On this day in 1910, an op-ed in the Michigan Daily called for University of Michigan football players to wear numbers on their jerseys, but coach Fielding H. Yost opposed it, fearing it would hinder teamwork. It wasn’t until 1916 that players finally got numbers. Additionally, in 1974, Sandra Thompson was sworn in as Michigan's first Black female trooper, later becoming the first Black woman sergeant in the state before retiring in 1999 after 25 years of service.
TRANSCRIPT
It’s a commonplace thing nowadays on the gridiron, but in the early days of football, it was hard to tell players apart. So today in 1910, in the newspaper Michigan Daily, an op-ed asked that the University of Michigan players sew numbers onto their jerseys. However, the Wolverine’s coach, Fielding H. Yost said No. He was afraid that numbers singling out individuals would get in the way with meaningful Teamwork among the student athletes. It wouldn’t be until the 1916 season that U-of-M players would finally receive numbers.
And today in 1974, Sandra Thompson, fresh out of recruit school, was sworn in by the Michigan State Police, becoming the first black woman to become a Michigan trooper. A decade later, Thompson would also become Michigan’s first black woman sergeant, eventually retired in 1999 after 25 years of her public service.