Michigan National Champs Gear
Celebrate the Wolverines 2023 National Championship with championship shirts, hats and more!
Michigan’s No. 21 is the latest jersey number to be retired by the University
Discover great facts regarding Michigan football to include national championship seasons, bowl history, retired football jerseys, Heisman Trophy winners, Pro Football Hall of Fame members, rivalries and more.
- National Championships: The Wolverines lay claim to 11 national titles with their first one being gained in 1901 when Fielding Yost’s squad posted an 11-0 record and won the Rose Bowl. Yost went on to coach 5 more national championship seasons from the Wolverines sideline in (1902, 1903, 1904, 1918 and 1923). Additional national championships have been coached by Harry Kipke (1932 & 1933), Fritz Crisler (1947), Bennie Oosterbaan (1948) and
Lloyd Carr (1997). - Number of Michigan undefeated football seasons – 12: The school’s first undefeated mark took place in 1879. Since then the Maize and Blue has avoided any losses in the following years: (1880, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1898, 1910, 1922, 1930, 1973 and 1992).
- Michigans first bowl game – 1902 Rose Bowl: Played on January 1, following the 1901 season. Michigan beat Stanford 49-0.
- Most coaching wins by a Wolverines football coach – Bo Schembechler: From
1969-1989, the beloved University of Michigan head coach directed 194 wins vs. a mere 48 losses and 5 ties. Schembechler posted a .796 win percentage.
- Number of Michigan Heisman Trophy winners – 3: Tom Harmon won the award in 1940, Desmond Howard gained the trophy in 1991 and Charles Woodson gained Heisman fame in 1997.
- Michigan Wolverines in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: George Allen, Len Ford, Bill Hewit, Dan Diedorf, Benny Hewitt, Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, Tom Mack, Ralph Wilson.
- Michigan vs. Ohio State Rivalry: Known as “The Game” by many that follow this heated rivalry. ESPN dubbed this annual slug fest in 2000 as the “Greatest North American Sports Rivalry.” Michigan leads the rivalry that was first played in 1897.
- Michigan Wolverine football uniforms: Made famous by the school’s winged helmets and Maize and Blue Colors. The winged helmet design was brought to the University of Michigan in 1938 by new Head Football Fritz Crisler who had used a similar design at his previous coaching stint Princeton. The helmet design was thought to assist passers in spotting their teammates downfield.
- Michigan fight song: “The Victors”. Known as of college football’s best fight songs, The Victors was penned in 1898 by UM student Louis Elbel just after a nail-biting win over the University of Chicago.
| Michigan Wolverines Football Jerseys That Have Been Retired | |
| According to Big 10 jersey expert Mark Rea, the following Michigan Wolverines football jerseys have been retired. | |
| # | Name |
11 | Francis, Albert & Alvin Wistert: These three brothers all wore jersey #11 for Michigan. They’re know for being 3 of the best tackles in Michigan history. The brothers’ careers spanned from 1931 to 1949. |
21 | Desmond Howard is the most recent Wolverine to have his jersey retired. The University retired his No. 21 in 2015. Howard won the 1991 Heisman Trophy after leading the Big 10 in scoring. |
47 | Bennie Oosterbaan wore Michigan Jersey # 47. He was an All-American in both football and basketball and later returned to Michigan to coach the Wolverines to 3 Big 10 titles. |
48 | Gerald Ford donned Michigan Wolverines football jersey #48 while playing both center and linebacker for Michigan. After Ford helped to lead Michigan to national championships in 1932 and 1933, Ford would later become the President of the United States in 1974. |
87 | Ron Kramer wore Michigan Wolverine jersey #87. Kramer was a 3-sport star for the Wolverines and later played 10 seasons in the NFL. |
98 | Tom Harmon won the Heisman Trophy in 1940 and led the nation in scoring in 1939 and 1940. Tom Harmon wore Michigan Wolverine jersey #98 |
