New Trophy Game Added with Northwestern

[Michchamp]

Link:

Michigan football and Northwestern announced the two teams will play for the George Jewett Trophy, named after the Big Ten's first Black college football player.

According to a release from the two programs, the trophy is the first in Football Bowl Subdivision history to be named after a Black player.

?This is a historic moment in major college football history,? Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. ?We are proud to partner with our peer institution, Northwestern, to recognize and honor an African American pioneer in George Jewett. George achieved at a high level as an athlete and doctor. His hard work and effort led to success not only for himself, but for those who would follow a similar path after him.

...

Jewett was valedictorian and a star athlete at Ann Arbor High School (now Ann Arbor Pioneer), participating in track, football and baseball. He played for Michigan during the 1890 and 1892 seasons as fullback and halfback and also was the team?s main kicker, according to the program. In 1893, he transferred to Northwestern and played two seasons for the Wildcats.


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[Michchamp]

Now we have three (3) trophy games, one which is also a rivalry (MSU), and two rivalry games (OSU, ND), although we won't be playing ND again for a while. and also pretty much every other Big Ten opponent considers us a "huge rival" even though we regularly beat them and don't even see it as a big deal. Or at least we did prior to 2008.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Yep, we used to talk glowingly about old George in the Hallowed Halls of dear Pioneer - he was the school’s greatest athlete of the 19th century.

No leather for George - he played football without a helmet and baseball without a glove - an amazing athlete; tough as nails and hard as a rock.

 

[byco42]

Wait ... George entered the transfer portal? What incentive is there for Michigan to possess this trophy then? Michigan should just let NW keep the trophy and just etch the score on it every season.

 

[Spartanmack]

Wait ... George entered the transfer portal? What incentive is there for Michigan to possess this trophy then? Michigan should just let NW keep the trophy and just etch the score on it every season.

they may end up doing that anyway.

edit: I'm not big on the trophy games but this is pretty cool actually - I wonder what why Jewett didn't play in 1891. I have a nephew and 2 nieces in Ann Arbor. they all went to Tappan middle school, the girls are currently at Pioneer and my nephew is a sophomore at uofm.