Forest Evashevski - Playing Career

Playing Career

18 months later, Evy enrolled at the University of Michigan. Michigan football coach Fritz Crisler wanted Evashevski on the field, so Evy was moved from the center position to quarterback one week before his first varsity game. In Crisler's single-wing system, the quarterback position required mostly calling signals and blocking for the running back, and Evashevski had the blocking skills and intelligence necessary to become a star. He started and was an all-Big Ten Conference performer three straight seasons. He played from 1938–1940 and paved the way for running back Tom Harmon, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1940. Evashevski also played in the same Michigan backfield with David M. Nelson, a fellow alumni of Northwestern High. Nelson would go on to a noteworthy coaching career; among his many contributions was the wing-T formation.

Harmon said, "Evy seemed to think right with Crisler...s a linebacker, he had a fantastic instinct for smelling out the play...As a blocker, I never saw a better one." Although Harmon won the Heisman, Evashevski was the team's captain. Evashevski was also the most dynamic personality on the team. Once, Crisler's Wolverines were leading a foe 21–0 at half. He feared a letdown, so he ordered his team to consider the game scoreless. Crisler then asked, "OK, Evy, what's the score?" Evashevski replied, "You can't kid me, coach. The score is 21–0." On another occasion, Evashevski shocked both his coach and teammates by lighting a victory cigar on the sidelines with thirty seconds to play in a 1939 win over Ohio State.

Before a game against Minnesota, Crisler implored his team in a pregame speech to be 11 lions on offense and 11 tigers on defense. Evashevski spoke up and said he would not play unless he could be a leopard. On another day, Crisler, who demanded punctuality of his players, arrived for practice a little late. "Fritz", Evashevski barked, daring to use Crisler's nickname, "we begin practice at 3:30. It's now 3:35. Take a lap around the field"; Crisler did.

The Wolverines were 20–4 from 1938–1940. Crisler later called Evashevski "the greatest quarterback I ever had." Evashevski won the Big Ten Medal given to the school's best senior student-athlete. He was the baseball catcher, the senior class president, and an honor society member. Evashevski graduated with a sociology major and a psychology minor. He wanted to take labor law at the University of Michigan Law School, but World War II intervened.