Incredible footage of Michigan Football's first night game in 1944
From Dr. Sap, who else? Incredible stuff right here.
September 23, 1944.
Michigan traveled to Milwaukee to face the now-defunt Marquette football team. The reason the game was a night game was because of the V-12 program. From MVictors-
The team left Ann Arbor at 1:30 Friday afternoon and arrived in Milwaukee at 7:40 and had a brief workout under the lights. The article states; “Michigan meets Marquette University at Milwaukee tonight and the opening kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 o’clock to enable the Wolverines to catch an early train out of Milwaukee and have the navy and Marine players back here within the 48-hour limit.
Michigan has 8 fumbles in this game and lost 5 of them.
12,366 saw the Wolverines scrape out a 14-0 win over the Marquette Hilltoppers at Marquette Stadium.
October 4th, 2019 at 3:21 PM ^
I think I saw 3 people doing “The Wave”
October 4th, 2019 at 4:03 PM ^
It was war time.....
Those three are “Waves”....
October 4th, 2019 at 10:27 PM ^
And 3 tackles that should've been targeting.
October 4th, 2019 at 11:09 PM ^
"We're not worthy"
October 4th, 2019 at 3:24 PM ^
Almost looks like rugby.
October 4th, 2019 at 3:49 PM ^
First thing that popped into my head as well. The University I went to had a very good D-1 rugby team, but as far as the stands, audience, even camera-work (lol) was very similar to this. Very cool thing to watch.
October 4th, 2019 at 5:39 PM ^
You'd think WD's deep passion for 1940s football would have diminished with video evidence of how unrecognizable the game was.
October 4th, 2019 at 11:33 PM ^
Doesn't help that the frame rate on the film original makes this appear to be slightly slower than it probably was in real time.
October 4th, 2019 at 3:25 PM ^
Michigan has 8 fumbles in this game and lost 5 of them.
Some things never change
October 4th, 2019 at 3:29 PM ^
Do you think any of them sat out the bowl game for the draft?
October 4th, 2019 at 3:44 PM ^
NFL or war time Draft?
October 4th, 2019 at 3:48 PM ^
No, but many sat out the bowl games to go to war.
Times have changed.
October 4th, 2019 at 4:16 PM ^
Don't worry, we still have war.
October 4th, 2019 at 3:31 PM ^
That actually is pretty cool footage -- better than this comment, even!
October 4th, 2019 at 3:36 PM ^
Who was the QB? Does he still have eligibility?
Also... NO COMMERCIAL BREAKS! (Football nirvana)
October 4th, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
Play design around 1:23 was delicious though...
October 4th, 2019 at 3:42 PM ^
Indeed was, looked like a very modern playcall out of place in the footage. Fake screen to pass on the other side field.
October 4th, 2019 at 3:49 PM ^
Unless I am miscounting, the punt at around the 1:55 minute mark is kicked about three yards away from the backline of the endzone and is caught at the opponent 25? 82 yards in the air!
October 4th, 2019 at 3:51 PM ^
Aren't the yard marks in that footage one line for every 5 yards?
October 4th, 2019 at 5:12 PM ^
Farther than that. Back in the day we used imperial yards. 4ft = 1 imperial yard.
October 4th, 2019 at 6:10 PM ^
I noticed the same thing but I don't know about 80+, I would say 70+.
Marquette U was called the Hilltoppers then so I guess that punt woulda been at altitude.
October 4th, 2019 at 3:53 PM ^
The flashes from the olde time cameras threw me for a second. That must've been pretty damn distracting for the players.
October 4th, 2019 at 4:34 PM ^
More like daunting and mesmerizing... those flashes (I've seen them used) are incredibly bright, and when you're playing on a dark field, with lower light levels, it could be blinding!
October 4th, 2019 at 9:45 PM ^
You've seen 'em used? I used to use them...
October 4th, 2019 at 3:56 PM ^
i watched. maybe Dr. Sap spliced some footage, but if not, then the michigan punt at about 2 minutes goes from inside our own end zone to the marquette 30. does that punter have any eligibility left?
October 4th, 2019 at 3:58 PM ^
How about that punt from the endzone?
October 4th, 2019 at 3:59 PM ^
"Michigan has 8 fumbles in this game and lost 5 of them."
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Just kidding.
The speed of the game actually was not bad back then. Guys could run and throw it a little.
October 4th, 2019 at 4:00 PM ^
The play design around 1:50 for the other team!
October 4th, 2019 at 4:03 PM ^
Wow!
October 4th, 2019 at 4:26 PM ^
0.30: Michigan players in lower left bitching about not getting paid for their likeness in the Kresge fall catalog.
October 4th, 2019 at 9:46 PM ^
No, no--it was the Sears Christmas catalogue... I remember.
October 4th, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
9/23/44. Great day. Great times.
October 4th, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
Eight fumbles? Fire Fritz Crisler!
October 4th, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
The white football (to be easily seen at night) is a neat touch.
October 4th, 2019 at 4:42 PM ^
True, football was very white back then.
October 4th, 2019 at 5:05 PM ^
Yes, noticed that also. Remember seeing old NFL footage with the white football. Otto Graham comes to mind. Love these nostalgic clips.
Thanks to all for your due diligence.
October 4th, 2019 at 11:31 PM ^
I believe I've read it was actually a yellow football. Er, maize.
October 4th, 2019 at 5:32 PM ^
Where can I get an “Under The Lights” 1944 t-shirt?
October 4th, 2019 at 5:49 PM ^
Kresge's
/s
October 4th, 2019 at 6:23 PM ^
That's cool!
October 4th, 2019 at 7:34 PM ^
October 4th, 2019 at 7:44 PM ^
I love everything about that. Especially the left-footed, straight-on field-goal kicker.
October 4th, 2019 at 10:37 PM ^
Journalism sure was different back in the day...
October 4th, 2019 at 8:25 PM ^
Interestingly, also the first college game of John O’Neils officiating career.
Very cool footage.
October 4th, 2019 at 8:41 PM ^
Fuck John O'Neil!!!!!!!
October 4th, 2019 at 9:23 PM ^
I saw a block in the back and of course no flag. We’ve been playing the other team and the refs since at least 1944.
October 4th, 2019 at 9:56 PM ^
This is great.
October 4th, 2019 at 10:03 PM ^
Wow, that cut block on the punt return at 2:07...
October 4th, 2019 at 10:24 PM ^
Wartime UM and Iowa Pre-Flight trivia...
Marquette only won one game in 1944 and looked like it. But Michigan had beaten Iowa Pre-flight ,a formidable foe of older players and former professional athletes the week before. The 1944 team had some assistant coach named Bud Wilkinson who couldn't solve UM's "aerial attack". It was the only game Iowa Pre-flight lost finishing #6.
in 1943, Iowa Pre-Flight lost only one game at Notre Dame 14-13. The final AP poll was taken after that game and ND was declared national champion. ND lost the next week to Great Lakes Navy but the AP still gave ND their fourth national championship. Iowa Pre-Flight finished #2.
Anyway Iowa Pre-flight was obviously not the Iowa Hawkeyes, and in fact they beat the Hawkeyes both times they played at Kinnick (then Iowa Stadium).
From wikipedia: The 1943 Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team represented the United States Navy pre-flight school at the University of Iowa as an independent during the 1943 college football season. In the second season of intercollegiate football at the pre-flight school, the team compiled a 9–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 277 to 98, and was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll.[1][2]
In July 1943, Don Faurot—previously the head football coach at Missouri and recently enlisted in the Navy with a rank of lieutenant—was assigned to take over from Bernie Bierman as the team's head coach.[3] Upon arriving in Iowa City in August, 100 candidates tried out at Faurot's first football practice session. Faurot said he would use a T formation and promised at the time that "we will have a fighting squad and a fighting team."