Fritz Crisler
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Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler (born January 12, 1899 near Earlville, Illinois; died August 19, 1982) was a head football coach, best known for his tenure at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1947. He also coached at the University of Minnesota (1930-1931) and Princeton University (1932-1937). Before this, he played football at the University of Chicago under Amos Alonzo Stagg, who nicknamed him Fritz after violinist Fritz Kreisler.
During his head coaching career, which lasted 18 seasons (1930-47), Crisler posted a career record of 116 victories, 32 losses and 9 ties, for a winning percentage of .768. At Michigan, Crisler won 71 games, lost 16, and tied 3 for a winning percentage of .806. Known for his innovative strategies, Crisler is credited with inventing the current two-platoon system, in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. At Michigan, Crisler is also well-known for the distinctive winged football helmet he introduced in 1938. The Michigan football team has worn a version of his design ever since. Crisler had first introduced the winged helmet design at Princeton in 1935; while Princeton abandoned the design when he left, it resumed using it in 1998. [1]
Crisler's 1947 team, dubbed the "Mad Magicians," had an undefeated campaign, capping it off with a 49-0 triumph over Stanford University in the 1948 Rose Bowl. It was the worst defeat in school history until 1966, when Stanford was routed by Notre Dame 51-0. Afterwards, the team was selected the national champion by the Associated Press in an unprecedented post-bowl vote. There was suggestion that Michigan play undefeated Notre Dame to settle the matter once and for all, but Crisler flatly refused to ever play the Irish again after losing to them in 1943. After retiring from coaching, he served as the university's athletic director.
Crisler Arena, home of the Michigan men's and women's basketball teams, was named for Crisler. In addition, one "extra" seat in Michigan Stadium was added to honor Crisler for his special place in the history of Michigan football. However, its location is unknown.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Football head coaching records
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota (Big Ten Conference) (1930 – 1931) | |||||||||
| 1930 | Minnesota | 3-4-1 | 1-3 | 6th (tie) | |||||
| 1931 | Minnesota | 7-3 | 3-2 | 5th | |||||
| Minnesota: | 10-7-1 | 4-5 | |||||||
| Princeton (Independent) (1932 – 1937) | |||||||||
| 1932 | Princeton | 2-2-3 | - | - | |||||
| 1933 | Princeton | 9-0 | - | - | |||||
| 1934 | Princeton | 7-1 | - | - | |||||
| 1935 | Princeton | 9-0 | - | - | |||||
| 1936 | Princeton | 4-2-2 | - | - | |||||
| 1937 | Princeton | 4-4 | - | - | |||||
| Princeton: | 35-9-5 | - | |||||||
| Michigan (Big Ten Conference) (1938 – 1947) | |||||||||
| 1938 | Michigan | 6-1-1 | 3-1-1 | 2nd (tie) | 16 | ||||
| 1939 | Michigan | 6-2 | 3-2 | 3rd (tie) | 20 | ||||
| 1940 | Michigan | 7-1 | 3-1 | 2nd | 3 | ||||
| 1941 | Michigan | 6-1-1 | 3-1-1 | 2nd (tie) | 5 | ||||
| 1942 | Michigan | 7-3 | 3-2 | 3rd (tie) | 9 | ||||
| 1943 | Michigan | 8-1 | 6-0 | 1st (tie) | 3 | ||||
| 1944 | Michigan | 8-2 | 5-2 | 2nd | 8 | ||||
| 1945 | Michigan | 7-3 | 5-1 | 2nd | 6 | ||||
| 1946 | Michigan | 6-2-1 | 5-1-1 | 2nd | 6 | ||||
| 1947 | Michigan | 10-0 | 6-0 | 1st | W 49-0 Rose Bowl | 2/1 | |||
| Michigan: | 71-16-3 | 42-11-3 | |||||||
| Total: | 116-32-9 | ||||||||
| National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title | |||||||||
| #Rankings from final AP of the season. | |||||||||
[edit] See also
- List of presidents of the American Football Coaches Association
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
[edit] Notes
- ^ After 61 years, "Tiger" helmet returns to Princeton. Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW), September 9, 1998
- ^ http://www.mgoblue.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=3052
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Doc Spears |
University of Minnesota Head Football Coach 1930- 1931 |
Succeeded by Bernie Bierman |
| Preceded by Al Witmer |
Princeton University Head Football Coach 1932- 1937 |
Succeeded by Tad Wieman |
| Preceded by Harry G. Kipke |
University of Michigan Head Football Coach 1938–1947 |
Succeeded by Bennie Oosterbaan |
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