Michigan and Northwestern Announce New Rivalry Trophy Named After George Jewett-First African-American Player in the B1G who Played for Both Schools
Well we have another trophy game to add for Michigan football! Now every time Michigan and Northwestern play, it will be for the George Jewett trophy.
George played for Michigan in in 1890 and 1892 before going to Northwestern for grad school and playing there. He was the first black player in B1G history as well.
While Michigan and Northwestern aren't the biggest of rivals, this trophy works perfectly as it honors someone who deserves recognition and he has ties to both schools.
Full press release: https://mgoblue.com/news/2021/2/25/football-michigan-and-northwestern-establish-george-jewett-trophy.aspx
February 25th, 2021 at 9:13 AM ^
I like the concept, weird that we’re rivals with Northwestern now
February 25th, 2021 at 9:18 AM ^
Might as well. Everyone and their mother has an imagined rivalry with Michigan.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:40 AM ^
Lol, Illinois fans have been pounding their chest that Illinois-Michigan is a rivalry and we decide to establish a rivalry with the other school in Illinois instead
February 25th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
Lol, that's the first thing I thought of, "Illinois is going to be pissed"
February 25th, 2021 at 12:56 PM ^
Maybe they can try to start something with MSU?
February 25th, 2021 at 10:45 AM ^
It is pretty clearly more focused on honoring Dr. Jewett than the two teams rivalry, which is fine. Just means he will get talked about when the teams play.
February 25th, 2021 at 5:43 PM ^
Meh - it's nice to honor such a groundbreaking player, but... do we really need another adventitious trophy?
If we really want a trophy over NW - let's (for example) go steal Pat Fitzgerald's old playing gear and make him win it back... something petty and asinine - which it what college rivalries are meant to be.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:14 AM ^
This is awesome. Love it!
Always fun to be playing with a little something extra on the line and all the better that it honors an important historical figure/moment.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:46 AM ^
Nice historical tribute - and, we want all the trophies!
February 25th, 2021 at 9:15 AM ^
Thanks for posting that.
Good read over on wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Jewett
February 25th, 2021 at 12:05 PM ^
Surprised the wikipedia entry doesn't already have the trophy game info in it (as of 12:05pm ET on 2/25/21)
February 25th, 2021 at 9:17 AM ^
Would be nice to see the ?
February 25th, 2021 at 9:20 AM ^
Better than The Land Grant Trophy
February 25th, 2021 at 9:50 AM ^
sure wish they'd called it the 'george jewett xtramelanin trophy'.
has a nice ring to it.
February 25th, 2021 at 10:18 AM ^
I was in New Jersey for a week a couple of years ago. I know a guy there.
He'll get this done for you.
February 25th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
I imagine that if you threw enough money at them it could become the 'Geroge Jewett Trophy Presented by Xtramelanin' for awarding to the 'the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach'.
February 25th, 2021 at 12:47 PM ^
Sounds like a call to action for mods to aim the mgoMoneyCannon....
February 25th, 2021 at 1:58 PM ^
I'd throw some bucks at a fundraiser for XM sponsoring the trophy.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:21 AM ^
Other football related news I saw on the Twitters.
Notable from Michigan’s newly released spring football roster
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) February 25, 2021
- Xavier Worthy not listed, despite being in the M Community directory
- Jack Stewart moves from OL to DL
- Andrew Vastardis back for his sixth yearhttps://t.co/AUmDcwfqHa
February 25th, 2021 at 9:42 AM ^
Worthy said on his Twitter that he wasn’t going to join the team until the summer. It’s possible he just wanted a head start on his education in case he wanted to leave early for NFL or if the worst happens and he wants to grad transfer in 3 years
Stewart does have the size to be a nose at DT. I know he played some DT in high school but this is probably to have more depth
Also doesn’t look there are updated weights on that spring roster
February 25th, 2021 at 9:45 AM ^
The return of Vastard the bastard is huge for this team! An experienced, intelligent, quality center is huge. No wonder the carpenter went to IU.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:24 AM ^
Based on the press release, it looks like they have the right intentions. I hope they introduce the actual trophy in an appropriate way. Right not I feel like the Jug and Paul Bunyan are things that you win, lose, and somehow "own". Hopefully this trophy will be different.
February 25th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
And how else do you introduce a game trophy?
February 25th, 2021 at 2:34 PM ^
Trophy, teams. Teams, trophy.
February 25th, 2021 at 3:01 PM ^
That’s a great call.
Winning team earns the opportunity to display and protect the trophy that commemorates a historically tremendous student athlete.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:40 AM ^
Another trophy ..... ok.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:41 AM ^
I'm fine with honoring him. Another contrived trophy is fucking stupid.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:45 AM ^
Ok WD
February 25th, 2021 at 3:23 PM ^
Glad to know teldar is fine with honoring him! I was worried there for a second. We'll just go ahead and scrap the trophy. Anything else we can do for you?
February 25th, 2021 at 3:40 PM ^
No. That's it. Scrap the trophy. Find some more meaningful way to honor him than by forcing something stupid on another game. Thanks
February 25th, 2021 at 9:44 AM ^
To little surprise, WD is trashing the move on his Twitter.
February 25th, 2021 at 10:09 AM ^
What's his issue with it?
I like the idea of having a rivalry with Northwestern as we are obviously the two best universities in the conference.
February 25th, 2021 at 10:37 AM ^
I don't do the twitters anymore, but being familiar with WD's former work here, I'd bet he doesn't think Northwestern is worthy of being called a football rival of Michigan's.
February 25th, 2021 at 10:41 AM ^
and wouldn't it be so michigan of us to lose the first game for the trophy?
February 25th, 2021 at 11:57 AM ^
Bpone is an addictive drug...so true, we'd lose the first time.
February 25th, 2021 at 2:06 PM ^
After being up by 9 in the 4th quarter.
February 25th, 2021 at 3:30 PM ^
You mean, "wouldn't it be so Michigan of us to lose the first game for the George Jewett xtramelanin trophy?"
(I'm trying to start a groundswell of public support for your idea.)
February 25th, 2021 at 11:45 AM ^
What’s his issue with it.
He didn’t think of it first. He’s a donor ya know. Look at meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
February 25th, 2021 at 12:47 PM ^
This comment needs to be higher.
February 25th, 2021 at 11:45 AM ^
DP after the 522 errors this morning.
February 25th, 2021 at 12:14 PM ^
I’m so glad WD is not on this site anymore.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:45 AM ^
This is a deserved honor. I wonder what the trophy will look like.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:46 AM ^
I like trophies. Fun fact there is a Jewett street in Ann Arbor off of south industrial near roos roast. Can anyone confirm that it is his namesake?
February 25th, 2021 at 9:48 AM ^
It would be quite the coincidence if it isn't. Jewett isn't exactly a common name or street name
February 25th, 2021 at 11:48 AM ^
I used to live in the Parkside neighborhood of Buffalo and there is a Jewett Pkwy there. I just now had to look it up but, alas, it's named after some other dude...
February 25th, 2021 at 10:05 AM ^
After reading his wikipage bio, I'm more inclined to believe it might be. Sounds like quite the upstanding gent:
"Jewett grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of a successful blacksmith. At the time of the 1870 United States Census, he was listed as being one month old. His father was George Jewett, a blacksmith born in Kentucky in approximately 1845, and his mother was Letty Jewett, born in Michigan to parents from Missouri in approximately 1848. He had an older sister, Mary, born in approximately 1868.The family was residing in Ann Arbor at the time of both the 1870 and 1880 Censuses.
Jewett attended Ann Arbor High School where he was the class valedictorian in 1889. In high school, he was the captain of the debate, football and baseball teams. He was also the fastest sprinter in the Midwest, having won the Amateur Athletic Union 100-yard dash competition, and was fluent in German, Italian and French."
February 25th, 2021 at 5:18 PM ^
My principal at Tappan Jr High was a tall black man named George Jewett. He let us paint his car and he drove it all over town like that. Dude was pretty ccol.
February 25th, 2021 at 7:59 PM ^
There was a Jewett Street in Ann Arbor before 1891
Originally the stretch from West Liberty to West Huron was named Jewett Street, while the dogleg continuing north to Miller was Mann Street, named for the family of Jonathan Henry Mann, the patriarch of the Old West Side's German community. Jewett and Mann were both absorbed into Seventh after being connected up with the original portion south of Liberty in 1891.
https://aadl.org/aaobserver/19282
That doesn't mean that the existing Jewett Street is not named after George Jewett, just that the street name existed before George Jewett became famous. The source doesn't say what the original Jewett Street was named for.
February 25th, 2021 at 10:00 AM ^
Sweet. Winner gets to hold onto it for four years until the next meeting.
Cool gesture. I hope they go the extra step and play in 1890s uniforms with a patch honoring him.
February 25th, 2021 at 11:44 AM ^
I hope they go the extra step and play in 1890s uniforms with a patch honoring him.
The 1890s uniforms would be cool. But hopefully we'd add helmets too, right? ?