1913 Michigan Agricultural Aggies football team

The 1913 Michigan Agricultural Aggies football team was an American football team that represented Michigan Agricultural College (MAC) as an independent during the 1913 college football season. In their third year under head coach John Macklin, the Aggies compiled a 7–0 record and outscored their opponents 180 to 28.^[1]

1913 Michigan Agricultural Aggies football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–0
Head coach	John Macklin (3rd season)
Captain	Chester W. Gifford
Home stadium	College Field
Seasons ← 1912 1914 →

1913 Midwestern college football independents records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Michigan Agricultural			–					7	–	0	–	0
Notre Dame			–					7	–	0	–	0
Western State Normal (MI)			–					4	–	0	–	0
Haskell			–					10	–	1	–	0
Michigan			–					6	–	1	–	0
Lake Forest			–					5	–	1	–	1
Doane			–					5	–	1	–	2
St. Mary's (OH)			–					4	–	1	–	1
Christian Brothers (MO)			–					6	–	2	–	1
Wabash			–					5	–	2	–	0
Detroit			–					5	–	3	–	1
Heidelberg			–					4	–	3	–	0
Marquette			–					4	–	3	–	1
Mount Union			–					4	–	3	–	2
Saint Louis			–					5	–	4	–	1
Lincoln (MO)			–					1	–	1	–	0
South Dakota			–					3	–	3	–	0
Northern Illinois State			–					3	–	3	–	3
Akron			–					3	–	4	–	0
Iowa State Teachers			–					2	–	3	–	1
Ohio Northern			–					4	–	6	–	1
Butler			–					2	–	4	–	1
Michigan State Normal			–					2	–	3	–	1
North Dakota Agricultural			–					0	–	2	–	2

Key players included George Gauthier, Gideon Smith, Blake Miller, George E. Julian, and Hugh Blacklock.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 4	Olivet	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 26–0		[2]
October 11	Alma	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 57–0	3,000	[3]
October 18	at Michigan	Ferry Field Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	W 12–7		[4]
October 25	at Wisconsin	Randall Field Madison, WI	W 12–7		[5]
November 1	Akron	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 41–0		[6]
November 8	Mount Union	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 13–7		[7]
November 15	South Dakota	College Field East Lansing, MI	W 19–7		[8]

Game summaries

Michigan

Michigan Agricultural at Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total • Michigan Agricultural 6 0 6 0 12 Michigan 0 0 0 7 7 Date: October 18, 1913 Location: Ferry Field Ann Arbor, MI Referee: Hoagland (Princeton)

On October 18, 1913, the Aggies played Michigan.^[9] For the first time in the history of the intrastate rivalry, the Aggies beat the Wolverines, 12-7. The Aggies' offense, led by fullback "Carp" Julian, scored touchdowns in the first and third quarters, but missed both extra points. Halfback Blake Miller returned a Michigan fumble 45 yards for the one touchdown, and the other score came on a long drive. An account of the game noted: "The one great feature of the game was the accuracy of the Aggies forward passing which netted a total of 76 yards for the Farmers."^[10] Trailing 12-0 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Wolverines rallied in the fourth quarter. Clyde Bastian recovered an M.A.C. fumble at midfield and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown, and George Paterson kicked the extra point, cutting the lead to five points. Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan opened up its offense and drove to the Aggies' 35-yard line. A long forward pass to the goal line fell incomplete, and the game came to an end.^[10][4] The New York Times described the game as "a desperate gruelling struggle."^[4] M.A.C. halfback Blake Miller suffered a blow to the head during the game and was hospitalized in serious condition.^[11]

In November 1913, The Michigan Alumnus made note of the Aggies' potential as an athletic threat: "This victory with the football tie in 1908, and the Farmers' clean sweep in baseball in 1912, point to the fact that M.A.C. will bear watching by Michigan."^[9] In the celebration following the game, two Aggies fans were arrested and jailed for "throwing bottles about the streets" in the early hours of Sunday morning.^[12]

References

1. "2017 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State University. pp. 142, 147. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
2. "M.A.C. Beats Down Olivet Near Finish". Detroit Free Press. October 5, 1913. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Aggies Bounce Alma; Use Old Style of Play". Detroit Free Press. October 12, 1913. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Michigan Suffers Defeat: State Agricultural Team Outplays University Men, 12 to 7". The New York Times. October 19, 1913.
5. W.R. Replinger (October 26, 1913). "Clever M.A.C. Team Is Winner Over Wisconsin". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. 1, 7 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Aggies Do Things To Opponents". Detroit Free Press. November 2, 1913. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Mt. Union Falls Hard To Aggies". Detroit Free Press. November 9, 1913. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "M.A.C. Trounces South Dakota In Storm of Sleet". Detroit Free Press. November 16, 1913. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Michigan's Team -- A General View". The Michigan Alumnus. November 1913. pp. 96–97.
10. "M.A.C., 12; Michigan 7". The Michigan Alumnus. November 1913. p. 98.
11. "Michigan A. C. Player Injured" (PDF). The New York Times. October 19, 1913.
12. "Bottle Hurlers Jailed: Aggies' Victory Celebration Disastrous to Two Young Men". Detroit Free Press. October 20, 1913. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.