy) and second for Northwestern (Land of Lincoln Trophy).
- ^ "Evanston Men Win". The Inter Ocean. October 30, 1892. p. 6.
- ^ "Northwestern Beats Ann Arbor". Chicago Tribune. October 30, 1892 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Almost a Shut-Out: Northwestern Powerless Before the Strength and Skill of Our Team – 72 to 6". The U. of M. Daily. November 20, 1893. pp. 1, 3 – via Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ "Michigan Leads, 7 to 4, In Northwestern Series Starting in Early 80's". Battle Creek Enquirer. November 14, 1936. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.("Michigan, which three times has tied Northwestern for the Western conference title, holds an edge of seven victories to four for the Wildcats in a rivalry which dates back to 1892.")
- ^ Walter Eckersall (November 8, 1925). "Northwestern Upsets Michigan, 3–2: Purple Brains and Lewis' Toe Sink Wolverines in Morass; Flash of Genius in Giving Foes Safety Saves the Day". Chicago Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
- ^ "Michigan Beaten By Northwestern: Bows to Purple, 3 to 2, Before 20,000 in Game Played in Rainstorm at Chicago; Lewis's Kick Decides Issue; Field Goal Overcomes Safety Made Deliberately by Winners – Not One First Down". The New York Times. November 8, 1925.
- ^ "Yost Calls 1925 Eleven Greatest: Does Not Even Except Wonderful Teams of 1901 and 1902; Rolled Up Grand 227 Point Total; Wolverine Mentor Says He's Proud to Have Coached Boys". The Hartford Courant. November 29, 1925. p. B2. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
- ^ Walter W. Ruch (October 17, 1948). "Takes 18th In Row: 85,938 Watch Michigan Score Over Wildcats in Big Nine Contest; Koceski Wolverine Star". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ Allison Danzig (October 18, 1948). "Michigan Is Defensive Standout Among Nation's College Elevens: Wolverines Have Yielded Only 7 Points in 4 Games". The New York Times.
- ^ Tommy Devine (October 19, 1958). "Wildcats Murder M, 55–24". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hal Middlesworth (October 18, 1959). "'Cats Win, 20–7: U-M Gives All – But NW Takes". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Northwestern Stuns Michigan This Time : Big Ten: Opportunistic Wildcats down Wolverines, 19–13, for first victory over foe in 30 years". Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1995.
- ^ "'One of the greatest underdog stories of our time': Northwestern's run to the Rose Bowl, 25 years later". ESPN.com. November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ "Northwestern Wildcats School History". sports-reference.com.
- ^ "Winsipedia – Michigan Wolverines vs. Northwestern Wildcats football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.