No, you don't remember. Because that was more than 100 years ago.
If you do remember, please contact me: dbartkowiak@wdiv.com. You certainly have a story to tell.
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Anyway, the 86-0 win for Michigan over Ohio State is the biggest margin of victory in the history of this college football rivalry that started in 1897. I wanted to know what happened in that game, which was the fourth such football game between the schools. I can't even imagine what the game of American football looked like back then.
The University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library offers a rundown of the 1902 football team, listing the iconic Fielding Yost as head coach, Harrison S. "Boss" Weeks as captain, and showing how dominant the 11-0 Wolverines were that season. There were about 6,000 people who attended the Ohio State game at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor.
I couldn't find the definitive play-by-play for this game, but what I did find out was something a lot of Michigan football buffs probably already know: The 1902 Michigan Wolverines football team was quite possibly the most dominant college football team ever. Heck, they might have been the most dominant football team, at any level, of all time.
The season started with an 88-0 win over Albion. The Wolverines also beat Michigan State (then called Michigan State Agricultural College) 119-0 and dominated Iowa 107-0. In fact, Michigan allowed just 12 points against that season, outscoring their 11 opponents 644-12 with nine total shutouts. I hope whoever did score against them that year got to keep the ball.
This was without a doubt a National Championship season for the Michigan football program, the second of 11 such won by the school.
Ohio State, meanwhile, went 6-2-2 that season with a 2-1 record in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Perhaps the most interesting detail about this demoralizing loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor is that it may have been a motivating factor behind one of Ohio State's oldest school spirit songs, "Carmen Ohio." There are some disputed accounts out there that the song's composer wrote it during the train ride home from Michigan.
Here's an excerpt from "Songs of The Ohio State University" about this claim:
"Fred Cornell, who attended the game, was a member of the Ohio State University Glee Club and a four letter athlete. On the train ride home he began to compose a song for Ohio State, by writing phrases on the back of an envelope. Inspired by the loss and hearing the Wolverine crowd sing "The Yellow and Blue," Cornell proceeded to pen the hymn."
If this is true, you could say Michigan beat the alma mater out of Ohio State in 1902.
Photo credit source: 1902 University of Michigan Football Team, Bentley Historical Library