Overview
The 1902 Michigan football team won Michigan's second consecutive western football championship. Although there was no mechanism in place at the time for the selection of a national champion, the 1902 Wolveirnes have been recognized as the national championship team by the Billingsley Report, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation and Parke H. Davis. The team finished the season undefeated and untied, having prevailed in all eleven of their games by a combined score of 644 to 12. The 1902 squad was the second of five consecutive high-scoring teams that came to be known as Coach Yost's "Point-a-Minute" teams. From 1901 to 1905, Yost's teams compiled a record of 55–1–1 and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 2,821 to 42.
Team captain and quarterback Boss Weeks wrote a review of the 1902 season for the 1903 yearbook, the Michiganensian. Weeks opened his review as follows: "The story of the football season of 1902 is easily told. Champions of the West, with no one to dispute it." In the same publication, Fielding Yost published a 15-point essay entitled, "Why Michigan Is Great." Some of Yost's points included the following:
"First. Speed. Both as a team and in the individual players, Michigan was speedy. ...
Second. Knowledge of the Game. All of the Michigan players were well versed in the fundamental principles of the game in every department. ...
Third. Endurance. the men are of wonderful endurance. This is much due to their fine training ...
Fourth. Spirit. Among the players there is the finest of fellow-feeling. The men's love of the game had helped give them the proper spirit. They have the desire to win -- the spirit of fighters.
Fifth. Team Work. Michigan's team work has been wonderful. ...
Seventh. Weight. Michigan had a well-balanced team. The average was 182 pounds very equally distributed. But one man weighed over 200 pounds (Carter) and but one less than 170 pounds (Weeks at quarterback).
Eighth. Style of Attack. Michigan varied her onslaughts very much, depending largely upon the style of defense used by the team opposing it. Every man on the team was used to carry the ball, thus distributing the work.
Ninth. Generalship. Captain Weeks deserves great credit for Michigan's success. As a leader of forces and strategist I believe he has no equal on the gridiron today. ...
Tenth. Punting. In Sweeley, Michigan has one of the greatest kickers in the country. Never has he had a kick blocked in his four years' play at Michigan. ...
Twelfth. Defense. Michigan's defensive playing has been wonderful. No team was able to cross Michigan's goal on straight football in the last two years ...
Fifteenth. Met All Teams. Michigan's schedule was far harder than that usually arranged for a team. She played five state universities and all the strong Western teams."
Read more about this topic: 1902 Michigan Wolverines Football Team