University of Michigan Football Coaches
Frank Crawford and Mike Murphy
1891, 4-5-0
In 1891, Murphy and Crawford became the first official football coaches in the history of the University. Prior to their appointment, the Michigan football program operated for eleven seasons without a coach. An experienced and popular trainer for the Detroit Athletic Club, Murphy was named the actual head coach of the 1891 team. However, midway throughout the season, Crawford was established as co-coach, doing most of the coaching while Murphy settled mostly into the more appropriate role as the squad's trainer. A graduate student from Yale, Crawford learned football while attending school in the East. Crawford's efforts in contacting other institutions about the possibilities of competing on the gridiron led to the first advance schedule in Michigan history. Prior to this, the school's games were somewhat sudden and occurred with little or no planning, After his stint at Michigan, Crawford went on to coach the University of Nebraska to a 9-4-1 overall record in 1893 and 1894, and led the University of Texas to a perfect 5-0 record in 1895.