The history of Michigan Wolverines football in the Kipke years covers the history of the University of Michigan Wolverines football program during the period from the hiring of Harry Kipke as head coach in 1929 through his firing after the 1937 season. Michigan was a member of the Big Ten Conference during the Kipke years and played its home games at Michigan Stadium.

During the nine years in which Kipke served as head football coach, Michigan claimed two national championships (1932 and 1933) and had an additional undefeated season in 1930. From 1930 to 1933, Kipke's teams won four consecutive Big Ten Conference co-championships, lost only one game, gave up only 81 points (2.38 points per game), and compiled a record of 31-1-3 (). However, in the final four years under Kipke, the team never had a winning season and compiled a record of 10-22 (). Kipke was fired after the 1937 season and replaced by Fritz Crisler.

Two Michigan players from the Kipke years have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. They are Harry Newman (quarterback, 1930–1932) and Whitey Wistert (tackle, 1932–1933). A third, Bill Hewitt, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gerald Ford, who played for Michigan from 1932 to 1934, went on to serve as the 38th President of the United States.

Year-by-year results

SeasonHead coachConference Place Record PF PA 1929 team Harry Kipke Big Ten Conference 7th 5-3-1 109 75 1930 team Harry Kipke Big Ten T–1st 8-0-1 111 23 1931 team Harry Kipke Big Ten T–1st 8-1-1 181 27 1932 team Harry Kipke Big Ten T–1st 8-0-0 123 13 1933 team Harry Kipke Big Ten T–1st 7-0-1 131 18 1934 team Harry Kipke Big Ten 10th 1-7-0 21 143 1935 team Harry Kipke Big Ten T–7th 4-4-0 68 131 1936 team Harry Kipke Big Ten 10th 1-7-0 36 127 1937 team Harry Kipke Big Ten T–4th 4-4-0 54 110

Overview of the Kipke years

Hiring of Kipke

After Michigan compiled a 3–4–1 record (2–3 Big Ten) in 1928, Michigan athletic director Fielding H. Yost announced in May 1929 that head football coach Tad Wieman would not be a member of the coaching staff in the fall. Two weeks later, in June 1929, Yost announced that Harry Kipke had been hired as Michigan's new head football coach. Kipke had been an All-American halfback on Yost's Michigan football teams from 1921 to 1923 and had developed a reputation as one of the best punters in the game. After graduating from Michigan, Kipke had been an assistant football coach at Missouri (1924–1927) and had been the head football coach at Michigan State in 1928. Kipke had signed a three-year contract with Michigan State, but the athletic board there accepted his resignation and agreed to release him from the final two years of his contract.

The tenure of Kipke's predecessor had been marred by a power struggle between the head coach and Yost. With Kipke in place, Yost announced that he was stepping aside and thereafter would "act solely as an interested spectator" unless his advice was sought. Kipke retained Jack Blott, Franklin Cappon, Cliff Keen, Bennie Oosterbaan, and George F. Veenker as assistant coaches.

Rebuilding in 1929

In Michigan's first year under Kipke, the team finished in 7th place in the Big Ten Conference with record of 5–3–1 (1–3–1 Big Ten). The season began with three wins against non-conference opponents, Albion (39–0), Mount Union (16–6), and Michigan State (17–0). Three consecutive losses followed against conference opponents, Purdue (30-16), Ohio State (7-0), and Illinois (14-0). The team rebounded with wins against Harvard (14-12) and Minnesota (7-6) and closed the season with a scoreless tie against Iowa. The victory over Harvard was the first for Michigan, which had lost all four prior games against Harvard.

Undefeated in 1930

In Kipke's second year, the Wolverines compiled their first undefeated season since 1923. They finished the season 8–0–1 (5–0 Big Ten), outscored opponents 111 to 23, and tied with Northwestern for the Big Ten championship. The sole setback was a scoreless tie against Michigan State in the third game of the season. The 1930 season marked the debut of Michigan's College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Harry Newman, who became a star in his first season leading the Wolverines' offense. Four members of the 1930 Michigan team were selected as first-team All-Big Ten players – Newman, center Maynard Morrison, halfback and team MVP Jack Wheeler, and right tackle Leo Draveling.

Eight shutouts in 1931

The 1931 team compiled an 8–1–1 record (5–1 Big Ten), shut out eight of ten opponents, and outscored opponents 181 to 27. The team's only loss was a 20–7 defeat against Ohio State. In the nine other games, the Wolverines allowed only seven points throughout the season and did not allow a single point to be scored in the final six games. In the sixth game of the season, the Wolverines shut out a Princeton Tigers team coached by Fritz Crisler – the person who would replace Kipke as Michigan's coach in 1938.

The 1931 season ended with Michigan, Purdue and Northwestern in a three-way tie for the Big Ten championship. Center Maynard Morrison, who was known for his outstanding play on defense, was a consensus first-team All-American. Four Wolverines were named first-team All-Big Ten players – Morrison, Harry Newman, Ivy Williamson, and Bill Hewitt.

National championship in 1932

In 1932, Michigan compiled a perfect 8–0 record, outscored opponents 123–12, and won both the Big Ten Conference and national championships. The defense shut out six of its eight opponents and gave up an average of only 1.6 points per game. Although there was no AP Poll to determine a national champion in 1932, the Knute K. Rockne Trophy was presented at the end of the season to the team deemed to be the national champion using the Dickinson System, a rating system developed by Frank G. Dickinson, a professor of economics of the University of Illinois. Michigan won the Rockne Trophy, edging Southern California in the Dickinson rating system.

On offense, quarterback Harry Newman was selected as the consensus first-team quarterback on the 1932 College Football All-America Team. He also won the Chicago Tribune Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference, the Douglas Fairbanks Trophy as Outstanding College Player of the Year (predecessor of the Heisman Trophy), and the Helms Athletic Foundation Player of the Year Award. Newman scored all 22 points for Michigan in the last three games of the season. The Associated Press wrote, "Without Newman providing the winning spark, the Michigan team might have been just another football club."

Center Chuck Bernard and end Ted Petoskey were also selected as first-team All-Americans by some selectors. (Bernard a first-team All-American on the INS team)(Bernard a first-team All-American selected by the NEA Sports Syndicate) (Petoskey a first-team pick of the All America Board selected by Christy Walsh in collaboration with Glenn Warner, W.A. Alexander, Jesse C. Harper, Edward L. Casey) (Petoskey a first-team pick by the Walter Camp Football Foundation) The team captain, Ivy Williamson, was selected as a second-team All-American in the Central Press Association's captains poll. Gerald Ford, who later became the 38th President of the United States, was the back-up center on the team and won the Meyer Morton Award as the most improved player in spring practice.

National championship in 1933

The 1933 team compiled an undefeated 7–0–1 record, outscored opponents 131 to 18, extended the team's unbeaten streak to 22 games, and again won both the Big Ten and national championships. The defense shut out five of its eight opponents and gave up an average of only 2.2 points per game. For the second consecutive year, Michigan was awarded the Knute K. Rockne Trophy as the No. 1 team in the country under the Dickinson System. By winning a share of its fourth consecutive Big Ten football championship, the 1933 Wolverines also tied a record set by Fielding H. Yost's "Point-a-Minute" teams from 1901 to 1904.

In the first half of the season, Michigan outscored its opponents, 101 to 6, including a 13–0 shutout of Ohio State. In the second half, Michigan outscored its opponents 30 to 12 and defeated Illinois, 7–6, with the difference being Willis Ward's block of an extra point kick. In the annual Little Brown Jug game, Michigan and Minnesota played to a scoreless tie, breaking Michigan's 16-game winning streak (but still preserving the unbeaten streak). Two of Michigan's adversaries also finished among the top five teams in the post-season Dickinson ratings: Minnesota at No. 3 and Ohio State at No. 5.

Left halfback Herman Everhardus was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player. He was also the leading scorer in the Big Ten Conference with 64 points on eight touchdowns, 10 extra points, and two field goals. Center Chuck Bernard and tackle Francis Wistert were consensus first-team picks for the 1933 College Football All-America Team.(Consensus All-Americans in bold typeface) Left end Ted Petoskey was also selected as a first-team All-American by several selectors. Michigan players also won four of the eleven spots on the All-Big Ten teams selected by the Associated Press and United Press. Michigan's first-team All-Big Ten honorees were Bernard, Everhardus, Petoskey, and Wistert.

"Punt, Pass and Prayer" years From 1934 to 1937, Michigan did not have a winning season, compiling a record of 10-22 (). Michigan's offense scored only 179 points during those four years, an average of 5.59 points per game.

Due in part to injuries, Kipke's offense in 1934 was sometimes referred to as "Punt, Pass and Prayer." A September 1934 newspaper story described the system:"A punt, a pass and a prayer. By Harry Kipke's own words, that's all they have over there. But when it's a [John] Regeczi punting, a [William] Renner passing, and a typical Michigan squad of good ends, good tackles, good guards, and a great center 'preying', how are you going to stop them?"

In a 1994 interview, Gerald Ford joked about how injuries during the 1934 season eliminated two of the options in the "Punt, Pass and Prayer" offense:"In '32 and '33, we were undefeated, and then in '34 we had a tough, tough year. In those years, our offense was called a punt, a pass, and a prayer. We had an outstanding passer, Bill Renner, who broke an ankle before the season started. Our punter, John Regeczi, was the greatest college punter I ever saw and he ruined his knee. All we had left was the prayer." Ford was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1934 team.

Racial integration

During the Kipke years, Michigan's football team became racially integrated. Though George Jewett had broken the race barrier as Michigan's first African-American football player in 1890, Michigan had not played another African-American in the 40 years after Jewett. Kipke actively recruited Willis Ward to Michigan and assured him that he would be given full opportunity to play football as well as compete in track. Kipke reportedly "threatened to fight, physically fight, those alumni and fellow coaches who opposed his playing Ward."

In the spring of 1932, Kipke ordered his veterans to pound Ward "without mercy" during practice. "If, at the end of the week", said Kipke, "he doesn't turn in his uniform, then I know I've got a great player." Ward started four games in 1932 and all eight games in 1933. In November 1933, Time magazine credited Ward and halfback Herman Everhardus for Michigan's undefeated season.