MICHIGAN HIGH
SCHOOL
FOOTBALL RECORD BOOK
All information copyright 2011 by
Ron Pesch
1317 Lakeshore Drive
Muskegon, Michigan 49441
Home: (231) 759-7253
Mythical State Titles 1894-1950
The debate on
the state's top team is nearly as old as the game itself. In the early
years, and the battle for the crown took place in the press, as local writers
dissected the schedules of the "challengers for the crown" in an attempt to
determine the merit of a claim.
Qualification for the state crown was
usually based on an undefeated record against other Michigan high schools.
While challenges often surfaced between the state's undefeated, the contests
seldom took place. Hence, historians refer to the titles as "mythical".
As early as 1926, the Associated Press expressed the need for a new
system to select Michigan's high school grid champion. The state's first
gridiron poll found to date appeared in the fall of 1944 in the Detroit Free
Press. The Associated Press debuted a poll in 1947, however no other AP
polls have surfaced for the years 1948-1950.
A second AP poll
appeared in the fall of 1951. Based
on a weekly survey of 17 sports editors in Michigan, the poll rated the states
finest teams.
However, the poll had
many critics. By the end of the
season, the council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Coach
Harry Potter of number one ranked Muskegon and Ted Sowle of number two ranked
Grand Rapids Catholic Central had denounced the AP poll.
Potter felt that the polls put "dangerous pressures" on athletes.
Both men believed the weekly polls overemphasized the importance of a
"game."
It appears
the Associated Press abandoned the rankings because of the '51 controversy.
AP sponsored lists of undefeated teams have been found for the 1952,
1953, and 1954 seasons. The teams,
however, are not ranked.
In the fall of 1955,
the AP poll reappeared. Ann Arbor
was selected as the recipient of the mythical state championship.
Based on a poll of the state's high school football writers and
sportscasters, the Pioneers received 21 of the 26 first-place votes in the final
balloting of the season. The
criticism had died down, and the AP football poll became a fixture in the state
of Michigan.
Here is a listing, assembled from a variety of sources, listing claimants
to the state's mythical crown 1894-1950.
Please
e-mail me if you can provide additional details on teams listed below, or on
teams that you feel should be on the list.
I'm also chasing the names of those that claimed a title in Class B, Class
C and Class D from those years before the polls.
Thanks!
Ron
Click here
to read an expanded account of Michigan's Mythical State Champions
|
|
Michigan's
Mythical Gridiron Champs |
|
|
|
Year |
School |
Record |
Head Coach |
|
A-50 |
Flint Northern |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Guy Houston |
| A-49 |
Grand Rapids Catholic Central |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Ted Sowle |
|
A-48 |
Grand Rapids Union |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Milo Sukup |
|
A-47 |
Flint Central |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Howard Auer |
|
A-47 |
Muskegon Heights
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Oscar Johnson |
| A-46 |
Muskegon Heights
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Oscar Johnson |
|
A-46 |
Lansing Sexton |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Al Bovard |
| A-45 |
Muskegon Heights
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Oscar Johnson |
|
A-44 |
Saginaw
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Carl Norberg |
|
A-44 |
Muskegon
|
(8 - 0 - 0) |
C. Leo Redmond |
|
A-44 |
Grand Rapids South |
(7 - 0 - 0) |
Jake Brady |
|
A-44 |
Detroit Mackenzie |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Dick Frankoski |
| A-43 |
Ann Arbor
|
(8 - 0 - 0) |
LeVerne "Kip" Taylor |
| A-43 |
Dearborn Fordson |
(7 - 0 - 0) |
|
|
A-43 |
Grand Rapids Catholic Central |
(7 - 0 - 0) |
Ted Sowle |
| A-42 |
Detroit Catholic Central? |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
|
|
A-42 |
Flint Northern |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Guy Houston |
|
A-42 |
Muskegon
|
(7 - 0 - 1) |
C. Leo Redmond |
| A-42 |
Wyandotte Roosevelt |
(7 - 0 - 0) |
John Middlesworth |
|
A-42 |
Jackson
|
(7 - 1 - 1) |
Fortune Sullo |
|
A-41 |
Ann Arbor? |
(8 - 0 - 1) |
LeVerne "Kip" Taylor |
|
A-41 |
Detroit Cooley |
(9 - 0 - 1) |
Herb Smith |
| A-40 |
Flint Northern |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Guy Houston |
|
A-40 |
Ann Arbor? |
(7 - 0 -1) |
LeVerne "Kip" Taylor |
| A-39 |
Flint Northern |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Guy Houston |
|
A-39 |
Lansing Central |
(7 - 0 - 0) |
Deane Burnham |
| A-38 |
Detroit Catholic Central |
|
|
|
A-38 |
Lansing Central |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
John Middlesworth |
| A-37 |
Lansing Central |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
John Middlesworth |
|
A-37 |
Muskegon
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
C. Leo Redmond |
|
A-36 |
Muskegon
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
C. Leo Redmond |
| A-35 |
Muskegon Heights
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Oscar Johnson |
| A-34 |
Lansing Eastern |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Walter Graff |
|
A-34 |
Muskegon Heights
|
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Oscar Johnson |
|
A-33 |
Flint Northern |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Guy Houston |
|
A-33 |
Lansing Eastern |
(8 - 0 - 1) |
Walter Graff |
|
A-33 |
Muskegon Heights
|
(7 - 0 - 0 ) |
Oscar Johnson |
|
A-32 |
Flint Central |
(7 - 1 - 0) |
Dan Fisher |
| A-32 |
Grand Rapids Central |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Harold Steele |
| A-31 |
Grand Rapids Union |
(8 - 0
- 1) |
John Hess |
| A-31 |
Lansing Central |
(7 - 0 - 1) |
|
|
A-31 |
Hamtramck |
(
- 1 - 1) |
Hal Shields |
| A-30 |
Flint Northern |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Guy Houston |
|
A-30 |
Grand Rapids South |
(8 - 0 - 1) |
Cliff Gettings |
| A-30 |
Jackson
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Elwood Watson |
|
A-30 |
Hamtramck |
( -
- ) |
Hal Shields |
| A-29 |
Bay City Central |
(6 - 0 - 3) |
Garland Nevitt |
| A-29 |
Benton Harbor |
(6 - 0 - 2) |
Wally Webber |
| A-28 |
Muskegon
|
(10 - 0 - 0) |
C. Leo Redmond |
|
A-28 |
Bay City Central |
(11 - 0 - 0) |
Garland Nevitt |
| A-27 |
Muskegon
|
(10 - 0 - 0) |
C. Leo Redmond |
|
A-27 |
Detroit Northwestern |
( -
- ) |
Sam Bishop |
| A-26 |
Muskegon
|
(9 - 0 - 1) |
C. Leo Redmond |
| A-25 |
Flint Central |
(10 - 0 - 0) |
? Bassett |
|
A-25 |
Grand Rapids Union |
(10 - 0 - 0) |
John Truesdale |
|
A-25 |
Port Huron
|
(10 - 0 - 0) |
Melvin J. Myers |
| A-24 |
Flint Central |
(10 - 0 - 0) |
? Erickson |
|
A-24 |
Grand Rapids South |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Elrpy Guckert |
|
A-23 |
Ann Arbor
|
(9 - 0 - 1) |
L.H. Hollway |
| A-23 |
Muskegon
|
(9 - 1 - 0) |
J. Francis Jacks |
| A-22 |
Flint Central |
(11 - 0
- 0) |
S. Glenn Mayer |
| A-22 |
Detroit Eastern? |
( -
- 1) |
Bill Remmert |
| A-21 |
Muskegon
|
(8 - 0 - 0) |
J. Francis Jacks |
| A-20 |
Muskegon
|
(7 - 0 - 1) |
J. Francis Jacks |
| A-19 |
Lansing Central |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Ernest J. Shassberger |
| A-18 |
Lansing Central |
(8 - 0 - 0) |
Ernest J. Shassberger |
|
A-17 |
Detroit Northwestern |
( -
- ) |
? Jones |
| A-17 |
Lansing Central |
(7 - 0 - 1) |
Ernest J. Shassberger |
|
A-16 |
Detroit Central |
( -
- ) |
? Burroughs |
| A-15 |
Detroit Central |
(10 - 0 - 1) |
Edbert Buss |
|
A-14 |
Detroit Central |
(10 - 0 - 0) |
Edbert Buss |
|
A-13 |
Detroit Central |
(10 - 0 - 0) |
William Stocking |
|
A-12 |
Grand Rapids Central |
( -
- ) |
T. Dinsmore Upton |
| A-11 |
Bay City Eastern |
(9 - 0 - 0) |
Gordon Carver |
|
A-11 |
Detroit Central |
(7 - 1 - 1) |
William Stocking |
|
A-10 |
Detroit Central |
(8 - 0 - 1) |
William Stocking |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| A-09 |
Ann Arbor
|
(11 - 0 - 0) |
George Miller |
| A-08 |
Escanaba |
(5 - 0 - 0) |
Fred MacKenzie |
|
A-08 |
Ann Arbor
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
George Miller |
| A-07 |
Escanaba |
(4 - 0 - 0) |
Wolzie Boren |
|
A-07 |
Saginaw
|
(9 - 0 - 0) |
"Bull" Green |
|
A-06 |
Benton Harbor
|
( -
- ) |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Off-Time Playoffs at Ann Arbor |
|
|
|
A-05 |
Ishpeming |
( -
- ) |
Edward Perkins |
|
A-04 |
Escanaba |
(6 - 1 - 1) |
John Woodhams |
|
A-03 |
Benton Harbor
|
(10 - 0 - 0) |
Clayton T. Teetzel |
|
A-02 |
Ishpeming |
( -
- ) |
Dr. George Sweetland |
|
A-01 |
Ishpeming |
( -
- ) |
Dr. George Sweetland |
|
A-00 |
Ishpeming |
( -
- ) |
William Jolliffe |
|
A-99 |
Pontiac
|
( -
- ) |
Charles Stevens |
|
|
|
|
|
A-98 |
Ann Arbor
|
( -
- ) |
|
|
A-97 |
Ann Arbor
|
( 6 - 1 - 0) |
D.W. Springer |
|
A-97 |
Detroit Central |
(
- - ) |
|
|
A-96 |
Grand Rapids Central |
( 7 - 1 - 1) |
Charles McPherson |
|
A-95 |
Detroit Central |
( -
- ) |
|
|
A-94 |
Detroit Central |
( -
- ) |
|
|
Hal Shields, head coach of Hamtramck's
1931 Mythical State Champions |