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The George Jewett Trophy is an American college football rivalry trophy awarded to the winner of the Michigan–Northwestern football game. The trophy was established in 2021 in honor of George Jewett.
| First meeting | October 29, 1892 Northwestern 10, Michigan 8 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | November 23, 2024 Michigan 50, Northwestern 6 |
| Next meeting | November 15, 2025 |
| Stadiums | Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. Ryan Field Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 77 |
| All-time series | Michigan leads 60–15–2 (.792)[1] |
| Trophy series | Michigan, 2–0 |
| Largest victory | Michigan, 69–0 (1975) |
| Longest win streak | Michigan, 19 (1966–1992) |
| Current win streak | Michigan, 8 (2011–present) |
George Jewett
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The Michigan Wolverines and Northwestern Wildcats first played on October 29, 1892 in Chicago. In that game, Michigan's first African American player, George Jewett, kicked a field goal and led Michigan's play on both offense and defense. Despite Jewett's effort, Northwestern prevailed by a score of 10–8.[2][3] Jewett transferred to Northwestern in 1893 and too became that university’s first African American football player. Jewett scored Northwestern's only touchdown in its 1893 loss to Michigan.[4]
Pre-trophy games
The Wildcats won six out of the first thirteen games before Michigan began to dominate the series. The two programs were co-champions of the Big Ten in the 1926, 1930 and 1931 seasons.[5] In 1925, Northwestern halted Michigan's march to a national championship with a 3–2 victory on a muddy Soldier Field.[6][7] The three points scored by Northwestern were the only points allowed that season by the 1925 Michigan team. Wolverines head coach Fielding H. Yost called his team "the greatest football team I ever saw in action”.[8]
In 1948, the schools met with Michigan ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll and Northwestern at No. 3. Michigan forced four turnovers and prevailed by a score of 28–0, as the Wolverines jumped to No. 1 en route to a national championship that season.[9][10] The Wildcats returned to prominence under head coach Ara Parseghian, defeating the Wolverines in consecutive games in 1958 and 1959.[11][12] Following Parseghian's departure, the series reached its lowest point as Michigan won 19 consecutive games from 1966 to 1992.
In 1995, No. 25 Northwestern scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to shock No. 6 Michigan, 19–13. The Wildcats took advantage of four Michigan turnovers, and Pat Fitzgerald led Northwestern with 14 tackles, including two tackles for a loss. It was Northwestern's first victory over Michigan in 30 years, and first win in Ann Arbor since 1959.[13] This upset led Northwestern to a 10–2 season, reaching as high as No. 3 in the rankings. The Wildcats won their first Big Ten Conference title that season since 1936, and were invited to play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1948.[14][15] Additional Northwestern upsets of highly ranked Michigan teams in 1996 and 2000 were key in Northwestern's Big Ten title winning seasons. The 1995, 1996 and 2000 teams are Northwestern's only three Big Ten champions in the AP Poll era.
Prior to the creation of the Jewett Trophy, Michigan held a 58–15–2 advantage in the series.[16]
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2021
In 2021, the University of Michigan and Northwestern University announced the creation of the George Jewett Trophy to be awarded to the football game's winner. The trophy honors George Jewett, who was the first African American college football player to play in the Big Ten Conference and at both schools. This marked the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) rivalry game trophy named for an African American player.[17][18][19] Michigan won the inaugural George Jewett Trophy on October 23, 2021, when the No. 6 ranked Wolverines defeated the Wildcats 33-7 at Michigan Stadium.[20]
2024
They played for the second time in the trophy series on November 23, 2024. The Wolverines came in to the game as the reigning national champions, but failed to replicate the success of seasons past, entering the game with a 5-5 record as they met the 4-6 Wildcats. Michigan defeated Northwestern 50-6 in the penultimate game of the regular season, retaining the George Jewett and improving to 2-0 in the trophy game. Running back Kalel Mullings rushed for three touchdowns as Michigan became bowl eligible with the win.[21]
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| Michigan victories | Northwestern victories | Tie games |
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