The Michigan Wolverines are one of the most historic — and successful — college football teams in the country, but they’ll be achieving a program first when they play in the national championship game.
After defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines will face the Washington Huskies in Houston on Monday in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Michigan already made college football history earlier this season when it became the first program to win 1,000 games. The Wolverines are no strangers when it comes to having national championship history, ranking in the top 10 for most titles.
But the matchup against the Huskies will give the Wolverines a chance to do something it has never done before: win a national championship game. That may sound confusing, but a look back at the history of Michigan’s 144-year history shows how the program can achieve a first on Monday.
WASHINGTON: Have the Huskies ever won a national championship in football?
Here’s everything to know about Michigan’s national championship history:
How many national titles has Michigan won?
It depends on who you asked.
Since starting play in 1879, Michigan has nine national championships, according to the NCAA, tied for sixth most in the NCAA along with Southern California.
However, Michigan says it has won 11 national championship games.
When was Michigan’s last national title?
It’s been nearly 25 years since Michigan last claimed a national championship, last winning one in 1997. Michigan also won most of its national championship before the poll era, which began in 1936.
According to the NCAA, the Wolverines have titles in: 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923, 1933, 1948, 1997. Michigan says it also has won titles in 1932 and 1947.
Michigan national championship game history
Technically, the Wolverines have never won a national championship game, so Monday’s game could be the first time it ever wins one.
The reasoning for that is Michigan’s last national championship came in 1997, one year before the BCS was created. National championship games were formed with the creation of the BCS, but before then, national championships were decided by polls typically by the coaches’ poll, administered solely or jointly by USA TODAY since 1991, or the Associated Press (AP) poll.
So in short, Michigan’s nine, or 11, national championships come from ones it claimed. Here’s how the school determined ‘won’ its championships.
1901: Billingsley, Helms, Houlgate and National Championship Foundation.1902: Billingsley, Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis.1903: Billingsley and National Championship Foundation.1904: Billingsley and National Championship Foundation.1918: Billingsley and National Championship Foundation.1923: Billingsley and National Championship Foundation.1932: Dickinson and Parke Davis.1933: Billingsley, Boand, College Football Research Association, Dickinson, Helms, Houlgate, Football Research, National Championship Foundation and Parke Davis.1947: Associated Press, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous and National Championship Foundation.1948: Associated Press, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation and Williamson.1997: Associated Press, National Football Foundation and Football Writer’s Association.
Here’s a quick look at those Michigan national championship teams:
Michigan 1901 national championship team
Led by Fielding Yost, Michigan won its first title after finishing 11-0. That season, Michigan didn’t allow a single point, outscoring opponents 550-0. The most eye-opening result came against Buffalo, when it won 128-0. That year was also Michigan’s first bowl game in school history, beating Stanford 49-0 in the first Rose Bowl.
Michigan 1902 national championship team
Michigan had another undefeated season with an 11-0 record. Michigan allowed points this season, but still outscored opponents by a whopping 644-12 with nine shutouts. That season, Michigan beat Michigan Agriculture, 119-0.
Michigan 1903 national championship team
The third-straight title came with a tie, finishing the season 11-0-1. The tie came from a 6-6 result at Minnesota. Michigan would shutout every other opponent that season, outscoring teams 565-6.
Michigan 1904 national championship team
The fourth-straight title came after a 10-0 season, with eight games resulting in shutouts. That season, Michigan beat West Virginia 130-0.
Michigan 1918 national championship team
Michigan won another national title during the end of World War I, finishing a shortened season at 5-0. Four of those games were shutouts, outscoring opponents 96-6.
Michigan 1923 national championship team
Michigan won another title in Yost’s final season as head coach, sending him off with a sixth national championship after an 8-0 season.
Michigan 1932 national championship team
Harry Kipke won his first national championship as Michigan’s head coach following an 8-0 season. On this team was backup center Gerald Ford, who would become the 38th president of the United States.
Michigan 1933 national championship team
Kipke led his team to back-to-back national championships after finishing the season 7-0-1. The tie that season came in a scoreless game against Minnesota. Ford was also on this national championship team.
Michigan 1947 national championship team
This is Michigan’s first claimed national championship in the poll era. Led by head coach Herbert ‘Fritz’ Crisler, Michigan went 10-0 and capped off the season with a 49-0 win over Southern California in the Rose Bowl, the Wolverines’ second ever bowl game. This season was significant as Michigan finished No. 1 in the AP Poll in the first ever post-bowl game rankings.
Michigan 1948 national championship team
The Wolverines achieved back-to-back undefeated season’s in Bennie Oosterbaan’s first season as head coach, going 9-0 that season. The national title was claimed without a Rose Bowl appearance, because back then teams were prohibited from playing in more than one Rose Bowl Game in a three-year span.
Michigan 1997 national championship team
Michigan snapped its longest national championship drought in 1997 when Lloyd Carr’s team went 12-0. Led by Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson, the Wolverines would win the Rose Bowl against Washington State, 21-16, in the final season before the invention of the BCS.
