The tremendous boredom of the summer months has reached its apex, and I am left to come up with content when there is little to nothing going on in the Michigan sports scene. Luckily, U-M has an amazing database of historical content. The Bentley Historical Library is an incredible resource on Wolverine history, and also a bona-fide time-waster. I love looking through the old team photos … it’s basically like checking out your parents’ high school yearbooks, except with more famous people and without the stigma of looking through your parents’ high school yearbooks. Anyways, I’ve decided to click to a random year and find the most awesome/silly/ridiculous-looking player for that year, and then dig up what I can find on said player’s career at Michigan. In the second installment, I check out the 1889 squad.

Upon first look at the 1889 team photo, the man smack dab in the middle, Ben Boutwell, seemingly has no competition when it comes to, um, interesting looks:

Now starting at center ... Daniel Boone!

You have to respect a man who allows his mustache to prominently grow over a beard as massive as Boutwell’s, especially when said beard has more hair in it than the top of Boutwell’s head. However, there are two problems with choosing Boutwell. First, there’s nothing on the internet about him, which would make this a short and relatively uninteresting post. Second, James Duffy exists, and is in the same photo:

Did Waldo grow a mustache? And oil it?

I imagine being dropped into the year 1889 and being surrounded by people who look just like James Duffy: somewhat slight of stature, curled mustache, silly-looking cap, and a striped sweater. Factor in that he, for some reason, is not looking anywhere near the camera, and this is just a perfect picture. Now let’s take a look at James Duffy, the player. From irishlegends.com:

The stars on the Michigan team were the Duffy brothers, James E. and John L. Both had great speed and were exceptional kickers; in fact, in 1891 James would tie the American football record by booting a 55-yard field goal.

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A foot race, 100 yards in length, preceded the [1888] game and was open to members of both teams. James Duffy of Michigan and Notre Dame’s Harry Jewett, the world-class-sprinter-to-be, took the challenge. So did Notre Dame’s Joe Hepburn and an unidentified South Bend runner. Jewett stumbled at the start and, even with his great speed, was not able to catch the fleet Duffy.

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Three minutes and 28 seconds into the game, James Duffy scored a touchdown. His older brother, John, missed the conversion, so it was 4-0, Michigan.

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Only Michigan had to concern itself with such rules as the first half continued. William Ball, Duffie, and James Duffy scored additional touchdowns (John Duffy converting only two of them) to give the Wolverines a 20-0 lead. You’d expect if the Notre Dame boys weren’t tired out by halftime they sure must have been Duffied out.

That man pictured above, James E. Duffy, was a tremendous football player. This makes me thing that I could have been a football player at the turn of the century, except for the fact that players regularly left the field with broken limbs and gouged eyes. However, I would have to work on my mustache before I would ever be considered for the team. Also, I’d love to figure out how he managed to be on the varsity team for not five, not six, but seven years! Seriously, check the roster database; James E. Duffy is listed at halfback from 1895-1891. Apparently the NCAA wasn’t too tough on the whole eligibility deal.

That’s all for this edition … hit the “Fun With Team Photos” tag to check out the other posts (or at this point, post) in this inane, totally useless, but mildly interesting category.

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