George Jewett Trophy
| First meeting | October 29, 1892 Northwestern 10, Michigan 8 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | November 23, 2024 Michigan 50, Northwestern 6 |
| Next meeting | November 15, 2025 |
| Stadiums | Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. Ryan Field Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 77 |
| All-time series | Michigan leads 60–15–2 (.792)[1] |
| Trophy series | Michigan, 2–0 |
| Largest victory | Michigan, 69–0 (1975) |
| Longest win streak | Michigan, 19 (1966–1992) |
| Current win streak | Michigan, 8 (2011–present) |
The George Jewett Trophy is an American college football rivalry trophy awarded to the winner of the Michigan–Northwestern football game. The trophy was established in 2021 in honor of George Jewett.
History
[edit]George Jewett
[edit].jpg)
The Michigan Wolverines and Northwestern Wildcats first played on October 29, 1892 in Chicago. In that game, Michigan's first African American player, George Jewett, kicked a field goal and led Michigan's play on both offense and defense. Despite Jewett's effort, Northwestern prevailed by a score of 10–8.[2][3] Jewett transferred to Northwestern in 1893 and too became that university’s first African American football player. Jewett scored Northwestern's only touchdown in its 1893 loss to Michigan.[4]
Pre-trophy games
[edit]The Wildcats won six out of the first thirteen games before Michigan began to dominate the series. The two programs were co-champions of the Big Ten in the 1926, 1930 and 1931 seasons.[5] In 1925, Northwestern halted Michigan's march to a national championship with a 3–2 victory on a muddy Soldier Field.[6][7] The three points scored by Northwestern were the only points allowed that season by the 1925 Michigan team. Wolverines head coach Fielding H. Yost called his team "the greatest football team I ever saw in action”.[8]
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 score of 28–0, as the Wolverines jumped to No. 1 en route to a national championship that season.[9][10] The Wildcats returned to prominence under head coach Ara Parseghian, defeating the Wolverines in consecutive games in 1958 and 1959.[11][12] Following Parseghian's departure, the series reached its lowest point 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 two tackles for a loss. It was Northwestern's first victory over Michigan in 30 years, and first win in Ann Arbor since 1959.[13] This upset led Northwestern to a 10–2 season, reaching as high as No. 3 in the rankings. The Wildcats won their first Big Ten Conference title that season since 1936, and were invited to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1948.[14][15] 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.[16]
Establishment of trophy
[edit]2021
[edit]In 2021, the University of Michigan and Northwestern University announced the creation of the George Jewett Trophy to be awarded to the football game's winner. The trophy honors George Jewett, who was the first African American college football player to play in the Big Ten Conference and at both schools. This marked the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) rivalry game trophy named for an African American player.[17][18][19] Michigan won the inaugural George Jewett Trophy on October 23, 2021, when the No. 6 ranked Wolverines defeated the Wildcats 33-7 at Michigan Stadium.[20]
2024
[edit]They played for the second time in the trophy series on November 23, 2024. The Wolverines came in to the game as the reigning national champions, but failed to replicate the success of seasons past, entering the game with a 5-5 record as they met the 4-6 Wildcats. Michigan defeated Northwestern 50-6 in the penultimate game of the regular season, retaining the George Jewett and improving to 2-0 in the trophy game. Running back Kalel Mullings rushed for three touchdowns as Michigan became bowl eligible with the win.[21]
Game results
[edit]| Michigan victories | Northwestern victories | Tie games |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Winsipedia – Michigan Wolverines vs. Northwestern Wildcats football series history". Winsipedia.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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).
- ^ "George Jewett Trophy: Michigan vs. Northwestern". University of Michigan Athletics.
- ^ "Michigan football runs over Northwestern 50-6, clinches bowl: 'Just feels like bliss'". Detroit Free Press.