High School Teams vs College Football Teams.. No actually
Today, Michigan high school football and college football operate at distinctly different levels. The idea of a high school team taking the field against a university program seems almost unthinkable. But long before today’s safety measures and regulations, Michigan’s college programs regularly faced local high schools. From the “mountainous terrain” of Mount Clemens to Mount Pleasant, The Big Madonski looks back at the early chapters of Michigan football history, a time when the state’s college football programs took the field against high school opponents.
Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan University, originally known as Michigan State Normal College, has a particularly interesting connection to this forgotten era.
Before the school became the MACtion program we all know and love, its football team actually played several of Michigan’s top high school programs. Those games were no where near scrimmages, many were recorded as official contests and produced some of the most interesting results in the history of football in the State. In 1891, Ann Arbor Pioneer’s first varsity season. Pioneer defeated Michigan State Normal College 34-4, before shutting out the Normalites again with a 16-0 victory, in 1892. Eastern Michigan also faced Detroit Central, the oldest high school football program in Michigan (1888).
But one of the most famous examples came when on this date in 1903, Mount Clemens High School defeated Eastern Michigan, 23-0. While the result stands out on its own, it was far from the only time a Michigan high school squared off against a college program.
Western Michigan
Western Michigan had its share of difficult afternoons against high school competition, particularly in the early 1900s.
In 1905, Galesburg-Augusta defeated Western Michigan, 34-0, early in the season. The two teams met again in the final week of the year, playing to a scoreless tie. Western Michigan also suffered a 29-0 loss to Plainwell that same season. Five years later, Benton Harbor defeated Western Michigan, 34-0. Western Michigan’s historical opponents also include Dowagiac, Holland and Wayland.
Central Michigan
Central Michigan’s early schedule included a lot of Michigan high schools..
In 1896, Alma defeated Central Michigan, 12-5. Two years later, Mount Pleasant earned a 5-2 victory over the Chippewas. Central Michigan’s historical matchups also included defeats to Saginaw Arthur Hill and Bay City Central during the 1916 season. Central Michigan does have recorded victories over Bay City Central, Cadillac, Clare, Ithaca, Marion, McBain, Flint School for the Deaf, Saginaw High, St. Johns, Traverse City Central and Ogemaw Heights.
Michigan
The University of Michigan football program had a close relationship with Ann Arbor Pioneer football program during those early years, often scrimmaging or having official games against Pioneer for their Maize and Blue’s Varsity and Freshman teams. Ann Arbor Pioneer is the second-oldest high school football program in Michigan (1891) and is second in all-time wins in Michigan.
Michigan State
Michigan State was another program with high school opponents in its history. Among those opponents were present-day Lansing Sexton and the Flint Michigan School for the Deaf, who has not fielded a varsity high school football team since 2017.. Michigan State won each of those matchups without allowing a point.
These matchups serve as a reminder of how much Michigan football has evolved and the long history connecting the state’s high school and college programs. From established programs to smaller communities, these games represent a unique era of the sport that helped shape the football landscape we know today.
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